Hamster questions...sorry I did warn you all!!!!

Hello!
Okay, Sulu has moved all his bedding from the first floor 'house' to the ground floor straw, under the first floor leverl.Anything to keep him happy I guess but....
should I....
1) Give him a cradboard box in that place??? If so what type?
2) When we clean him out (see spot the 'we' son IS doing it mainly!) should I leave most of the bedding there, should I change all the bedding, should I take some and leave a fresh supply somewhere in the cage? Whats best for him?
3) Shall I leave his 'house' in the cage???? Will he use it for food or something?
4) Can I give him a twig from an cooking apple tree and how big should it be?
5) Do hamsters have sand baths??? Can I leave him a tub of sand in there? I'm sure I read soemwhere they enjoy a sand bath and you can use chinchilla sand?????

Sorry guys and thanks in advance!
Ailsa xxxxxx

My sister had a hamster - she used to give him the cardboard inside bit of the toilet roll.

His bedding shouldn't need changing very often, as wherever they make their bed - they wont soil it,

Leave his house in there, it might take a bit of time before he uses it.

You can get little wooden hamster sticks to attach to the side of the cage.

She used to put wood shavings and ripped kitchen towel in the cage which hammy used to use as his bedding.

One other thing, did you know hamsters can catch human colds - something to be aware of.

Kevin our Hamster used to like bit's of Apple and Whole Cherry tom's. also grapes and raisins.
Kevin had a small tissue box on the bttom shelf of his cage as a bedrrom and a plastic hamster house (used as a loo) on the top shelf. if you give him a pot with some wood based cat litter in, he should use it as a loo and that will lessen the amount of cleaning out you will need to do. you just need to empty to loo and the rest of the cage should stay clean. make sure you put the loo in the place he has chosen to toilet in.

Whichh way up did you put the tissue box????

I suspect he may have started to use the house as a loo but I could be wrong! He seems to 'live' downstairs!
Early days though.
Thanks Shaza those sticks sound interesting!

1. Hamsters are their own boss. You could try a cardboard box but they will often just shred that overnight and add it to their bedding. I've never had a single hamster that made their bed where they were supposed to!

2. Depends on the type of bedding and how dirty it gets. I used to use the shredded paper bedding and change it all. Although if I did use the fluff type I'd put a tiny bit back in so it smelt of their old bed.

3. Yes, leave his house in the cage. He may decide to sleep there one day or yes he may use it for food or just somewhere to sit and clean himself.

4. Any apple twigs are good, they love them, and as big as you can fit in the cage. They'll nibble the shoots and leaves and chew the twig.

5. Never heard of a hamster having a sand bath. They don't need sand to clean like chinchillas do they just clean themselves.

Thanks so much Becky...really helpful. I shall let him do his own thing. I sneaked up before and he took some sunflower seeds form me through the bars of his cage...shhhhhhhh don't tell my son!!!! He'll so tell me off!!! I was well chuffed!!!

I read it somewhere on the net, that they would enjoy a sand bath! I hadn't heard of it before either!
Thanks again! Axxxxxxxx

Naughty Sneaking in to see him. Where are our photos?

I change all the bedding and they don't seem to mind. My boy hammies will wee in the cage corner, but all the droppings are in their bed

I've also read that hamsters can enjoy a sandbath, with the chinchilla sand. But since they don't need one, you put a pot in the cage now and then rather than all the time
I've never tried it, but apparently they enjoy rolling about in it!

Thanks BS I promise i will get photos...need to get organised though!!!!

I just put the box in the cage with a handful of bedding stuffed in the hole. Kevin used to drag it about the cage and put it where he wanted it. also used to buy dryed corn on the cob from PAH Kev really like these.

Tulula thought Kevin was her's!!!!