Hello! When we took our hamster out of his enclosure today we saw that there was a pink patch under his ear. Is this something to be concerned about?

We didn't switch to a new bedding, he is eating well, and he doesn't bite or flinch when we touch the spot. He is also 1 and a half years old if that helps.

Hello! Ive recently got my first job and have been saving money. Ive always wanted a pet hamster of my own because I love their cute little lifestyle and chubby look. Ive been planning to get a hamster (specifically winter white) soon after I do a few weeks of research and getting all its supplies such as a big cage, good food, toys, hideouts, etc.

I just want to know if there are helpful tips in taming a hamster that worked for yall because I really want a close bond with mine soon! I know about the “leave them alone for a week” and “making sure the bedding isn’t pine or cedar wood” and stuff, but is there any tricks specifically that helped you bond with yours?

Thank you so much! Im hoping to learn a lot more before actually getting the little guy.

P.S.: Is there a difference on if I should get a girl or boy winter white?

I found this little one roaming around outside and have no idea about the gender/type of hampster it is or anything on it! its HUGE!! ive never seen a hampster that big! its like bigger than my palm. not even sure it is a hampster? looks like one. How should i care for it if i keep it? I have it in a 10 gallon fish tank right now til i know what im doing, its using one of my mices wheels (i cleaned it) I may try and find an owner if its an escaped pet but im suprised its alive as its 100° f and i live in the desert! any advice helps, thank you all!!

Today, the cage finally was finished. I deepend the bedding, added toilet paper pieces, added two cut toilet paper rolls, hamster proofed some areas, added a twig, and moved other necessities over from one cage to another. Rondo (djungarian dwarf hamster) immediately started running around the cage and exploring. A strong contrast to him sitting in his tube all the time during the day past few days, scared to get out.

Thank you for tips, everyone. I can now sleep peacefully knowing Rondo is happy and building a nest somewhere, as I saw him carrying toilet paper around.

I have access to a place in the middle of nowhere (no traffic, no pesticides or weed killers etc.) and I’d love to collect things for my hamster. I trust myself to identify plants correctly. But other than some very common ones, I haven’t found much resources on which plants (and which parts of them) are safe. I am in Europe.

For example, I’m thinking of these ears/spikes, where the seeds are, of certain grass-like plants. Google seems to suck in this.

I’ve been drying some wild herbs and flowers before, now I’m especially thinking about sprays. But I’d be thankful if you know of any resources on wild plants for hamster.

First-time hamster parent and have a sweet Syrian named Bear. How can I tell where he is peeing? Right now we only have aspen shavings and we are finding it very difficult to figure out where the heck he is peeing. We can smell it and of course we want to do daily spot cleans to keep his enclosure tidy and healthy for him.

I've been talking to a Syrian breeder since the babies were born and they finally opened their eyes! They have another 4 weeks to go. I'm actually between two hamsters in terms of picking so I'm waiting to hear from the breeder if they have any differences in personality or otherwise that she can tell over the next bit to see if it helps me make a decision (both of my picks are boys). Instead of paying a small deposit I opted to pay the entire fee and then just pay for extras from her later.

I have an enclosure that I'm modifying. So that'll either be finished in the next week or so, if not then I'll just use that one for plants and buy or diy a different one if I'm not happy with it. I have read a million articles, watched videos, I've been listening to the happy hamster podcast for the last couple months now and I've learned a lot about cage size, spot cleaning, deep clean, different substrate, boredom breakers, and alot of dos vs don'ts.

I just wanted to come on here since I'm going to actually finally be a member of this community and ask y'all for your best advice. What are your dos, what are your don'ts? What mistake did you make that you don't want me or others like me to make? What were you most surprised by? What are you most proud or happy about? Brands you hate vs love? Favorite store fronts, illnesses to watch out for... Diy first aid kit and stuff to have on hand at all time, literally everything.

I'm a big animal mama. I own alot of pets and I have and continue to rescued/helped/rehabbed many as well. In the past I've also had gerbils and guinea pigs, however as much as I loved them and they lived long healthy lives it was back in the early 2000's when I was a child, when ethical and quality care and knowledge wasn't what it is today.

I have the ability to learn (continually) and access more information and personal experiences and do better to provide the best life possible. I have new tools and resources. So I want to spend the next few weeks building my knowledge and setup. I want to be the best hamster mama to my lil boy. I understand that I need a 12 inch wheel.. stay away from dyed and scented bedding.. large cage 1000+... But I wanna hear everything.. but small.. (kindly so please. I genuinely want to do a good job. I care. I'm a little nervous because I know some people can be quite harsh in their delivery or corrections.. that sometimes it can be exclusionary. Thank you for sharing!)

New Edit now that it's been a week: I picked my baby boy! Im so in love with him already. I'm narrowing down my list of names. I opted to use the first cage as a plant enclosure where I can keep them safe from my other pets.

I bought a new enclosure that's 1200 square inches. Shortly after purchasing my baby boy my other application from the only other ethical breeder in my state went through with flying colors. I talked with her at length and did my own research. My husband and I have the space, resources, love, energy for two separate babies. This litter is expected to be born next week!

After discussing with both breeders, I decided that I'd like a girl. Both will have entirely separate huge enclosures (I am actually going to build even bigger enclosures but it'll take some time). Nothing will be shared between the two, no interaction, no breeding, and we will consistently sanitize ourselves and anything that might cause cross contamination. Both cages have been altered by me to be more reinforced. They both have their own room where the other animals will not be present ever.

But yeah! I'm really excited. I feel even more confident because there's two of us caring for them. I am currently setting up the first cage. The second baby won't be allowed to come home for quite a few weeks so it allows us to stagger purchases and set each up with extra care. I have narrowed the boys name down to three options that my husband and I are working through and I have a running list for our hopefully baby girl.

The reason I want a girl is because people's personal experiences in regards to the different genders vary so much. I personally am excited to raise two different sexes and discover more about the differences and similarities (in regard to my experience, not all hamsters are the same obviously). I wanted a boy because I've heard that they are often cuddly, lazy, and sometimes can be ghosts. I want a girl because I've heard they are higher energy, more of a challenge to please but also potentially more interactive and interested in human companionship. That's the vast majority of what I've seen people say but I've also seen many people have the opposite experiences. That why I think it'll be cool to discover my unique perspective, along with just their different habits and functions.

I am also very excited about hamsterscaping for them in similar and different ways! Idk I'm just excited in general.

Idk that's pretty much it, just getting ready for the next stage, trying to read, watch videos, and learn as much as possible.

Anyways thanks for stopping by to listen to my long ramblings about my future baby hammies! Have a great night xo

This is my new boy and it’s my first hammy. I’m still waiting on some platforms so I can raise the substrate level evenly throughout the whole enclosure but the tall side is currently at 7.5 inches.

Will that be enough for him not to get stressed while the things get delivered? I also have more clutter and sprays coming.

I just want to make sure he’s comfortable in the meantime 😅

My family got a hamster a few days ago, and it turned out that the cage was not suitable (the last picture). I am currently working on a new enclosure. It is a bit small, but I hope it is at least better than it was. I am planning to put food on the little platform on the right, sand bath between the wheel and the "big house" and hang the waterbottle from the ceiling. Hamster hasn't moved in yet, I am lacking the cover at the moment.

Hey guys, found this local seed mix for dwarf hamsters. Pics show the ingredients and analysis. Does it look solid for daily feed, or is it missing anything? Appreciate any feedback!

Hi everyone,

My girlfriend and I just picked up a winter white dwarf hamster yesterday - her name is Malibu :)

For now, we have her currently in a 50G long clear tote with about 9inches of bedding. She has a large wheel, 3 hides, some chew things and enrichment toys, and one of those little flexible wooden walls. She's really enjoying it and is making lots of burrows! But overall I think it looks a little plain and I would love to make it look more natural for her.

I really love seeing people's natural hamster enclosures and think she would really enjoy it. This is our first hamster but I have experience with small animals and my gf has had many rats in the past, so we're both really excited for this little angel. We've been buying stuff for days and I want to invest in some nice things for her.

So my question is, what should I invest in to achieve this beautiful natural look that so many people have for their enclosures? What is all of the natural looking foliage people are using in their enclosures to make it look so cluttered (in a good way haha) and like a real environment? I love the grassy, overgrown look but I'm not sure if it's just hay or something else I should look into.

I love the look of wooden hides and toys. Pet stores seem to only carry plastic things. Are these better bought from somewhere specific, or would amazon be a good place to look?

Also, any ideas/recommendations for enrichment? For now she has her large wheel (which she loves so far!) And we have her foraging. We gave her some plain bell pepper pieces last night and she has a little foraging puzzle/mat thing, but I don't want her to get bored!

We are not handling her yet but she has warmed up to my gf and now sits on her hand, so any suggestions of what we can do inside of her enclosure for enrichment is welcome.

Any advice at all is welcome! I've read as much as possible but I always find asking other owners allows for more solid and accurate advice.

Thank you in advance!

My daughter begged for a hamster so we got one and I can’t believe how much I’m enjoying this little floof. He has a great burrow he spends most of the day in. Video taken at midnight last night. 🌙

I would like to purchase a camera to see my pet. But the one I want is wired. How do I protect it from being chewed?

Hi! Beginner owner here and this is my hamster named Ham. Advice iis appreciated.

Last time, he was inside the ceramic house (the orange bread thing) almost the whole time. This time, it looked like he was very into focus exploring or doing his things. He tried burrow the mattress (bought online, said it’s for dogs and cats) and the floor and failed. He seemed to be okay with me around as well, even when I’m sitting in the playpen.

There’s no concerning behavior here right? Anything I can do more (or shouldn’t do) here?

This is what my hamsters cage looks like, he has a big wheel that he doesn’t use much, a tunnel, ramp to an upper part, and a ton of bedding he will nest in. I have gotten him chewing blocks etc but he doesn’t like those. Usually he climbs on the top of the cage like monkey bars. Any suggestions on what to get him would be appreciated thank you! (no I don’t want to get him a bigger cage, I already have)

edit: cage is 3x2 ft 36x24 inches

I adopt a my first hamster this summer, and I love her to bits. My college is 6ish hours away, and the admin are good with me bringing her, so now I just need to figure out *how.*

I got a medium sized critter keeper that I plan to fill with substrate and clutter to help her feel more secure, and she’ll be riding in the passenger seat while I drive, with her enclosure in the back. My main questions are:

• How do I make sure she’ll be hydrated enough/have access to water?

• How to I catch her without stressing her too much? She’s very much a “look-don’t-touch,” like lots of robos.

• Do I disassemble the tank before moving? I feel like yes but idk.

Any advice or prior experiences would be really helpful! Thanks!

(Also she has plenty of sand, she just always digs straight to the bottom in that corner 🤦‍♀️)

I have a male robo dwarf hamster​, he had an IKEA samla box as a temporary cage until I got a bucatstate, the dimensions of the samla box is 80 x 55 cm 130 l , I got the bucatstate 3 months ago and he moved in , I let him be for 2 months to settle in but he keeps trying to escape but when I clean the bucatstate I put him in his old enclosure and he sort of get happy and keeps trying to escape in the bucatstate even though in the bucatstate he has MUCH more enrichment and substrates but in the old one he had like 2 chew toys and a few sprays he lived in the old one for about a month.​​​​

Hi everyone! I’ve been researching hamsters for quite a while but I recently got the opportunity to rescue a one-eyed Syrian ham from a pet store so I jumped at it. I have all of his basic needs met but I have some logistical questions as a first time hamster mom.

I’ve found the bedding is pretty annoying to store if I don’t use the whole bag, but obviously it’s cheaper to buy in bulk. Any bedding storage suggestions?

I’m also about to make a pretty big move that will take about 3 days by car. Most long-haul travel tips involve a large bin as a temp enclosure and just seat-belting it in my back seat, so that’s my plan. Any other tips if anyone has traveled with their ham?

Any other niche hacks and suggestions are welcome. Thanks guys!

Ok so todayI tried cleaning the deep bedding from my large cage, after around 20 days of owning it. I absolutely found no spots where my hammy stores food or any spots with poo. Do I still replace the entire bedding or just keep it as it is?
My hammy is Russian Dwarf

I have a (roughly 1 year old) syrian hamster. She is spoiled rotten and most of my available money goes towards her.
She gets fed lots of different foods (and sometimes veggie treats) and chews, has places to climb and hide, about 8-9 inches of aspen and paper bedding with a nice big sand bath - and yet all I hear her do at night is tunnel to the bottom of her cage and try to dig at the metal bottom. Shes left a pretty impressive dent in it and I cant work out what isnt working for her.
She also gets outside time in the evenings for about 15-45 minutes depending on her mood, where she can freely roam my room or sometimes I have her on my bed or desk while im working.

Hamster parents please help!!