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View Full Version : Some hampster questions...



Swanie78
05-27-2007, 05:32 PM
Already have some questions and I cant find answers anywhere online....

1. The wheel. She was like a maniac in it last night. I finally had to pull it out of the cage because I was afraid that she'd give herself a heart attack in it. I put it back this morning and shes been in it on and off. Was it just nerves last night or does she have OCD? lol

2. When she goes into a corner to sleep, she puts her head down between her front feet and makes nibbling sounds. Anyone know what shes doing? Its almost like shes chewing on her nails (sounds like that) but her nails are fine from what I can see. Do they typically make this sound?

3. The peeing thing. Her cage already smells from peeing. I know they are stinky animals, but shouldnt it last more than 12 hours odor free? lol

4. She's a monkey. I woke up this morning to her hanging from the side of the cage. She'd let go and climb up again. I was afraid she'd hurt herself so I put the wheel back in and gave her a couple of baby carrots. Shes been ok now, but same question...is this normal?

Im thinking I should have just stuck to my VERY good cat, and my fish tank....lol Because of the chomp she took out of me yesterday Im hesitant to try to pick her up. Im trying to pet her every once in awhile, but she's definately a nipper.

iloveflipflops
05-27-2007, 05:55 PM
I can only answer a few of these questions. I believe hampsters are like guinea pigs and they are nocturnal meaning they are mostly awake at night so its very normal to hear her on her wheel just churning away all night long.

Good luck with the "smell". I think that's normal too. I have to change our guinea pig cage every 3 days or it drives me nuts.

Nadine
05-27-2007, 07:02 PM
The wheel thing is perfectly normal. Hamsters can run miles and miles each night. It's important that she have it so that she can exercise. She won't give herself a heart attack. They'll be most active at night. Mine usually gets up and starts running just as I'm going to sleep.

The nibbling is normal too. Chances are she's eating some of her food. They'll stow things in their cheeks and save it for later. They wake up while they're napping, have a quick snack and then go back to sleep.

The peeing thing is my least favorite things. I bought an odor neutralizer from Walmart though and it seems to do the trick for the most part. I change the cage once a week and in between it's fine. The stuff is in a white spray bottle with green writing and it smells like bubblegum. You just spray it on the cage bottom when you change the bedding.

Hamsters love to climb. They'll climb the cage and they will fall, but they won't hurt themselves. I'm not sure what type of cage you have. I have the Habitrail kind so I can add tunnels and posts for her to climb and all sorts of neat stuff. They like to be active, so even a paper towel roll in there so she can crawl through it would be neat, maybe a little ladder. They love toys!

Swanie78
05-27-2007, 07:15 PM
Thanks for the info!!
Shes been awake on and off today and when I notice her awake, Ill open the cage and try to pet her. Thats as brave as Im getting today...lol
Ill also look for the neutralizer. The cat creates one bad smell, the hamster another...this will be fun ;) I might have to try the neutralizer in the cat box too :D
The cage I bought was a whole kit from Petsmart. Its a wire cage with a plastic bottom (I read these were the best ones) and its got a second story that has a place for her food. Theres a tube that goes from the bottom to the second story. She climbs up that, but when shes done she jumps off the ledge...lol
I do have a toilet paper roll in there, as well as a lightbulb box. I had intentions of putting the little box she came in in there as her house, but she destroyed it and its covered in my blood...lol I still have to buy her a little house, neither store had one I liked and would fit in the cage. Im already seeing that I need a larger cage ;) Or for her to become friendlier so she can come out and play more.

ellie
05-27-2007, 07:16 PM
A couple of things I have learned...the wheel is very normal....if she is bothering you at night, try moving her cage where you can't hear it.
The peeing...maybe you don't have enough bedding in the bottom of the cage. Also, NEVER use the cedar stuff. The natural oil in the cedar will get in their lungs and they can die. I just bought the plain old wood chips.
Chewing her nails...hampsters have little pouches- like a chipmunk - and they store food in them. Probably what she is doing is eating the food she has stored from earlier.
They are also acrobats and will climb and do flips...if you can, invest in a habitrail...those are fun for them and fun for you to watch!

ellie
05-27-2007, 07:18 PM
OK, one more thing...be careful giving them veggies. Some is ok but they can get "wet-tail". I think it's like a diareah type thing that isn't good for them.

Swanie78
05-27-2007, 07:22 PM
The websites that I read last night said that one piece of fruit/veggie a day is ok and good for them. It helps grind their teeth down. I never knew their teeth continually grew! One person said she didnt know about feeding them other stuff and her hampster died because its teeth over grew. Weird.

Nadine
05-27-2007, 08:42 PM
That is weird. Cookie really likes carrots and raisins. I don't know if the raisins help with the teeth thing but she loves them. I tried watermelon with the last hamster and that was not a good idea. He ended up with wet tail. I did find out a neat trick though, you can cure wet tail with Pepto Bismol. Don't bother with the stuff at the pet store. You just pour a little bit onto a spoon and they'll drink right out of it. Apparently they love the taste!

She'll come around once she gets used to you and you'll have trouble keeping her in the cage. That's the one bad thing about them. Once they get a taste of freedom it becomes their new goal in life. lol

Erin K
05-27-2007, 09:22 PM
hamsters are discusting animals. I had two they promised they were both boys, one got pregnant and ATE THE BABIES. I was so freaked out I gave them away. I can't stand it when things eat their young.

LinzyD
05-27-2007, 10:17 PM
My little Schmooie had a castle! He had a two story cage and a whole seperate cage that was connected with all kinds of little tunnels and stuff. He also had a really cool wheel that was seperate and at the very top of his two story cage. Each payday I would buy a new "part" for his castle until it became so big he stopped going into parts of it. Did you know that hamsters are potty trainable? Oh, and a small peice of cheese once a week will help prevent them from getting wet tail. Did you decide on a name yet?
Linzy

dreis1
05-27-2007, 10:37 PM
I don't know anything about hampsters, but I am concerned about the bit on your finger. Please don't let that get infected. Glinda

Erin K
05-27-2007, 11:26 PM
My discusting hampsters (Thomas and Sassy) had a huge habitrail, it took up half my tiny apartment. It was soooo cool.

Oh and BTW I had a mouse for a while, it was stinker and meaner than the hamsters. Thomas was a nice one Sassy was the one who bit and ate her babies, Probably bit because she was pregnant and ate her babies because she was terrified of me always trying to pick her up.

I wish you luck with your hampster, no matter what keep it to ONE. :) They are super duper cute.

LinzyD
05-28-2007, 12:16 AM
I agree with Erin about only getting one. Until male hamsters go thru puberty and their testis drop, it's really hard to tell the difference between girls and boys. Schmooie used to bite on his cage when he wanted attention from me. If I was scrapbooking in the same room as he was he would make all kinds of noise until I'd yell "Schmooie-knock it off!" Sometimes he wouldn't stop until I got up and went and held him for awhile or let him roll around on the floor in his exercise ball.
L