# Hamster toys



## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

So theres a hamster treats thread... but what about toys? Sausage currently only has a toilet roll tube, some of those vegetable shaped wood things and a wooden block with holes in it! I was wondering what other toys I should get for him? I'd like to get some sort of hammock thing... but would that be ok for a syrian hamster?

I know i've made millions of posts in the last few days but I am new to hamsters and need help hehe


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

There are loads of things you can get...

A wheel, a play ball for time outside the cage, wooden climbing toys, toys with holes in...

Take a look in a few pet stores... you'll be spoilt for choice

A word of warning though... You may soon be hooked like me!


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

lol yeah i'm going to find a pet shop tomorrow... or try to anyway! i was just wondering if there are any toys which hamsters particularly like?  

it annoys me when i put new things in his cage and he ignores them!!!


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

Flissy said:


> lol yeah i'm going to find a pet shop tomorrow... or try to anyway! i was just wondering if there are any toys which hamsters particularly like?
> 
> it annoys me when i put new things in his cage and he ignores them!!!


Its all a matter of trial and error really...
Although me and my hamsters love the puzzle toys you can buy..

Puzzle Playgrounds at The Range

They are a bit of a pain to put together but you can add to them as much as you like and change the shape whenever you / they get bored...
There's 3 or 4 different ones to chose from... (depends on how big you want it)

Mine also love Savic sputnik's

Savic


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

Oooh that puzzle thing looks cool! I think I remember seeing those in peoples pictures of their cages on here... but I haven't seen them in shops  Would my hamster be too big to fit in the holes though?

I like the sputnik thing as well - do your hamsters use them as a bed or just to play in?


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## cassie01 (Jul 11, 2008)

tubes, hidy holes, wheels, spinners, anything they can chew, mine has a swing, slide, seesaw etc

he loves his treat ball too. keep meaning to upload pics put havnt got round to it yet.


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

Flissy said:


> Oooh that puzzle thing looks cool! I think I remember seeing those in peoples pictures of their cages on here... but I haven't seen them in shops  Would my hamster be too big to fit in the holes though?
> 
> I like the sputnik thing as well - do your hamsters use them as a bed or just to play in?


No the holes are fine... my syrians have no problems with them at all...

They use the sputniks as toys... you can either hang them from the roof of the cage or they stand on the floor...


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

You can also find cheap toys on ebay..


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

yes a treat ball would be a good idea - is there one for hamsters as ive only seen rabbit ones in the pet shop?

and yeah i really like the sputnik thingy - i was going to get one last time i was in the pet shop but it seemed really big and i thought it would take up the whole cage D:


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

it might have been the rat one you saw then... they do come in different sizes...

Yes i've seen treat balls for hamsters in pets at home and in paws for thought too.. 

The only thing i wouldnt get is one of those wooden log things with loads of holes in... one of my hamsters once got stuck in one and we had to cut him out (he was a little fatty though)  (RIP xx)


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

aww your poor hammy 

you know the puzzle playground... do they have more in them than they show on the picture? what does it mean by pieces does it mean little tiny bits or whole blocks and stuff? if that makes sense!


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

They do loads...

I'll show you... I'll just go and take a few pics


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

My o/h came home with a plastic tunnel thing from Tesco which had been reduced to 12p - my syrian seems to love it. It's great cos you can have it what size you want because it pulls out. Reckon my syrian will sleep in it.


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

srhdufe said:


> it might have been the rat one you saw then... they do come in different sizes...
> 
> Yes i've seen treat balls for hamsters in pets at home and in paws for thought too..
> 
> The only thing i wouldnt get is one of those wooden log things with loads of holes in... one of my hamsters once got stuck in one and we had to cut him out (he was a little fatty though)  (RIP xx)


I've got one of those log thingies for Spike and the girls,it wasn't a dwarf that got stuck was it?


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

ooooh thanks


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

This is a good place for hamster toys and excellent delivery too - usually next day. Hamsters at UKPetSupplies.com


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

thedogsmother said:


> I've got one of those log thingies for Spike and the girls,it wasn't a dwarf that got stuck was it?


no my first syrian, Gizmo.. it was the syrian sized one too


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

Flissy said:


> ooooh thanks


Right... here they are.... 
In the 4th pic, its part of the puzzle, attatched to a few other toys.. they are fully compatable with savic etc too... 

btw... thats the sputnik thing in the 2nd pic


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

You snap the little windows into the frames... Its easy really...


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

they look really fun  

i wonder if pets at home will have them... there is a lack of pet shops in canterbury so i might have to do some internet shopping!!  as the pets at home here seems to have about 1 shelf of hamster/small animal stuff!!


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

you can order them online from the range... not sure about delivery costs though...

You can sometimes find them on ebay too


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

Some bird toys are ok too... 
Mine like hanging wooden toys with bells on... 

I wouldnt give them rope ones though incase they chew it


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

yeah - thats what worries me about getting a hammock thing. i like the look of this one though:

Suspension Bridge With Hammock: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

Take a look at this site... its sooo cool 
They sell allsorts, you can choose different colours etc too

Hammocky Hammocks - Hand Crafted Luxury For Your Pet


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

There's a puzzle on ebay...

Jigsaw Hamster Toy on eBay (end time 31-Jul-09 20:23:00 BST)


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

hamster treat ball

Tumble 'n' Treat Ball & Yoghurt Drops - Toy - Hamster on eBay (end time 02-Aug-09 15:54:20 BST)


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

and some more...

Hamster Puzzle Set on eBay (end time 06-Aug-09 22:27:02 BST)


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

oooh thankies... those hammocks are rather funky lol 

i saw that treat ball in pets at home today but it looked huge! i think it was almost the same size as sausage  they didn't have the puzzle thing so i think i will be getting my dad to put a bid on ebay for me as no ones bid on it yet 

ps. sausage seems to love the sputnik too!


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

My mum just said to me... Sausage doesn't need any more toys now - he's only a hamster!

Only a hamster? He's my hamster and I want him to be a happy one 

And the only toys he has is a wheel, a wooden block and the Sputnik thing I got yesterday :S Oh and a mineral chew thing from Wilkinsons which was only 60p...


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

I think too many prople consider them to be "just a hamster", I always try to look at how I would feel being kept in a room and never let out, with nothing to do all day. I think I would go crazy eventually, so I make sure that my hamsters (and mice) have the biggest cage I can afford, with as many things of interest in there as they can fit in, I make finding food and treats quite hard so it stimulates their little brains and they come out for a play as often as they possibly can. Fair enough they don't usually live very long lives, they don't cost very much, they aren't rare or endangered but they are individuals with feelings who deserve the best you can give them and the obvious love you show for Sausage will be returned by him every day.

This sort of thing HANGING VEGETABLE TREAT BASKET FOR RABBITS, GUINEA PIGS on eBay (end time 15-Aug-09 22:14:09 BST) ideal to make it harder for them to get to prized food treats which makes them have to use their brains, even Buffy who is ancient and has has a stroke in the past manages to climb a bit if Strawberrys are on offer.

Scatter feeding also reduces boredom, if they have to search for their food it takes up a lot of their awake time and uses their natural abilities, also they love finding little presents hidden under the bedding.


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

I agree... and I like spending money on him! He's not an expensive pet to have so I can spend money giving him a nice place to live 

My cat Alfie is a much more expensive pet as we have to pay vet bills and for de-fleeing treatment/worming pills at least hamsters don't need any of that! 

Although... is it possible for hamsters to have fleas? I've noticed he's been scratching a lot recently - is there anything I can do about it if he does have them?


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

Flissy said:


> I agree... and I like spending money on him! He's not an expensive pet to have so I can spend money giving him a nice place to live
> 
> My cat Alfie is a much more expensive pet as we have to pay vet bills and for de-fleeing treatment/worming pills at least hamsters don't need any of that!
> 
> Although... is it possible for hamsters to have fleas? I've noticed he's been scratching a lot recently - is there anything I can do about it if he does have them?


Yes, they do get mites...

You can buy special powder / drops to treat it...

They sell them in most pet shops... Just make sure that if it says "for all small animals" on the pack, that it specifies which ones...

Some that say that on the packaging are sometimes only suitable for rats, gerbils etc...


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

srhdufe said:


> Yes, they do get mites...
> 
> You can buy special powder / drops to treat it...
> 
> ...


Oh ok I will have a look in the pet shop - is it urgent that I treat him for mites as I am working tomorrow and probably won't be able to get to the shops until next week sometime 

I was wondering if he had picked up something from our house as we have a cat as well and he was fine when he was in our student house at uni!

Another question - what wheel should I get for Sausage - I've been looking at the biggest silent spinner which I think is 12 inches but I need to check that it will actually fit in the cage - are there any others that are a bit smaller?


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

Flissy said:


> Oh ok I will have a look in the pet shop - is it urgent that I treat him for mites as I am working tomorrow and probably won't be able to get to the shops until next week sometime
> 
> I was wondering if he had picked up something from our house as we have a cat as well and he was fine when he was in our student house at uni!
> 
> Another question - what wheel should I get for Sausage - I've been looking at the biggest silent spinner which I think is 12 inches but I need to check that it will actually fit in the cage - are there any others that are a bit smaller?


I use savic jumbo rolly wheels... My hams love them, they are noisy at first but rub some vaseline on it and it'll be fine...
They are about £4.50 ish... you can buy stands for them too  I get them from pets at home..

As for the mites... Ideally as soon as poss but into next week shouldnt really do much harm..
If his skin is red, bathe him with cooled, boiled salt water... I dont mean dunk him in... :lol:
Just wipe him over with some cotton wool soaked in the water... 

Make sure you keep him warm after as they catch colds very easily..
If you can, try and dry him with a towel (if he'll let you :001_tt2


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

His skin doesn't look red or sore or anything... is there any way of telling that he actually has them apart from the scratching?

And yeah I saw that wheel - but was worried about the noise as the one that came with my cage was horrible!! But if vaseline works then thats ok


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

Flissy said:


> His skin doesn't look red or sore or anything... is there any way of telling that he actually has them apart from the scratching?
> 
> And yeah I saw that wheel - but was worried about the noise as the one that came with my cage was horrible!! But if vaseline works then thats ok


Not really a way of telling... They are sooo tiny that they are hard to spot...

One of my hamsters used to scratch all the time... I changes the type of wood shavings and the bedding i used and he stopped...
Sometimes they have allergies, so it may not necesseraly be mites


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

srhdufe said:


> Not really a way of telling... They are sooo tiny that they are hard to spot...
> 
> One of my hamsters used to scratch all the time... I changes the type of wood shavings and the bedding i used and he stopped...
> Sometimes they have allergies, so it may not necesseraly be mites


Thats a point... I changed his bedding to some weird green stuff I got from [email protected] last week... I'll take that out when I clean out his cage tomorrow and just give him some toilet tissue instead. Also I've just realised that usually when he is scratching he's in his bed so yeah that might be it lol I'll take it out now whilst he's having a run


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

Flissy said:


> Thats a point... I changed his bedding to some weird green stuff I got from [email protected] last week... I'll take that out when I clean out his cage tomorrow and just give him some toilet tissue instead. Also I've just realised that usually when he is scratching he's in his bed so yeah that might be it lol I'll take it out now whilst he's having a run


Yes.. i was using some blue stuff for a few days as i had run out of his regular bedding... he just didnt stop scratching until i changed it back to his regular stuff..

I think its something to do with the dye...

I now buy a big bag of plain white (un-bleached) shredded bedding from [email protected] for about £1.99 and i've never had any problems with it


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

If he has mites he will be scratching a lot, they do groom themselves and often after a cage clean out they will scent mark which can look like scratching. The mite treatment will contain an active ingredient called invermectin which is very good at treating mites and you can buy a spot on treatment that you put on between their shoulders. They can't catch cat fleas though. I really love the Wodent Wheels but they are really hard to get hold of, everywhere that sells them are out of stock and they never seem to come up second hand. I have the Silent Spinners for the Dwarf hamsters and the mice and they are fine, I have used the Savic Jumbo Rolly and they were fine as well.


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

srhdufe said:


> Yes.. i was using some blue stuff for a few days as i had run out of his regular bedding... he just didnt stop scratching until i changed it back to his regular stuff..
> 
> I think its something to do with the dye...
> 
> I now buy a big bag of plain white (un-bleached) shredded bedding from [email protected] for about £1.99 and i've never had any problems with it


Yeah thats what i usually buy... but they didn't have any left!! So I thought oh well this stuff will do the same job but maybe not! D:

So hopefully that is it and that he doesn't have mites - I'll see if the scratching improves 

And yes I love the wodent wheels too they look so cool... Although Sausage seems to like storing food in the Rotastak runner he has at the moment so I have a feeling he'd do the same with one of those! The rattling noise it makes is quite annoying 

As for silent spinners - is there one that is 8 inches because I can only find a 6 inch and 12 inch one - the 12 inch one might fit in the cage I'll have to measure up... I think an 8 inch one would be better though


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

Flissy said:


> Yeah thats what i usually buy... but they didn't have any left!! So I thought oh well this stuff will do the same job but maybe not! D:
> 
> So hopefully that is it and that he doesn't have mites - I'll see if the scratching improves
> 
> ...


Nope... just 6 or 12 
I do love silent spinners but they are just too small... Or too big!


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

So... I'm looking at the 8.5 comfort wheel

Superpet Wheel Comfort Large 8.5" on eBay (end time 25-Aug-09 17:05:44 BST)

as the silent spinners are the wrong sizes, wodent wheels impossible to get hold of and the savic rolly seems a bit small as its only 7 inches and I wanted to get at least 8 inches so I don't have to buy any more wheels...


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

Flissy said:


> So... I'm looking at the 8.5 comfort wheel
> 
> Superpet Wheel Comfort Large 8.5" on eBay (end time 25-Aug-09 17:05:44 BST)
> 
> as the silent spinners are the wrong sizes, wodent wheels impossible to get hold of and the savic rolly seems a bit small as its only 7 inches and I wanted to get at least 8 inches so I don't have to buy any more wheels...


They do different sizes in the rolly... They do a large 7", one thats nearly 9", which is called a jumbo rolly, and a giant rolly, which is 12", i think...

I have jumbo rollys and they are great...
Load of room, and my syrians are huge!!


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

srhdufe said:


> They do different sizes in the rolly... They do a large 7", one thats nearly 9", which is called a jumbo rolly, and a giant rolly, which is 12", i think...
> 
> I have jumbo rollys and they are great...
> Load of room, and my syrians are huge!!


ooh really? they are definitely cheaper so i'll see if i can find a 9inch one... i think our pets at home had a massive one actually that looked like it was for rats/degus but that was probably the only one as the pets at home here is crap for small animal stuff!!


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

I also like the flying saucers..

Blackie loves his.. He doesnt run on it as its only small but he does spin round on it and he swings on it.. 

He's officially spoiled! hehehe

He ought to be though... he's one of my rescue hams... (well they all are actually!)


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

Yes they are cool - my cage doesn't have enough floor space for one of those though 

I'm really confused about the Savic wheels now... this one Dog Kennels | Rabbit Hutches | Dog Crates | Fish Tanks | Cheap Fish Tank | Rabbit Cages | Reptile Vivariums & Terrariums - Buy at Online Pet Shop. says its only 19cm which I think is around 7 inches? :S


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

Flissy said:


> Yes they are cool - my cage doesn't have enough floor space for one of those though
> 
> I'm really confused about the Savic wheels now... this one Dog Kennels | Rabbit Hutches | Dog Crates | Fish Tanks | Cheap Fish Tank | Rabbit Cages | Reptile Vivariums & Terrariums - Buy at Online Pet Shop. says its only 19cm which I think is around 7 inches? :S


Thats confused me too.. ut:

I'll go and measure mine


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

The silent spinner i have is 6" and the rolly's are all 8"

Must be approx measurements or something


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

I like this

Dog Kennels | Rabbit Hutches | Dog Crates | Fish Tanks | Cheap Fish Tank | Rabbit Cages | Reptile Vivariums & Terrariums - Buy at Online Pet Shop.


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

Oooh me too that thing is cool! But you shouldn't have shown me that... I already need to get a wheel and the puzzle playground... or maybe I'll get that thing instead/first 

i'll just go with the rolly then if its definitely 8 inches... All the websites I've looked at say different measurements so maybe they just guess!


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

lol probably!

There is loads of room in them... You can choose blue or green, i personally love the green colour best

I'm the same with the toys.. I just cannot help myself buying things..
I've been banned from buying more cages though by thedogsmother and my dad too! lol 

I swap the toys about everytime i clean them out so they are never bored


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## kimbo85 (Apr 26, 2009)

an idea for a hamster hammock: i had a fabric head band which did up with velcro, i attatched it to my hammies cage with a long cardboard tube hanging near so he can climb through and sit in it, it works well and cost me nothing


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

kimbo85 said:


> an idea for a hamster hammock: i had a fabric head band which did up with velcro, i attatched it to my hammies cage with a long cardboard tube hanging near so he can climb through and sit in it, it works well and cost me nothing


Sounds like an excellent idea, so you have a picture so I know what to look out for, (I can't picture the headband).


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

Thanks for the hammock idea - I think I know the sort of headband you mean I will have a look and see if i have one lying about 

I don't want to start yet another new thread so I was wondering - do hamsters squeak? I'm not sure if Sausage is squeaking or sneezing it sounds more like sneezing but I don't know! Is it normal for him to be sneezing or is something wrong...? :S


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

Yes, hamsters do squeek...
Squeeking is there way of letting you know they are happy.. Blackie squeeks all the time 

Clicking is a sign that they are annoyed


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

Its not normal for them to sneeze though btw...


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

Ok I don't know which it is though... maybe I'll see if i can find a video of hamsters squeaking/sneezing on youtube! 

He's always done it though and he seems to be fine. I read somewhere that if hes sneezing it could be pnemonia but surely not in the summer?


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

If he's always done it then it's probably nothing to worry about..

The first time i heard blackie squeek i thought it was a sneeze, so it may just be a happy squeek... It's because he loves you


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

I've just watched videos of hamsters squeaking and he's definitely not doing that... I wonder why he sneezes :S 

Maybe the sawdust makes it worse - my boyfriend picked up sawdust instead of wood shavings when we went to pets at home and maybe its the smaller particles that go up his nose... I'll see if he sneezes less when I clean out the cage 

By the way he isn't scratching any more so I think it must have been that stupid green paper stuff that was making poor Sausage itchy


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

Flissy said:


> I've just watched videos of hamsters squeaking and he's definitely not doing that... I wonder why he sneezes :S
> 
> Maybe the sawdust makes it worse - my boyfriend picked up sawdust instead of wood shavings when we went to pets at home and maybe its the smaller particles that go up his nose... I'll see if he sneezes less when I clean out the cage
> 
> By the way he isn't scratching any more so I think it must have been that stupid green paper stuff that was making poor Sausage itchy


Oh good... glad to hear that... 

Yes, it could be the sawdust then...
Just change it asap...


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

Yeah... my boyfriend is allergic to the sawdust so I wouldn't be surprised if Sausage was too!

Why can't men ever read labels grr


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

Flissy said:


> Yeah... my boyfriend is allergic to the sawdust so I wouldn't be surprised if Sausage was too!
> 
> Why can't men ever read labels grr


lol... although tbh i've nearly made that mistake myself :blushing:


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

Haha yeah they do all look the same so I'll let him off 

All clean now, only one sneeze so far! I love how excited he gets when I change the layout of the cage... when I was putting the toys back in he was trying to grab them out of my hands!!


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

I have a very happy hamster now that he has a new wheel 

I ended up getting the 8.5 inch comfort wheel in the end as they didn't have the savic one in the pet shop in London and it was only 6 pounds with the stand which seemed like an ok price


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

Flissy said:


> I have a very happy hamster now that he has a new wheel
> 
> I ended up getting the 8.5 inch comfort wheel in the end as they didn't have the savic one in the pet shop in London and it was only 6 pounds with the stand which seemed like an ok price


do you have a pic??


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

I do now 



















Not very good ones as the lighting is horrible upstairs... but you get the idea


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

awww... one happy ham! 
He looks just like two of mine


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

srhdufe said:


> awww... one happy ham!
> He looks just like two of mine


Haha I keep seeing mini Sausage clones at [email protected] 

He's running madly in the wheel now and my cat Alfie is lying on my bed watching him... :O


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Aw he is so cute, can I have him pleeze.


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## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

thedogsmother said:


> Aw he is so cute, can I have him pleeze.


ummmm... no


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