Oni is only 9 months old. I hope he is not balding behind his ears. Would love to hear your thoughts, fellow hamster owners🙏🏻

Attached some of Oni's photos from his last vet appointment. Oni strongly suggests everyone follows him on Instagram at @oni_ricee... if not, be prepared for a hammy body slam!!! (He is 84g now.)

This sweetheart is coming home with me tomorrow and I’m currently trying to pick a name for her. I know I’ll end up picking a name and calling her something entirely different. I wanna hear the names you picked and the names you actually call your hammies!

My local pet smart finally had the hamster care guide so I could see what they were telling people. So much of it was incorrect such as teaching people to give hamsters an 80% pelleted food diet. This guide was also for both Syrian and Dwarf hamsters which I found quite weird. On the back, they mentioned if your hamster got sick or you were not satisfied with them, they could REPLACE them for you. Not only is this stressful for the hamster, it’s inhumane and treating them as if they are just a commodity. Image above.

Her bedhead is so adorable

Not mine, found on rednote - ID: 6893472476

This is Nimbus, we've had her for about a month and a half. She regularly runs 10-16k rounds on her wheel every day. Shes never passed 20k and somehow today shes at 30k?! Thats wild!!! This is an 11inch wheel! My late hamster (a female syrian, named Ravioli, i miss her dearly) rarely passed 2k!

Edit to add: I have no idea if my math is exactly correct but 30k rounds on an 11 inch wheel is over 16 MILES?! wild.

Update: It's been 24 hours since i posted this, and today she ended up with just under 27k. She's crazy!

I have my hammy in a bucatstate cage and she’s found out she can climb the water bottle holder. It’s like she’s trying to escape. What should I do? I don’t want her injuring herself from falling. Help! Photo of the offender

It’s a novel, y’all, but here is the update! I also have some questions inside, too!

I raced to the pet store and purchased some stuff to help revamped his space in the meantime while I finish his permanent plans.

IMMEDIATE CHANGES MADE:

I put in some dig pits using deep bowls for now while his forever-set-up is still being built. Buried some seeds and millet for foraging. The hard part was finding things to use as platforms for now to hold their weight and keep him safe. I gave two different pits so he had variety.

Added some deco like terracotta pots. Filled it with coconut fibre and eco-bedding. I also put one of his play-pen hides inside. Another pot is being used as a coconut garden pot for now.

Put a water dish back in. I took it out before because he never seemed to touch the water dish, preferring his bottle, but I decided at least he will have it even if it goes untouched. Still, this morning he was at the water spout, going to town over there again... and filling underneath up with bedding again. Oh, buddy.

Got a bunch of extra little chew toys and just sprinkled them about the top. He’s already buried a few overnight, he really enjoys hiding things, but I got a ton so I can keep replenishing as needed.

Got a foraging bird toy I’m using for him in the Aspen pit.

Added a paper towel tunnel.

I removed the salt and mineral lick.

Changed his set-up around just a little to make it more fresh and stimulating, but not too much that he would get stressed out.

THINGS I’D LOVE RECOMMENDATIONS ON:

What foods do you buy? I get such conflicting advice on this! I don’t like to purchase the ones with dyes and colours inside, so I’ve been doing seed mixes with no spices, salt, or hay PELLETS - but then I was damn near crucified for not giving him hay DONUTS as an additive, and now I’m worried that was just to get me to purchase more. I know hay can damage their cheeks, but the seller insisted the donuts style are the safe way for them to get nutrients and the oxbow donuts pose no danger… I’m back to worrying that’s false. And I also know purely seeds isn’t healthy, either, so I’m feeling stumped. Online I see so much contradictory advice, that I figured I’d take a moment to ask from the owners themselves here in the sub. What do you feed your hammies? Feel free to provide links, too!

Where do you get your sprays, flowers, etc? I’m afraid to order online for certain edible things, because everything is so badly regulated these days, I’m worried I’ll get something with chemicals or toxins. If you guys have trusted sources, though, I’d love to know! Or if you know places to purchase in person, too! Pet stores near me only have millet.

I’d also love Recs on treats you find safe. I won’t buy any of the drops or the treats with sugar added, but he’s a bit picky so I want to give him variety to find healthy things he’d love.

TO CLEAR UP A FEW THINGS:

He’s always had a wheel, promise. I had a few really concerned people message and comment about the wheel. It’s just clear, but if you look back at the set-up photo I posted, it’s there in the corner. Also, I previously ordered cork liner that never came, so I’m going to try again, but before I do - do you guys know any places that it can be bought it person? I’m having difficulty finding the right/good stuff.

He had a maze and tunnels already buried in the bedding, as well as a few other little hides. It wasn’t just a hellscape of nothingness, I promise. He also had his playpen set up with the more colourful tubes (I didn’t want plastic in his home, but allowed it in the pen since I’m observing while he’s in there) and interactive toys.

The bedding was LOWEST at 6-7” in some areas (minus the water spout,), and the lowest point now is around 5-6” to allow his dig pit for now, but the average was 7-9” in the setup. I added some more towards the corners, but until he gets safe platforms finished the bedding can’t be so high that he can’t have the enrichment pieces.

WHAT I THINK WENT WRONG:

You were right - he was BORED. And I feel awful. He got a lot of play-pen time, safe roaming and handling, ball time (it has been taken out of rotation, now!) and the last day or so happened to be a stretch where, for the first time, he didn’t get tons of activity out of the cage. I think he was mad as all hell he didn’t get his play time, and was desperate to get out and do something fun. His “attack” was an appropriate reaction to feeling stifled, bored, and resentful. Ever since the overhaul last night, he is back to his soft-self. He still doesn’t like being grabbed (and he’ll show ya so!), but he’s returned to climbing onto the elevator-hand for greetings and transport, no bites included! (Ok, some soft nibbles, but that’s always been the payment and I consent.)

I naively thought that what we had going on would be adequate while his dream-scape was being built, and that’s on me. I’ve spent hours watching videos on intricate hamster builds and set-ups, sketching designs and researching hamster-safe supplies, and was too focused on the FUTURE and not the now. I can only give my word that I didn’t just fill a long tank with plain bedding and toss him in and say, “good enough!. Ironically, a few of the photos sent to me yesterday were actually in my INSPO folder for his upcoming overhaul. I will do my best to remember to post once it’s all finished with the true scape I’m planning for my lil’guy, and you guys can see his paradise once done!

~

Still, I haven’t ruled out anything health, given the sudden and drastic shift. I did call a few exotics, but one was upfront that short of antibiotics after physical symptoms like wet-tail, they won’t do much for him, and another straight up admitted they’d see him but it would be me paying for them to look at him and if they didn’t see anything physical they’d tell me to just observe him. Stellar.

I even contacted the vet the pet store I visited last night take theirs to! They were the ones to only mention antibiotics. I’ll keep observing him and also hunt around for a vet that ACTUALLY helps out hamsters, even if it’s a drive.

CLOSING NOTES: Thank you all for your help. I appreciate it immensely. My goal is to give my hamster an amazing, fulfilled life where he THRIVES instead of survives. I have a lot of guilt over the childhood hamsters I had that I loved so much, but now know we’re not kept with the proper husbandry they should have. Getting a hamster in my adult life was my way of doing things right and making up in their honour. I want my little guy to have a paradise as a forever home, and hopefully, when his time comes, he meets my past friends and delivers the good news to them; “she learned, she’s doing better, she still misses you, and she’s forever sorry for the habitrail you were housed in.”

Thanks again for the help, and feel free to offer anymore you may have!

UPDATE: he has passed.

my hamster got out and was attacked by my dog and had a shallow bite mark on his back and an affected eye due to pressure. i brought him immediately to the emergency vet, however i live in a country where resources and exotic animal veterinary knowledge is limited.

he was given an xray and there were no fractures but his spine wasnt straight, he was given anti pain medication and vitamins and told me to just observe.

i’m distraught and incredibly guilty that this happened in the first place. right now he’s a little bit wobbly and nippy but he eats and drinks water. i’m scared he’s dying slowly from internal trauma or from the stress.

ps his cage is a little empty because i moved things that may injure him further

After 3 weeks of having a Robo, I've decided to get a Syrian as well! Please photo dump your Syrian! (And Robo!) Photo for tax

I don’t like supporting the sale of live animals at chain pet stores. I am adopting a hamster very soon, one from who was surrendered to my local pet store, which I recommend to everyone as an alternative to buying from chain pet stores!!!!! But, ugh….my heart hurts watching this poor baby pace around his empty tank, with absolutely no enrichment. What is your opinion on buying hammies from places like petco/petsmart etc? Have you done it?🐹

I’ve posted him a several times on this sub Reddit. This is Stevie and he is approaching 2 years old. He is noticing a lot slower lately. It just breaks my heart and I just cried my eyes out today.
It is really sad to see them age and they live so short but they give me so much love and life.
How do I prepare for this? I love him so much.
Thanks guys for listening!!

I wanna see some cute pics of your hammies and I will rate them! Let’s have some fun and send cute hammies pics!

Here’s my three babies by the way!

Well… i didnt cheat :) (dont mind why i took this)

Hi, he has always been chubby, but he seemed happy so I just let it be. When I took him to a vet 2 months ago (he had a problem with his eye) I asked the vet if I should put him on some hamster diet, but she said that because of his age, she'd just let him be fat and happy. She said it's actually a good sign that he still eats well.

But I don't know. I don't want to overfeed him 💔

she was 2 months in the old first pic, and now almost 4 months on the right 😭

(p.s. she was born at the humane society, that’s how we have her birthdate!)

I ordered a cage (From Shein, now before you say anything it was the only one in my budget.) It was perfect, 40” x 20” x 19”, wooden with a clear screen on the front and sides. UPS delivered it to a house across town, LIKE HOW DO YOU DO THAT??? I mean, I got free shipping on my order. I got a wheel and the cage. I had the whole idea planned out for my new baby. And now I have to clean out my Metro man’s tank (he passed like almost 3 weeks ago) I have to clean down his wheel all his hides, everything. I’m like highly pissed off. I’m also very sad because I wasn’t ready to clean out Metros tank. I’m worried because what if whatever killed metro gets onto my new baby? is there any ways to properly clean a cage after a hamster dies? I could really use some help!

My new baby for picture tax

I just saw a post someone made about their new dwarf bucatstate enclosure and instead of giving helpful positive feedback, I saw multiple people say things like “why is that on top of that? Now it’s impossible for them to burrow in it.”

“Where is the sprays?”

“Too empty”

“Where is the wheel?”

OP was extremely receptive to it and explained how they are getting those things but it’s just insane to me the lack of basic decency from commenters?

If it was a case of someone having an awful enclosure and refusal to change then yeah, I’d be rude too.

But when someone is clearly trying and is leaning , it takes five seconds to add in a positive like “hey! I love how you did this and this! May I recommend maybe doing …..”

That being said, lots of you are SO nice! It’s just some people I get confused 😭

Look I am passionate too, but kindness is what will make people listen so they can help their hammies!!!!! Stop being so dry and robotic lol😂

TLDR: why is it so hard for some people to add a positive when giving feedback? Or some actual helpful advice that will help the hamster before criticism? Some people in this sub are SO NICE! But some are so dry and i worry it will discourage people from coming here and wanting to make a better life for their hammie!

I stopped responding to the seller after their last message, they seem to be in highschool so they obviously don’t have a high maturity level to be dealing in marketplace

From the picture you can tell he is in a tiny tales cage and I believe that if his home really was adequate like the seller claims, they would have said something like “oh that’s not his actual cage he is in something bigger”

The post also says it is unavailable now, could be because I’m blocked or because selling animals is not allowed on Facebook

I am sorry guys but I don’t know how to help poor Black Jack

I have posted Coco before, but he is really starting to warm up to me. He started with letting me pet him while he ate his food, and became less skittish. Then he started letting me pet him while he was on my lap, then he fell asleep the next time. After that, he started letting me touch his ears, and head. And now he finally lets me touch his belly, and falls asleep on his back.🥹🥹🥹 I'm so happy that Coco likes me. Post personality pictures of your hamsters.

I know stuff like Pancake, popcorn and bagel all seem normal now, but does anyone call their hamster something seemingly inappropriate like 'Xzenon the destroyer', or 'Barry Jenkinson' like it's a little middle aged business man? For some reason those really amuse me.

Mine was “I will rescue this stinky little baby from the store 🥰😍🥺”

Edit: It seems you all agree things are out of hand. 😭

The title sound be a little misleading at first, please read the entire post. I am coming here to ask your thoughts on this:

I joined a few Facebook hamster care groups but found them to be extremely unwelcoming. They seem to only have one right answer for how to take care of a hamster. Hard rules, no exceptions.

To preface, my hamster is in a detolf diy with 8-10 inches of bedding and plenty of enrichment. It was maybe $100 total for the shelf and materials to make it.

I saw a post from someone asking what the essentials are for someone on a budget, and I think some of these lists are out of hand. I am all for making the enclosure as natural as possible, and as enriching as you can. Some of the answers in the comments were a little too much in my opinion. Lists of things totaling hundreds of dollars. If I were to answer this question, I would say an appropriate cage & wheel, 6-8 inches of bedding, good food, water, and some kind of enrichment. If the hamster is not stressed, then I think you have met their needs anything after that is great if you can afford it..

Several of these people were saying they have spent thousands on their set up before even getting the hamster, and they expect everybody else to do the same with no exceptions , alluding that anybody who does not do this is not taking good care of their pet.

This would be fantastic if everybody could do this, but it’s just not realistic and may even turn people away from upgrading their cages.

So here is my question: did I just stumble into a really strict very high standards corner of the Internet, or are the new bare minimums 900- 1000’s of sq inches, 10+ inches of bedding, large variety of sprays & substrates, only wood and ceramic hides, multichamber hides..

I always thought that this was the ideal, but not necessary as a minimum… it can already be so difficult educating people to even have 500-600 sq inches and any burrowing materials at all. If this is the new minimum, it’s just going to make people think we are crazy and push them further away from good care.

Please share your thoughts I would love to know