Post by Schutar on Dec 31, 2014 23:01:39 GMT 2
Hello Erin and others,
i really need some advice. I got a baby Syrian hamster from a women whose Syrians mated and she wanted the babies to go to a good home. Hiei was born Nov. 6th and we picked him up on Dec. 19th. He currently has a 30 gallon tank cage with a platform but this cage is only temporary because we want to build a DIY cage that is much bigger. I would add a photo if.I could figure it out. Sorry. So on his platform is his sleeping house, water bottle, small food dish, and chew sticks made into a fence so that he doesn't fall off. Then a ramp that leads to the ground floor where he has an 8" comfort wheel (we plan to get bigger once he grows out of the 8"), a christmas tree hamster chew, hamster litter pan, medium bendy bridge, and toilet paper roll. We use to have a critter bath in there too (without sand because i read that giving too many sand bath usage could dry out his skin so i planned on putting the sand bath in his playground 2-3 times a week.) i kept the empty critter bath in his cage because he liked to go in it but noticed that he started to use it as a potty. I saw him use his litter pan once before this discovery and i was very happy but didn't since. But after about a week of having him, he was playing in his play pen with a bunch of other toys and i looked under his house and notice that the corner he puts his food was wet and smelled somewhat like urine. Without thinking, i removed all the bedding out of his house and replaced it with need (i use carefresh colors bedding). A few days later i checked and noticed that he made a mess again. After some research, i found a Syrian hamster behavior website through hamster central that talked about the nest and "marking food supplies". After reading that, i let Hiei play in his pen, removed only the wet bedding and replaced it with bedding from the ground floor that smelt like him. Used a hamster deodorizing spray to clean the areas, let it sit for a bit and then replaced some of the food that i removed with new food. while doing this, i used a small plastic scoop so i didn't leave my scent over everything.
Some other changes: i moved the litter pan from the corner by his wheel to the spot where his critter bath was. Placed the Christmas tree chew to the corner by his wheel. Used wet bedding from his house and used bedding to wipe out the urine in the sand bath and put it in the litter pan to encourage use. Lastly, added sand to the litter pan because some people on hamster central mentioned it helped for a natural toilet feel.
So far it looks like he's still peeing in his bed.
i don't know what else to do. I don't think it is healthy for him to be eating food with urine on it even though I know they eat their poop. Should i rearrange his cage? Just leave him be a bit so he doesn't see me as an enemy that wants his food? Is it possible that this is something he's been doing since his last owner? Or have i been too impatient with him?
Ive watched almost all your videos and I'm a big fan. Thank you for your time and any advice would be appreciated!
i really need some advice. I got a baby Syrian hamster from a women whose Syrians mated and she wanted the babies to go to a good home. Hiei was born Nov. 6th and we picked him up on Dec. 19th. He currently has a 30 gallon tank cage with a platform but this cage is only temporary because we want to build a DIY cage that is much bigger. I would add a photo if.I could figure it out. Sorry. So on his platform is his sleeping house, water bottle, small food dish, and chew sticks made into a fence so that he doesn't fall off. Then a ramp that leads to the ground floor where he has an 8" comfort wheel (we plan to get bigger once he grows out of the 8"), a christmas tree hamster chew, hamster litter pan, medium bendy bridge, and toilet paper roll. We use to have a critter bath in there too (without sand because i read that giving too many sand bath usage could dry out his skin so i planned on putting the sand bath in his playground 2-3 times a week.) i kept the empty critter bath in his cage because he liked to go in it but noticed that he started to use it as a potty. I saw him use his litter pan once before this discovery and i was very happy but didn't since. But after about a week of having him, he was playing in his play pen with a bunch of other toys and i looked under his house and notice that the corner he puts his food was wet and smelled somewhat like urine. Without thinking, i removed all the bedding out of his house and replaced it with need (i use carefresh colors bedding). A few days later i checked and noticed that he made a mess again. After some research, i found a Syrian hamster behavior website through hamster central that talked about the nest and "marking food supplies". After reading that, i let Hiei play in his pen, removed only the wet bedding and replaced it with bedding from the ground floor that smelt like him. Used a hamster deodorizing spray to clean the areas, let it sit for a bit and then replaced some of the food that i removed with new food. while doing this, i used a small plastic scoop so i didn't leave my scent over everything.
Some other changes: i moved the litter pan from the corner by his wheel to the spot where his critter bath was. Placed the Christmas tree chew to the corner by his wheel. Used wet bedding from his house and used bedding to wipe out the urine in the sand bath and put it in the litter pan to encourage use. Lastly, added sand to the litter pan because some people on hamster central mentioned it helped for a natural toilet feel.
So far it looks like he's still peeing in his bed.
i don't know what else to do. I don't think it is healthy for him to be eating food with urine on it even though I know they eat their poop. Should i rearrange his cage? Just leave him be a bit so he doesn't see me as an enemy that wants his food? Is it possible that this is something he's been doing since his last owner? Or have i been too impatient with him? Ive watched almost all your videos and I'm a big fan. Thank you for your time and any advice would be appreciated!