Climbing and the Environment

A bored hamster is a fat hamster.  Imagine you were put in a cage and had to live there for the rest of your life.  It would be very nice if the owner allowed you to get out once in a while or allowed you to have a change of scenery every now and then.

A good time for a change of scenery is when the cage has to be cleaned. The hamsters have to be put somewhere, one place to use is the tub in the bathroom.  Make sure the water drain is plugged first as you don't want your hamster exploring the drain.  Also, if you're living with others make sure they know that you're putting hamster(s) in the tub. After all you don't want anyone turning on the water while they are in there.

An empty tub can be quite boring to a hamster, placing things in the tub can make things more interesting. A towel is a good start as most tubs are cold. It allows the hamster(s) to stand on something a bit cozier. Other things like modular climbing sets, flying saucers, and hamster wheels are good.

There are a few items on the market that will allow you to make the hamster's climbing life more interesting.

Puzzle Playgrounds


The professor showcases the Puzzle Playground

The puzzle playground by Super Pet is a plastic made modular system that has compatible connectors to the Critter Trail and the Habitrail systems.  This is an ideal addition to cages that don't have a lot of space.  You can also use this outside the cage in a more open environment (eg. bath tub) to make the existing environment more interesting.

There are different versions available and you can buy them at Amazon.com or click here for the larger Super Pet Puzzle Playground, 60 Piece version.


Build and Chew



Peppy and the Professor climb the Build and Climb

The Build and Chew by Burgham takes up more space and may not be ideal for small cages however the plus side is that it's made of wood.  This means that it's chewable and environmentally sound. Also the design allows for multiple levels of hamster fun.


Build and Chew packaging

I picked up the Build and Chew at a Petsmart but I don't see them being advertised on the Petsmart web site so here's a link to Mr. Pet's another pet store online that carries the Build and Chew.

In a day and age where we have plastic floating around killing off animals (eg. birds, fish) it's important to choose the items we buy more carefully, Avoid plastics if we can and if we do use plastics make sure it's for long term use.

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.

Professor

The Professor

This photo of the Professor (or just Professor) was taken the day after coming home from the pet store. (Critters Castle)

Captain Hill

Captain Hill escapes

When I got my hamster from the pet store (P.J.'s Pets) they put the hamster in a small cardboard box to make it easier to transport back home

On the way home the hamster had found a small opening. The hamster expanded the hole by nibbling the surrounding cardboard. It was because of this that I decided to call the hamster "Captain Hilts" after the Steve McQueen character in "The Great Escape".

Later on, shortly after arriving at home, I realized the hamster was female. Not that it really matters as Hilts is a last name but I altered the name (possibly for copyright reasons and) as a nod to my friend Hillary Martin who, like the hamster, seems to go off on the odd exciting adventures. And so Captain Hill was the official name.

In an internet world of a lot of cat and dog photos, this blog is dedicated to my pet hamsters, sharing knowledge about owning a hamster, and sharing photos and stories. I will attempt post once each week on Monday at 9:00am (Eastern Standard time). Stay tuned.

Let the adventures begin...