2nd day of having hamster. i need some help with his house and the proper amount of Carefresh bedding in cage?

Question

well i was watching him before i went to bed, and he was sleeping but he wasnt in his house, he was in the corner. i did not put any bedding in the house, is that why he isnt sleeping in there? do i need to have him sleep in the house or is he just fine where he is? also on the package of the bedding it says to put 1-3 inches of bedding on the floor, do i need to put some on the 2nd level of his cage also? and the last thing i wanted a little help in is that he hasnt used his wheel yet. it came with the cage so maybe it isnt of greatest quality, maybe i should get another? or is it normal that he doesnt use the wheel for the first full day in the cage? ty.

he is a syrian, the 2nd level is solid.

Answer 1

You've nothing to be worried about.

It takes hamsters a while to get used to their new cage. Generally they will sleep wherever they want (usually not where you want them to!) but if you fill the house with bedding and make a little hollow in it for him to easily crawl into, this will encourage him. It might take a few days of exploring for him to decide he wants to sleep in the house - and if he doesn't it doesn't matter.

The same goes for the wheel. It took some of my mice two weeks to figure out how to use it, and they're supposed to be intelligent creatures! He will figure it out eventually, especially if it's big enough for him. The ideal wheel will be a solid one with no rungs (which they can catch their toes in), and big enough for them to run on without being curled halfway round the wheel as they run! Although my first hamster continued to use his wheel long after he outgrew it, he'd run with his nose and tail nearly touching!!

You can put bedding on the second level of his cage if you want, it doesn't really matter. If your hamster really wants bedding up there, trust me he will carry some up himself in due course! If it's a wire level I don't bother because they're not going to sleep on wire even with bedding.

Like I say, nothing to worry about, it just takes them a while to figure things out!

Chalice

Answer 2

Did you get a Syrian? If so you will need to replace the small wheel the cage came with, to a larger one, they out grow them very fast. I should be a solid plastic one about 7 1/2"-10" in diameter. I've got to replace 5 wheels coming up here real soon whith the 3 month old babies I rescued at two weeks old with mom.

We use 2-3 inches of litter depending on the animal in the cage. Perfect choice with using the Care Fresh, that's the only type of litter we use and the only type of thitter I recommend with small animals. You can suggest it to any friends that have any breed of small animals too, I do. If your using a Critter Trail cage I'd go with an amount that is just below the top of the plastic bottom. You should put some litter in the top area if it's not a shelf, but an enclosed area with a lid, otherwise don't bother. My small animals make their beds wherever they feel like. The only ones that really use their houses are our mice.

Your hamster will be investigating the cage for the next few days and will discover what's available to him over time. Don't worry if the wheel isn't used right away, especially if the place you got him from didn't have a wheel for him to run on in the cage. Now I know a lot of cages usually have a solid plastic wheel, but if the cage you got has a slatted wheel, take it out and don't use it and go get the one I mentioned above. His little feet can slip through the slats and get caught causing an injury to his leg even breaking it.

Give him a few more days of exploring and he should settle in just fine. You need to talk to him all the time and say his name a lot so he gets used to it. We run a small animal rescue and have our own personal pets in the same rooms with them. They most all have names or a nickname and we say their name to each of them when we pass their cage or hold them.

I'd put more info. for you but I'm late for a dr. appt.

Answer 3

He doesn't have to be in the "house". Likely he just hasn't discovered it yet, and once he has, he'll love it. You don't have to put any bedding in the house. If he wants bedding there, he can get bedding there, but you can put it there if you want to. It won't hurt anything.

If the second level of the cage are the plastic platforms that stick out from the side and have tubes, then no. You don't need to put any Carefresh up there, likely it will all just fall off.

In fact, if you have that type of cage, I'd suggest removing those platforms, because hamsters don't have the best eyesight and tend to walk right off the edge of them and hurt themselves falling to the bottom.

It's pretty normal that a hamsters in a new environment takes a little bit to settle in and explore his new surroundings.

If he didn't have a wheel in the cage you purchased him from, then it's very likely the little guy has never seen one in his life and doesn't yet know what to do with one - but don't worry. He'll figure it out.

Good luck.

Answer 4

You can put bedding in the house but he may not use the house and that is OK. These little guys don't think the way we do about houses etc. You can put a bit of bedding on the second floor too. Give him a while to get around to the wheel - he might still be trying to figure out his environment.

Answer 5

you shold put some bedding in his house, but he is also fine wherever he sleeps. you should put some bedding on the second level also, just incase he pees or poops there cuz the bedding absorbs them. hamsters are active at night, so he probably ran on the wheel at night. and studies showed that hamsters run less on the wheel if the cage is bigger. if the cage is small, the hamsters run on the wheel more. i usually put two inches of bedding. but dont ever get cotton bedding for your hamster, if could kill them. here is a website of what happened to hamsters that used cotton as bedding.
http://www.petwebsite.com/fluffy.htm

Answer 6

Hes probably just getting used to his new surroundings
Dont be worried just give him time to settle in
It depends on the hamster some will start using there wheel straght away others will be unsure and go into hiding but they will soon be out spinning and keeping you awake all night.

I bought 2 roborovskis 2 weeks ago and they went into hiding, in there tunnels and i got worried but then they came out. One still is nervous but the other ones quite bubbly (hence the name bubble).

I also bought a syrian yesturday and he got straight on with things and was spinning away in his wheel till midnight and now hes fast asleep :)

Just give it chance to get used to things and then he will be fine. Dont rush him into things, if he wants to hide just let him

As for the bedding im not much use cuz im a novice aswell, i havent got any on the levels but deffinatley put some in the bed it will keep him warm and snug and he will just chuck it where ever he wants it untill hes comfy.

Good Luck

Answer 7

Calm down. hes in his new home and hes confuzzed and alone. hes still settling in. soon he will use the wheel. to coax him to use the other levels sprinkle some saw dust there so he feels safe,works like a charm. if hes a robo not too much carefresh as these hamsters are greedy and they will want it all and overheat. enough to make a good cosy bed. make sure its not that fluffy stuff like wool. they hate it :(. about an inch of saw dust

Answer 8

He isent used to his new house yet thats why he isent on the wheel..he is still nervouse and afraid..it will take him about 2 days to get cozy...however you do need to put 2 inches of padding on all levels of his cage and in his house....you should also buy a caretakeing book on hamsters..they are very usefull or go to www.hamsterific.com.....its great.....just make sure you speak to your hamster softly and pet his back to start...he needs to get used to you asap...