Laverne Gets a Cage Clean
Laverne was due for a bit of cage sprucing. I had been feeling like her cage was fairly uninspired for a while now… I threw it together quickly when I was asked to take in these dwarf hamster sisters (Laverne and Shirley) about a month ago. I had resisted the urge to clean up and rearrange her cage for a while now because I wanted to make sure she felt really comfortable in her surroundings before I touched much in her cage.
But Laverne has been doing really well these past few weeks and I felt she was ready. I knew she needed a bigger and better sand bath space, and a more functional way to run on her wheel. Plus her wheel needed cleaning (which I do frequently regardless, but still).
Her cage isn’t particularly “designed,” since she is a foster ham- my focus here is to just give her a space that feels comfortable, safe and interesting for her.
Also, a note about the pink colored, paper bedding- I was given this bedding, but after using it, I would suggest sticking to white bedding. The pink colored bedding is difficult to discern what is clean and what is soiled. I’m using this bedding until it’s gone and then never again!
Why I Love Whimzees!
When I first got hamsters I bought wooden apple sticks and all those things hamsters are supposed to chew on. No luck. I tried putting a thin layer of peanut butter on the chews to encourage chewing, this only gave me a few chews but mostly licks.
Finally, I tried putting the chew toys in their food to make them smell like something they’d want to chew on… still no luck.
AND THEN I gave Whimzees a try.
I had seen Whimzees on YouTube and Instagram, but I still didn’t feel sure about giving a dog chew toy to a hamster. But, turns out, it’s totally fine! Some people say they only give their hamsters Whimzees for short periods of time because their hamsters don’t eat their food if a Whimzee is around. I haven’t found this with mine. My hams are still very happy to eat their food, but I’ll find them later, laying in their sand bath or on their moss, chewing away and looking happy.
You can try them out by buying them individually for about $1 at PetCo, or you can go for the full bag of them (links below). I prefer the alligator shape- I think it’s just cute :)
Whimzees: https://amzn.to/37DBRby Or from Petco: https://bit.ly/3arbUPf
*please note that not all Whimzees are created equally! Get the kind that are harder (like the ones linked to here), the soft kind of Whimzee is not recommended for hamsters.
(as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)
Steven ❤️ Millet
This video is still one of my favs. His little face as he watched us while he eats! 🥰
Laverne Shows Us Her Kaytee Comfort Wheel
In case any of you were interested in the Kaytee Comfort Wheel, here is a clip of little Laverne showing it off!
The Kaytee Comfort Wheel is a very affordable and great wheel option for your little fur friend! It comes in great size options (8.5” for dwarves or Robos, 12” for Syrians). It, unfortunately is NOT silent, so please be aware if you are a light sleeper.
If you’re interested in purchasing the Kaytee Comfort Wheel, please see the links below: (as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases):
Kaytee Comfort Wheel 8.5” : https://amzn.to/3lM5axz
Kaytee Comfort Wheel 12”: https://amzn.to/3pezd3b
How cute am I?
Zacro Acrylic Silent Hamster Wheel (my thoughts continued…)
The Zacro Acrylic Silent Hamster Wheel was one of the first “fancy” hamster wheels I ever bought, and thus, the first hamster wheel review I ever did.
I have had some updates in my hamster family recently (aka- I volunteered to be a foster mother to some rescue, dwarf hamsters) and was in need of another hamster wheel! My sleep depended on it!
So, I bought another Zacro Acrylic Hamster Wheel and am here with my updated thoughts about this wheel.
If you’re interested in purchasing this wheel, here is the link to Amazon: https://amzn.to/2VG4XBt
I hope you are all having happy holidays and are staying safe!
Digging Play Bin For My Robo Hams
Ever since I had to take Sofia to the vet to get her nails trimmed I’ve been on a mission to get both her and Steven digging again. I’d really like to be more proactive about keeping their nails trimmed so they don’t have to deal with (what I can only imagine are) traumatic visits the the vet.
SO. I am trying this out! I wanted to create a play space for my Robo hams to continue the taming process with them by giving them a consistent space where they can explore (and dig!) without feeling too nervous. I got footage of both Steven and Sofia… Steven was more into going around and under everything, Sofia was all about finding EVERY seed and stuffing it into her quickly filling cheeks.
I hope they enjoyed the experience! I only let them in there for about 10 minutes max, and then I bring them home so they can start to learn that they’ll always return home and there’s nothing to fear :)
How do you tame your Robos?
Introducing… RGH Shorts!
I have SO MANY hamster videos on my phone! I try to use them as relevant clips in my weekly YouTube vids, but honestly, it’s getting out of control. Also, these are pretty cute videos and no one was getting to enjoy them!
So I decided to add a new type of content to my YT channel- outside of my longer-form hamster product reviews and hamster life updates, I’ve created a playlist of “Rachel Got Hamster Shorts!” with new and adorable footage being added throughout the week (or, whenever I have a cute hamster moment to share, which is often).
Displaying this new playlist below, I hope you all enjoy!
(I love the) Niteangel Super Silent Wheel!
I’m here to shout it to the rooftops! I love this wheel. Watch my latest vid to find out why:
To purchase this wheel through Amazon, click here.
(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)
You can also check out the Niteangel Website for more of their products!
Making a Lid For My 200 qt Bin Cage
I signed up for foster some hams for a local rescue and ended up with a pair (I brought them home on Friday, it’s now Sunday).
Since I was planning on just one, I have them in a 100 qt bin cage. Buuut, one seems to be a bit aggressive. I’m not sure if it’s just towards us, or if it’s towards the other ham as well. I don’t want to separate them yet until I know that is right for them, but I would like to put them in a bigger bin so I can have separate hides for both of them.
Hence! A new bin cage is necessary.
I also ordered some taupe duct/duck tape from Amazon to make sure I can cover all those sharp, chicken wire edges: https://amzn.to/2VevTrR
YouTube update with videos coming soon!
This was really difficult! 😅
Wine Box Upcylcing// Homemade Multi-Chamber Hide
If you are someone who gets wine in the mail, you might enjoy this!
Sofia Gets a Nail Trim
Sofia’s nails got too long! I made a quick video diary of how I got her nails trimmed up. I hope she forgives me!
Giving Coconut 🥥 Fiber a Try
I just got a huge bag of loose coconut 🥥 fiber from ZooMed, can’t wait to see how Steven likes it!
This is what I’d like to put in Steven’s natural/“enchanted forest” theme cage. He’s very sensitive to change, however, so I’ll wait a few days before I place it in there (maybe I’ll even remove him from the cage)
Little Sofia digging in her EcoEarth coconut fiber
Action shot of the digging!
Still reviewing this to see how my hamsters and I like it, but if you’re interested in buying, here is the link to Amazon (as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases): https://amzn.to/37zNaRU
It is also available at PetCo (affiliate link-I earn a small commission if you purchase through this link).
My Little Hungry Hippo 🦛
I love my little Sofia. But as she has gained confidence with us, she’s become a bit of a “biting Betty.” It doesn’t appear to be aggressive, it seems more like she is just SO excited to see us and leads with her mouth, 👄 hoping food will find its way in.
I’m hoping that this is just a phase, she has grown so much and I believe we could have a really sweet and affectionate ham on our hands, we just have to get her used to the idea that we aren’t also food.
For now we have begun wearing gloves when interacting with her, letting her crawl in our gloved hand and get used to being comfortable with that.
So far the leather gloves have proved appealing to nibble on, but at least it’s not our fingers!
Oddly enough Steven appears to be less afraid of a gloved hand than a naked hand, so it’s been fun letting him crawl over the leather gloves too!
Wyze Pet Cam
I plan do do a review on this pet cam soon and will post when it’s ready. Until then I feel like I have to share how much I love this pet cam!
It’s fairly inexpensive and then for about $14/year you can have all your pet cam videos uploaded to the cloud!
Since hamsters are nocturnal animals (and can sometimes avoid coming out until you go to sleep), I found this pet cam SO helpful. It allows me to check in on my little friends and make sure they are happy and healthy. It also helps me see what toys and parts of their cages they tend to use the most so I can give them the best care possible.
Also, it’s just adorable. I have have two per hamster enclosure, one on each end :).
You can purchase it from Amazon here: https://amzn.to/2VNIJNK
*as an Amazon Associate I ear from qualifying sales
Look how great the quality is!
The night vision is good too! And the camera uses a light spectrum that isn’t visible to hamsters 🐹 (so it shouldn’t disturb them and isn’t visible to people either!)
UPDATE: Video is up!
Sofia Gets a Cage Clean 🧽 & Update!
Sofia chews on her Whimzee in her freshly cleaned 🧹 bin cage
Hamster 🐹 Haul, Election Week Therapy
It’s been a weird week. How ‘bout we just talk about hamsters?
I got some new hamster things! Come open them with me! :)
Steven’s Continued Bin Cage Updates
I’m on a quest to get Steven’s 200 qt bin cage to feel juuuust right. I want all the fluff, all the sand, and lots of places to hide. Easier said than done!
I love my hamsters 🐹
Steven drinks in his freshly spot cleaned enclosure
How cute is he when he drinks water? I’m still not over it.
past blog entries…
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