thank you aswen
and congrats to v14 <3
hope we get more members to learn more about our chubby small animal

btw.. aswen i did as you said..
and put the bottle facing the wall..
now i discover that.. my hamster can be ninja hamster d >.<

can be ninja hamster

you know what he did?
like monkey bar? the way you move the hands?
like tip toe but with the upper lips
he did that till he reach the side of the tank and kaboom he's out
hamlet hamlet

ooo and i feed him carrot d...
he love it so much
snatched from me
so happy

owh i would love to show ppl my tank set up
but i think after i get my 2ft tank
saw a toy i wanna buy for hamlet
but it was rm 20+ to RM 30 :'(

aswen i think the pictures need to resize cause its erm
see the left right scroller? usually cannot move one

@markjohn: my deepest condolences.. so sorry.. i do not have much knowledge regarding breeding hamsters since i have never intended to breed any of my hamsters.. now or even near future.. so i havent read up on them

@mark: dont use flash when taking picture.. not good for their eyes

yes only cotton is not good

using tissue paper is way way better than using wood shavings because wood shavings cannot be digested while tissue paper can degrade.

since hamster hoard their bedding, if cannot digest will cause complications if ingested too much

its not that difficult to toilet train a hamster
toilet training a hamster is easier than toilet training a dog
reason being: hamsters are clean animals
same like cats.. cats are very clean thats why they keep grooming themselves and burry their poo
hamster also clean animal

most hamster use a corner to pee
check your cage at all the edges to check if there is any pee
if not.. another area they might like to pee at is like dark ares..
cause they want privacy

yeah and if all those areas also dont have
then you have to start sniffing..
or throw all the bedding away and just see where it stains..
cause hamster urine very acidic.. will stain the plastic

once you found the spot
put a toilet there (can buy from pet shop)
and put some of the bedding that they pee on inside the toilet
hamsters should know that is their toilet after that

aspen and pine does come from different type of wood (tree)
pine are from softwood while aspen is from hardwood
actually all softwood are bad for hamsters.. cause all of them will produce toxic
however, pine and cedar produces the most toxic and it is extremely bad for them.
they may look similiar so do read the packaging.. if it doesnt say anything then don't buy it
(you wouldnt buy some food stuff that doesnt have ingredient list would you?)

most of the time, hamsters do well alone.
syrian is solitary
winter white and russian campbells may do in pair but they are not exactly very social animals
robos are social animals, can do well in groups

normally, a tank is recommended because it is easier to clean, its cheaper, you can buy your own accessories which you feel is best for your hamsters, and most importantly, you can find the right size for your hamsters
most cages are too small for syrians
the downside of tanks is that there isnt much room for air ventilation, so if your hamsters does not attempt to escape (my hamlet does) the you can dont cover the top
if your hamster attempts to escape, go buy the 1cm X 1cm mesh wire tops from diy shop and diy a cover so your hamsters can stay in while having ventilation

bedding.. if wood shaving, as usual.. no pine no cedar.. best if you can find aspen
i know kaytee has aspen beddings but it is very difficult to find kaytee nowadays
some hamster owners have recommended chipsi and delikate
chipsi bedding, although not pine or cedar, is from softwood.. so still got chemicals just less
(last time chipsi bedding states that theirs is from conifer woods but now just write softwood.. this is dodgy as pine is also from softwood.. we don't know which softwood they use.. so be careful and think properly)
as for delikate.. i read that in some forums, chipsi users have been going to delikate instead when they started writing softwood as the source of their shaving instead of conifers.. some continued and realize the quality dropped so shift to delikate and claims delikate is better
however, delikate does not state what wood it comes from at all... only states all natural bedding..
so kaytee aspen (beware kaytee has pine also.. so find the aspen one not pine one) would be good.. but chipsi and delikate.. you have to decide.. maybe buy both and mix to see which one is better for your hamster

you may also use carefresh or woody pet.
carefresh is rolls of newspaper while woody pet is wood pellets
benefits is very absorbant. no chemicals, no dust
but it is very expensive
dont ask me which i use.. cause i use shreded paper bedding (can digest, no chemicals)

one more thing you should think about is food
the better the food you give your hamster, the more likely it will be healthy and live longer
it is recommended for you to get either vitakraft or harry hamster
last time, prestige hamster nature had been recommended.
from my readings, the quality has dropped
some of the food turned mouldy and all
if you ask me.. alternate between vitakraft and harry hamster
10 days vitakraft.. 10 days harry hamster
(beware.. i heard that harry hamster pellet quite big for dwarfs)

first of all..
if she wants connecting tubes
yes it can be big but she might need like two ovo pads to fit stuff of syrian hamsters
im not even sure if an ovo pad can fit an 8" wheel for syrians

connecting tubes may be combine to extend to a large home..
but then cause its connected by tubes... the space may not fit all of the syrian hamster stuff
if you make the house super big.. but the nest box is in one end.. the toilet in the next end
your hamster must travel far..
but you cannot put near also.. because not enough space.. must extend thru tubes

connecting tubes cages has the least ventilation and is difficult to find your hamster
at least tanks we can leave the top open (if your hamster doesnt try to escape)
those fully connecting tube ones only have dotted holes here and there for air

if your aunt is getting the half connecting half cage one
it has metal.. hamster will bite it to grind teeth which will be noisy
but most important is that.. the paint will come off and the bar will rust
but your hamster will still bite the rust and might get lead poisoning

they can hide in the tube and you will have less bonding time with them

tube cages are also the hardest to clean
you need to remove all the connections to clean.. then put it back again
syrian hamster.. that is not potty trained have the smelliest pee btw.. due to their acidic pee
(but syrian easy to potty train.. so if possible please do potty train them)

owh.. and syrian hamsters are bigger than other hamsters
i read at some foreign website that the owner reported their syrian hamster getting stuck in the tubes
of course overseas, there are many better diets for hamsters.. so their hamsters might be chubbier than ours
but still the possibility is there

---

Added on August 27, 2011, 6:26 pmwhat ever brand that is
even if its not pine also
try not to repurchase..
its scented
bad for hamsters respiration

This post has been edited by *dReaM FaNtaSy*: Aug 27 2011, 06:26 PM

i suspect that too

from hamsterific:
GLAUCOMA: Seen in Campbells Dwarfs more frequently than the other species. It is thought to be inherited and hamsters with Glaucoma should not be used for breeding purposes. It appears as though the eye globe is swollen, which increases pressure on the eye. If the eye prolapses, removal can be considered.

http://hamsterhideout.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=2016

please try to contact dr yeoh:
Yeoh Veterinary Clinic & Surgery
126 Jalan SS 24/2, 47301 Petaling Jaya 03-7804 8684 ‎

http://maps.google.com.my/maps/place?oe=ut...138801857597861

ya if they cant get rid of something from their body
their eyes may go
constipation or something stuck in their cheek pouch also
thats why cedar and pine bedding is super bad.
cannot digest can cause digestion problems.. can cut their cheek pouch get stuck there

hope your hammie will be fine

btw try

hands and paws
C-G-17, Ground Floor, Blok C,
Jln Pju 1/45,
Aman Suria,
47301 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor Tel: 03-7804 6539

and you can try:
Dr Vellayan

10, Jalan L2, Phase 6A
Taman Melawati
53100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 013-6246 918
Tel/Fax: 03-4108 5530

(dr vellayan might be able to help as he is on call vet.. but please bring a male friend together when you go visit)

living world and habitrail accessories are alright
but not their bedding or food
living world contains pine
any bedding with pine or cedar is not good

i do not agree with saying "i used chipsi scented for 5 years and my hamsters are fine so they are 100% safe to use"
sorry but thats like saying "i've let my dog run free for 5 years on the road and he never had a car accident.. therefore dogs never get accidentally hit by cars before
all i would say is. if you love your hammy. nothing scented UNLESS you cant find an alternative
(i.e. most hamster bathing sand are scented.. but chincilla (NOT CAT) bathing sands are fine)

food: vitakraft (harry hamster recommended for syrians only)

yes prepare a toilet.
if you potty train your hamster your job of cleaning the cage will be much much less
it'll be less smelly too (mine no smell at all)

haha my hamster like wor
try to hoard but tak berjaya

btw. you tried delikate bedding?
how?

haha yeah i read that chipsi strong pine-like scent
thats why suspect they change their softwood source from spruce and fir to pine
i still got 1.5 pack of vitakraft dinner which will expire in december so i cant afford to buy harry hamster to make the 10 day switch thingy yet
urgh

haha i scared he dont eat.. then i have to get rid of it
they can dont update website so long as they update their packaging
last time their packaging very clear put spruce and fir
now no more if i not mistaken.. just softwood
aaih

is your cage too small?
hamsters are known to be territorial if the space is too small
cause sudd all your hamsters aggressive to one another.
but if lets say its 1 pair. they fight
you mix with another cage mate..
they wouldnt get together
fast will fight.. for winters and campbells..
they are not social animals.. at best pairs
so thats why for winters and campbells.
unless you have space... dont breed
in case they need to go solo...

i know loads of ppl who rare winters and campbells in social group or pairs
and breed thinking can keep all together
then find out they cannot and need to go solo
so for those with winter white
dont breed unless you can afford to let each of them go solo or risk fighting
and if you wanna get them.. get a PAIR.. ensure there's adequate space..
if they still fight. let them go solo like syrians.

for harry hamster
can feed to ww no problem
its just that i heard from others that
harry hamster pellets quite big
dwarf have difficulty eating
thats all

This post has been edited by *dReaM FaNtaSy*: Aug 30 2011, 12:59 AM

i went petsmore that day.
specifically the empire branch.
their hamster full of mites.
i think in terms of petstore hamsters, petsmore and pet wonderland not so good

petsmore: dont change bedding, no wheel to run, got mites, nothing to bite, food bowl always empty

pets wonderland: buy 1 syrian free 1 syrian (encouraging ppl to buy two syrians, but didnt tell them two syrians = two cages)

bedding.. if anyone can find aspen... especially kaytee aspen.. please do share the info

not necessarily
it depends on what type of hamster

bare in mind that
robos are social animals
but syrians are not.
winter whites and campbels are also NOT social animals

thats why they are best only in pairs.. not in a big group
winter whites and campbels will be territorial when they grow up,
especially when space becomes less as they become bigger

in social animals like rats and guinea pigs,
they can get DEPRESSION if kept alone
but this only happens in social animals
research shows that rats do best... 6 in a cage (i think 2 feet tank size)

so please, dont go keeping winters and campbels in large groups saying they will be lonely
it depends if they are a social animal or not
and robos wont kill each other when housed in a group setting

i think the best thing is to separate them
however, one common reason that winters fight when they mature is due to lack of space

you can try buying a bigger cage and see if they still fight
but if they do fight, you still have to separate them

which vet you went to?
i still recommend dr. yeoh in taman megah as he has experience with hamsters

once have mucus, confirm is a flu
just pray hard that its bacterial and not viral