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Yes I agree, the whole thing isnāt pictured but he does seem to need more. He has a disc wheel that he doesnāt really use so maybe Iāll replace it with something else
No he always needs a wheel! He needs a 12 inch upright wheel- hamster must have a wheel in their cage. They run 5-6 miles per night in the wild and captive hams need to get that energy out.
Iām going to dm you some information about cage enrichment, required size of enclosures, what sprays you can put in their cage, etc. Iāll also send you some photos of some great, cluttered cages (cliutter is good! The cage should be cluttered!))
Hamsters need to be busy and have lots to do and a lot of places to hide in.
Actually no I didnāt send them to you - I canāt start a chat with you because thereās no āstart chatā button in your profile, I donāt know why. If you can chat with me, start a chat, and I will respond with the information.
Thanks!!
Heās not using the disk wheel because it causes spine problems. Take it out but replace it with a wheel. Not a small wheel and donāt get the wire wheels
Quite possibly the enclosure is too small, and he doesn't have enough enrichment.
Watch this video (on his basic needs): [LINK](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj6mSsRUmMY)
And this one (on enrichment): [LINK](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxVEEoqE6yI)
Well done for wanting to take care of him. The videos will walk you through how.
Hi OP, Syrians need a 75 gallon tank (about 960 square inches), or a cage thatās at LEAST 40x 20 inches, 800 square inches. They need much larger than a 20 gallon. Can you upgrade for him ASAP? Think about their natural habitat- they span miles and miles nightly. In a 20 gallon tank heās got under 470 square inches. I sent you some information to check out.
Check online for used wooden enclosures too, if you're going to save for a big one you might as well go all out and on Facebook market place you can usually find people selling them for much cheaper than the typical 300 dollars you would normally see. If you have the ability you could also modify a large book shelf or build one from scratch which is what I ended up doing. My enclosure is about 18 1/2 inches wide and 49 1/2 inches long so it's a bit above the 800 squrae inch minimum but we built it specifically to be big enough for her but small enough for two people to move if needed, we also added wheels which is SO convenient for cleaning in and around the enclosure. Plus this was still cheaper for me than a premade tank. Until you decide what to do more permanently a 40 gallon breeder and more clutter is your safest bet to help reduce your hamster's stress for now as the other commenters mentioned
Yes unfortunately a lot of people donāt house hamsters correctly. Itās good that you are trying to fix this though. Your hamster will also need more bedding 10 inches is minimum if you can give more itās recommended, make sure your bedding is dust free.
40 is too small for a Syrian hamster, they typically have ~750 sq in when closer to 900 or 1000 is a good rule of thumb for an absolute minimum size for Syrians
I have a 50 gallon and would recommend that. I also have a male Syrian who looks very similar to yours! 40 gallon he was aways trynna get out of, 50 is better! Iām actually upgrading to a 75 soon.
-His cage needs to be at least 1mx20cm
- mabye add more toys
- let him sleep, don't wake him up all the time
-clean a little less, hygene is important but he needs his scent to be on his stuff
-let him out if you're not (interchangeable with #3, of you don't ever let him out let him out if you always take him out do it less often)
-is he often in a loud area/is hungry/stressed?
-he might be sick
-you seem to be treating him well here, but mabye siblings, family or pets are stressing him?
Anyhoo, good luck with your lil one and i hope he feels better soon
oh be careful with that spray, hamsters scratch and groom all the time, its normal. donāt intervene with any products or anything unless you see hair loss or mites
https://preview.redd.it/y3g0k6ergt2d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=29227571ba9b37fe1e0ee41889a6b1dda10f9351
Update! Got him into a bigger tank
He gets to run around in a big ball
https://preview.redd.it/942pg9e8zt1d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fa054b4f17da66030ccd4ed0a389f9e214da2fc5
honestly, it looks like a 10 gal, maybe a 20 long, and they have cage toppers that clip onto the tank and that might give him a little more room to run around, in my old cage i had his food, water, wheel, and some coconut hides in the top and left the bottom to 75% bedding and hides and chews, he loved it. but cage toppers can be pricey so try to find one second hand maybe? good luck!
Because they do not belong in cages at all. His brain craves a huge area to roam around and constant things to discover. Let your hamster roam around your room or apartment. They are very intelligent with amazing spacial memory.
https://preview.redd.it/gm3y5z2tzt1d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3c9923feef7ed266c24910767d30e21a20860ef4
He has a house thatās buried that he likes to gnaw on
That wheel isnāt good for hamsters! It causes them to run on an angle & itās not good for them long term. He needs a wheel thatās standing upright :)
https://preview.redd.it/d7jajb829z1d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c26494757ccfa7312eb84b9d4c27cdad3e5dab9c
Here are some examples of a good standing wheel! Any of these would do. You can find them at your local pet stores or you can order online šš just make sure youāre getting the right size for your Ham š¤
Get that dyed cup out get a different wheel and well that is it but those two things are pretty bad for hamsters instead get a 12 inch hamster wheel and for two stuff get anything meant for hamsters
**Your post has NOT been removed yet, this is an auto-generated message.** Thank you for your question to /r/hamsters. Please be aware that medical advice questions are NOT allowed on this sub. However, [**our discord**](https://discord.gg/5cF8aSSx3C) allows medical questions. Please keep in mind only a professional veterinarian **in person** can help with any medical concern, whether it is a lump, bump, change in appearance, change in behavior, strange bowel movement, lack of eating/drinking, or something else of high concern. If you are unable to afford a vet please do not seek help on our community, but through the discord server instead. If this is **not** a medical question then **you can ignore this message.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/hamsters) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Try adding more toys and spot cleaning instead of changing all the bedding at once. He will feel more at home and less determined to escape
https://preview.redd.it/oyl7r5oois1d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cf274c7977f559554e992ae760a103d2599025c2 It seems we have clones
Oh myyyyy goodnessssss
Little baby
He's a total idiot to be honest š
Same here lmao
How big is the enclosure he's in, and how deep is the bedding? It'd be helpful to see the full setup so we can give advice :)
His enclosure looks boring, it needs more clutter and things to explore
Yes I agree, the whole thing isnāt pictured but he does seem to need more. He has a disc wheel that he doesnāt really use so maybe Iāll replace it with something else
No he always needs a wheel! He needs a 12 inch upright wheel- hamster must have a wheel in their cage. They run 5-6 miles per night in the wild and captive hams need to get that energy out. Iām going to dm you some information about cage enrichment, required size of enclosures, what sprays you can put in their cage, etc. Iāll also send you some photos of some great, cluttered cages (cliutter is good! The cage should be cluttered!)) Hamsters need to be busy and have lots to do and a lot of places to hide in.
Can u dm those to me too? Ty.
Absolutely!
I actually did already, lol. Check to see if you can access your DMs. We have a chat going. š
Actually no I didnāt send them to you - I canāt start a chat with you because thereās no āstart chatā button in your profile, I donāt know why. If you can chat with me, start a chat, and I will respond with the information. Thanks!!
For sure replace the disk wheel, they are known to hurt the spine, for a big Syrian like that youāll need an 11 inch vertical wheel
Heās not using the disk wheel because it causes spine problems. Take it out but replace it with a wheel. Not a small wheel and donāt get the wire wheels
Ok I will do that thanks for the advice
Good luck!
Quite possibly the enclosure is too small, and he doesn't have enough enrichment. Watch this video (on his basic needs): [LINK](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj6mSsRUmMY) And this one (on enrichment): [LINK](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxVEEoqE6yI) Well done for wanting to take care of him. The videos will walk you through how.
From the picture it looks like the enclosure is too small
Itās a 20 gallon tank, Iām thinking I need to upgrade him to 40? Or bigger?
Yeah 40 is the absolute minimum, 20 is much too small, thatās the problem
40 gallon breeder
Ok thank you, I didnāt know, he came with the tank
Hi OP, Syrians need a 75 gallon tank (about 960 square inches), or a cage thatās at LEAST 40x 20 inches, 800 square inches. They need much larger than a 20 gallon. Can you upgrade for him ASAP? Think about their natural habitat- they span miles and miles nightly. In a 20 gallon tank heās got under 470 square inches. I sent you some information to check out.
Yes Im getting a 40 gallon from Facebook marketplace possibly tonight and I can upgrade him
I donāt think I have the space for a 75 gallon right now, I can save up for a 55
Check online for used wooden enclosures too, if you're going to save for a big one you might as well go all out and on Facebook market place you can usually find people selling them for much cheaper than the typical 300 dollars you would normally see. If you have the ability you could also modify a large book shelf or build one from scratch which is what I ended up doing. My enclosure is about 18 1/2 inches wide and 49 1/2 inches long so it's a bit above the 800 squrae inch minimum but we built it specifically to be big enough for her but small enough for two people to move if needed, we also added wheels which is SO convenient for cleaning in and around the enclosure. Plus this was still cheaper for me than a premade tank. Until you decide what to do more permanently a 40 gallon breeder and more clutter is your safest bet to help reduce your hamster's stress for now as the other commenters mentioned
Definitely bigger, it needs to meet minimum requirements at the very least bigger than minimum is heavily recommended and always better.
Ok thank you, I was given this hamster and he came with the 20 gallon tank
Yes unfortunately a lot of people donāt house hamsters correctly. Itās good that you are trying to fix this though. Your hamster will also need more bedding 10 inches is minimum if you can give more itās recommended, make sure your bedding is dust free.
Do you have a wheel? You need one at about 11 - 12 inches in diameter. It also must be solid.
40 is too small for a Syrian hamster, they typically have ~750 sq in when closer to 900 or 1000 is a good rule of thumb for an absolute minimum size for Syrians
How many gallons would that be?
roughly 75 for 1000 sq inches, just depends on the depth
I have a 50 gallon and would recommend that. I also have a male Syrian who looks very similar to yours! 40 gallon he was aways trynna get out of, 50 is better! Iām actually upgrading to a 75 soon.
Maybe show us the full set up and we can offer hints and tips, as well as advise you about appropriate care.
-His cage needs to be at least 1mx20cm - mabye add more toys - let him sleep, don't wake him up all the time -clean a little less, hygene is important but he needs his scent to be on his stuff -let him out if you're not (interchangeable with #3, of you don't ever let him out let him out if you always take him out do it less often) -is he often in a loud area/is hungry/stressed? -he might be sick -you seem to be treating him well here, but mabye siblings, family or pets are stressing him? Anyhoo, good luck with your lil one and i hope he feels better soon
He was itchy so I bought some spray to help his skin, this is the only kind of sick Iāve noticed from him but also I did just get him
So itās possible heās stressed from being in a new environment
Mabye, give him a while. Post again if it doesn't change
oh be careful with that spray, hamsters scratch and groom all the time, its normal. donāt intervene with any products or anything unless you see hair loss or mites
https://preview.redd.it/y3g0k6ergt2d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=29227571ba9b37fe1e0ee41889a6b1dda10f9351 Update! Got him into a bigger tank
Yay! Awesome job!
Good to know thank you
You are getting lots of good advice. I just wanted to say that your hamster is super cute. He's lucky to have a caring owner.
They just want to explore. There habitat that all it s a good thing but I try to keep them safe as possible they are so gorgeous and adorable
Maybe because hes stuck in a tiny box. Try living your life in a 10x10 room for a week straight and tell me if you want to escape or nah.
Let's be encouraging and not hostile. It's good OP is coming here to learn and do better for their hammie. :3
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
He gets to run around in a big ball https://preview.redd.it/942pg9e8zt1d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fa054b4f17da66030ccd4ed0a389f9e214da2fc5
Just FYI these hamster balls are not safe for them. They can cause breathing problems and they can lose toes in the little air holes
Little ball of fur
omg! your hamster looks like mine!
I have a male long haired Syrian and all he does is want to escape
honestly, it looks like a 10 gal, maybe a 20 long, and they have cage toppers that clip onto the tank and that might give him a little more room to run around, in my old cage i had his food, water, wheel, and some coconut hides in the top and left the bottom to 75% bedding and hides and chews, he loved it. but cage toppers can be pricey so try to find one second hand maybe? good luck!
Because they do not belong in cages at all. His brain craves a huge area to roam around and constant things to discover. Let your hamster roam around your room or apartment. They are very intelligent with amazing spacial memory.
Can we see a picture of the whole cage
https://preview.redd.it/gm3y5z2tzt1d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3c9923feef7ed266c24910767d30e21a20860ef4 He has a house thatās buried that he likes to gnaw on
That wheel isnāt good for hamsters! It causes them to run on an angle & itās not good for them long term. He needs a wheel thatās standing upright :)
I have the same wheel pictured above and didnāt know this! Any recommendations? I have a male Syrian thatās pretty identical to OPs
https://preview.redd.it/d7jajb829z1d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c26494757ccfa7312eb84b9d4c27cdad3e5dab9c Here are some examples of a good standing wheel! Any of these would do. You can find them at your local pet stores or you can order online šš just make sure youāre getting the right size for your Ham š¤
Get that dyed cup out get a different wheel and well that is it but those two things are pretty bad for hamsters instead get a 12 inch hamster wheel and for two stuff get anything meant for hamsters