The Hamster sees you... not really.

Hamster Fact:

Hamster eyesight is generally pretty poor.

Knowing this you should be careful where you put a hamster as it won't know the difference between being on a pillow resting on a bed from being on a pillow on a drawer a few meters off the ground.  This is also why you should cup your hamster with both hands while carrying it.  Just in case the hamster decides to jump.

Hamsters rely on their sense of smell and hearing in order to help figure out their surroundings.

Words to live by

Adventure is out there!

Nothing ever happened to people that stayed inside. Unless you were in a trailer during a tornado (and that would probably have been bad). With weather being so uninviting, especially if you live in the east coast getting pummelled by snow, it's difficult to even think about going outside. I say "Dress for the weather and get out there. There's so much to see." Be like a hamster and go out there and explore who cares what the weather is like? Have fun, be adventurous!

Spin it up

Ever since seeing this video of hamsters exercising on a spinning disc I've wanted to get one for Peppy and the Professor. It's hamster entertainment at it's finest.


The Hamster Exerciser

I attempted to find the spinning saucer model in the YouTube video online with unsuccessful results. The next step was to find out if any local stores carried them. Most stores, if they carried hamster goods, had the wheel but not many knew what I was talking about when I described the dish. After an exhaustive search in the pet stores around the Toronto area, the only two makes I could find were the Flying Saucer and the Hamster Exerciser (see photos). Neither model had a rim to hold the hamsters in which was a bit of a disappointment. I thought about making a spinning disc out of a used frisbee and then realized that would take some thought, time and building equipment. Buying a solution would be easier at this moment in time.

I purchased the Hamster Exerciser first from the friendly people at the Pet Emporium. Unfortunately the hamsters were too small and light at the time (only 16 grams each) that their weight wasn't enough to make the saucer section spin. As a result they got bored and quickly ignored the Hamster Exerciser altogether.


Cue up the crickets, The Hamster Exerciser is uninteresting to Dwarf Hamsters


The Flying Saucer

Next, I went out looking for the flying saucer. The only store to carry it was PetSmart and unfortunately they only had the 12" version in stock. While the 12" version would have worked with the hamsters functionally, the diameter was too wide to fit in the Habitrail cage/pod. It's about 2" inches too wide and that doesn't give any space for anything else. Because there's no rim on the saucer the hamsters would just fly off. They would need space to fall.

Fortunately the Flying Saucer comes in three sizes. The next size down was 6.5" and there's a third smaller size coming in at 5". All three sizes can be bought from Amazon.com (see below for links). While I recommend buying things locally first the URLs are included for convenience.


The Professor on the Flying Saucer

The 5" saucer seems to small even for a dwarf hamster and it's too bad ware doesn't make a saucer that's 8 inches in diameter which would fit in the cage and be large enough for two hamsters to run on at the same time. I ended up purchasing the 6.5 inch version. While the hamsters don't really fit on the saucer so they can run on one side at the same time that doesn't stop them from trying. This in itself is funny to watch.


Two out of two hamsters approve of the Flying Saucer by Ware

Since the introduction of the Flying Saucer in the cage the hamsters have been running on it steadily. While the spinning is quiet the base on the bedding wobbles a bit making a thumping sound. I will readjust this and see if I can make it quieter. The hamsters love it though.

Stay tuned for future articles and updates.