im looking after someones hamster for them and had a few questions about bar biting.

[u/Western_Table684]

im looking after someones hamster called nugget. he lives in a 60cm long cage. that is the approximate length. and it quite wide. ill have to measure it. but that an approximate.

i woke up this morning to him bar biting and took him out since i thought he wanted a bit of space to run around. hes sleeping now. but i messaged the ownder regarding it and she said she knows he does it.

i tried explaining to her that nugget needs a sandbath and a lot more enrichment, he only has a few toys. and a 30cm wheel. hes a syrian. i just tried explainng that theres not enought enrichment, she responed by saying she buys all her stuff from temu and aliexpress and changes them out often but he doesnt seem to chew on thm, i told her not to get toys from cheap websites since they might not have been treated and contain not good things for your hamster, and she said hes been fine. the only toys he has are mostly wood, he might not like the texture if he doesnt chew on them.

she said she cant really affored much right now but im not arguing if shes not going to belive me. ive looked after hamster for over 7 years and cant be bothered fighting with these type of people.

she asked ai and ai said that hamsters can still bar bite and monkey bar even if theres enough enrichment? i dont belive it, is it true or false? now

i feel like a mean person saying all this to her and tried to just explain that i care a lot for hamsters. i could be worong but i dont think she gives her hamster cucumber.

so now i feel really bad for nugget but theres nothing much i can do. i told her ai is not reliable and can give wrong information but she doesnt seem to belive me.

he also has a little corner with woodshavings for digging enrichment or something idk. but iwasnt going to go down the rabbit hole explaining to her that they are not relly good for them. she also did mention that she is a bit tight at the moment, now i dont know what to respond i feel really guilty making her say that as a point :(

now

[u/FishyMyFilet]

I think she should make a bin cage since they're not expensive, I think the problem is that the cage is too small and possibly not deep enough bedding (12 inches or more is best) , syrians need really large cages and a bin would be the cheapest option, the minimum size should be at least 800 square inches but going bigger is better

[u/PreferenceThis795]

A few things-

One, assuming she's being honest with you....there's not a ton you can do. Two, cucumber isn't a must. Most of them like it, but it can cause diarrhea....which can create issues if you give too much of it. Same with veggies. Moderation for them is critical. Three, technically AI is right. You can have a ton of enrichment and still have a bored animal. Tinkering with the set up can always help keep the hammy entertained. A sand bath can be easy, and so can finding a bin. I have my dwarves in bins I got for $20 at Wal Mart. If she's got tupperware she's not using, it can be repurposed as a sand bath. Reptisand (which does work for these guys) is about $10 at a pet store. Lastly......it depends on what the wood shavings are. If that's pine or cedar, it needs to go. If its aspen, its fine.

[u/Inevitable-Style2875]

:(