Ashley's Hamster Tutorial

[hockeyheretic35]

As promised, here is my hamster tutorial...it is very long and very thorough, so I divided it into sections and have put it under several different cuts, for your convenience.

Comments

[a_cherry_on_top]

I know this isn't a recent post, but hopefully you get your comments emailed to you. :)

Thanks for the cage tutorial. I'll be making one for my Syrian this weekend. Also, is your Silent Spinner the 6.5" model? I bought one for the new cage, but it seems to be a little small for my big guy, though I haven't tried it yet. How do they work for your Syrians?

[hockeyheretic35]

Yeah, I do...and I continue to enjoy the fact that I've helped so many people with this tutorial!

I do have the 6.5" Silent Spinners for my critters...the size works pretty well for them, but I will be getting a larger wheel for my new black bear hamster, Brulée, when she gets a little bigger. The wheels themselves are great...they aren't silent, but they are pretty quiet. And they're really well-made, too.

[vivdiva]

um...how do you get the wheel in the tub?

[hockeyheretic35]

The wheels I own (Silent Spinners, Wodent Wheels, Comfort Wheels) each have a stand.

[wunderaliceland]

So I started getting the stuff to make my hamsters bin cage but I am stuck on the wire mesh stuff. Where did you get it? We couldn't find any at Walmart!

Also, what do you do about securing the water bottle?

Thanks for making this!

[hockeyheretic35]

You can purchase a small amount (they'll cut it for you) at a small mom & pop type hardware store, or buy a whole roll at a bigger chain place like Home Depot.

For water bottles, there are these, which screw onto the side of the cage (you need to drill a hole for the screw)...Oasis sells this type of assembly (water bottle included) at Petsmart. But if you have hams who climb, this will be an attractive nuisance. In those cases, I drill a hole in the side of the cage large enough to feed the bottle's straw through. Then I drill two smaller holes further up, so I can strap the bottle to the outside of the cage with wire. No climbing issues, and it's easy to see the water level in the bottle without opening the cage.

You're welcome. :-)

[straydogfreedom]

I am a new hamster owner and saw this link in the hamster community! This tutorial is awesome and I can't wait to upgrade my baby's home to a "hamster mansion"! Thank you!

[hockeyheretic35]

I am so glad that people are still finding this useful! I'm not very active on LJ lately, but I am still a hamster owner. :) Tell me about your baby...I have three myself right now (a long-haired boy, Pansi; a long-haired girl, Molly; and a short-haired girl, Cornflower.