New Niteangel Hides!
I’m obsessed with how cute Laverne looks in this Ladybug hide from Niteangel.
I needed to get one for Oscar too, but they don’t make it anymore, so I got these instead :)
*as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Great Sand-Bath Alternatives
I’m planning to do a major overhaul of Oscar’s living situation. Oscar, my rescue-Roborovski hamster (who came from Baldwin Park Shelter in LA County) is hard for me to figure out. He’s very shy, he’s getting chubby, and the usual hamster enrichment doesn’t seem to work on him.
For example- I’ll try to give him playpen time when I can get him out of his bin. I place all sorts of treats in the playpen, hidden in nooks, in the coconut fiber, etc. Most of my hamsters go crazy in playpen time looking for all their favorite treats and leave with a face full of goodies. But not Oscar. I’ll drop Oscar into the playpen, watch him do a quick tour of the grounds, and then he’ll just find a spot and sit there. Sometimes he’s in the sandbath, sitting, sometimes just in the middle of the playpen.
Oscar seems to enjoy playing in/digging in wheat grass, so I’ve been trying to incorporate that into his life as much as possible. He also seems pretty adept at burrowing and he makes intricate, connected pathways around his bin (which can be frustrating for me if I want to see him, he can quickly slip into one of his many holes and be gone for as long as it takes for me to go away!).
So, I find myself in this situation, worrying about Oscar’s happiness and his chunky body (a mystery, as a hamster who often doesn’t eat all the food he has out, doesn’t enjoy carbs like popcorn, Cheerios or baby puffs, and primarily snacks on dried chicken treats). I used Victoria Raechel’s 10% off coupon on the Niteangel website as an excuse to buy a Vista size L (with coasters!) for Oscar. I haven’t yet attempted to even open the box, but I’ve been gathering appropriate supplies for this enormous cage.
Don’t worry, I’ll be filming the whole thing of course!
In the meantime, I picked up these digging/sandbath bins from Target’s new “Brightroom” line and I LOVE them! Lightweight, inexpensive, beautiful to look at!
Hambucks
Hello, hamster friends!
It’s Sunday morning, one of my favorite types of mornings. I was drinking my coffee and I saw I had a little alert on my Etsy app. I opened it up and was shown this adorable store called Innodove.
I’m so excited about all of it. There’s a hide that looks like Starbucks (appropriately called “Hambucks”)… and just so many more, ridiculously cute things.
My budget is tight lately due to frequent vet trips with elderly hamsters, but I’m keeping this link around for when the times are more bountiful.
Have any of you shopped at Innodove? Any reviews, thoughts to share?
New Wheel!
Hey Hamster Friends!
Coming at you soon- a review of this wheel from Bucastate!
Full disclosure- they did send me this wheel for free, but I have not received any other forms of payment and I’ll be giving you my full, honest, opinion, of course!
I got the 10”, mint green wheel, but I now see they had additional, translucent colors available, which look really gorgeous. I do love a translucent wheel… but I also love a pop of color… now I finally can have both!
So far, I would say that the wheel is very comparable to the Niteangel Super Silent Wheel ( https://amzn.to/3RuihVk ). The height is adjustable, the materials feel very similar. The wheel is very quiet and hardly perceptible when it’s in use. In the US we went from having very few, good, silent wheels in early 2020, to now having quite a few brands! For those of you in other countries, you might find that you have better access to certain brands over other brands (for instance, I believe Canadians have trouble getting their hands on Niteangel wheels), so I’m very happy to see another brand making species-appropriate hamster items. That’s always a win in my books!
So far, my only constructive criticism is that the largest size it comes in is 10”. I believe that 10” is really only appropriate for dwarf hamsters, Syrians should be using 12” or even 14” (if you can find it!). If you’re a frequent visitor to my YT channel or blog, you’ll know that even some of my robos use 12” wheels, so I’m a big proponent of large and in charge wheels.
All that being said, I’m going to guess they have a 12” wheel in the works, since I’m seeing new products from them pop up on Amazon quite frequently these days.
(EDIT: Bucastate does have a 12” wheel, but currently not available on Amazon. I’ll add it here when it is!)
Right now this wheel is in Oscar the Robo’s bin. He ran on it last night and seemed to have no complaints. He was in a particularly good mood this morning though, when I gave him some seed mix he squeaked with joy!
(Watch the video of Oscar squeaking here—> https://youtube.com/shorts/fb9CPrJwTWY?feature=share )
I’ll give it a few weeks before I do a full review of the wheel, but I wanted to put this out there for those of you who might be on the hunt for a good wheel.
Have you tried any Bucastate products? Do you have any thoughts to share?
One Less Thing to Throw Away
If you’ve kept up with my #hamstercarejourney, you’ll know that I had two dwarf hamsters (Laverne & Shirley) with dental issues.
While Laverne seems to have teeth (Shirley lost her top, front teeth), they don’t seem to be fully functional. She can’t open seed casings or bite off a chunk of Mazuri lab block.
I kept Laverne & Shirley fed with a combination of ground up hamster food (like ground up Mazuri lab blocks & ground up almonds, walnuts, flax seeds, etc) and baby foods. One of my fav baby food brands (or, should I say, THEIR fav baby foods) is Serenity Kids.
After months of giving my hams baby food (at this point… 7-8 months??) I just discovered that Serenity Kids has a recycling program for their food pouches! How cool is that! You just collect the pouches and then get a free shipping label from TerraCycle to send them to be recycled.
It’s a bummer I didn’t realize this until now. But… now I know!
Serenity Kids: https://myserenitykids.com/collections/baby-food-pouches
TerraCycle Serenity Kids Program: https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/serenity-kids
Until We Meet Again, My Teeny, Tiny, Sofia
I knew this time would come eventually, but it doesn’t make it any easier!
My sweet, tiny, itty-bitty, little Sofia passed away in my hands on June 16th, 2022.
I will also do a video about Sofia soon, but I think it might take me a few weeks. Taking care of elderly pets is stressful, heart breaking work. At the same time, it also feels so meaningful, like you know you were there for them in a time they really needed you.
Sofia had not been in great health since February. In fact, even starting in December (2021) we started to notice that something was off about her. She had a vet apt in January of 2022 and we got confirmation that she was blind in one eye. By mid-Feb, that had progressed to two eyes.
It took some learning and observing on my part to create a cage set up that worked for her. Poor Sofia was obviously scared by losing her sight. All I wanted to do was comfort her, but she was in high-anxiety mode and accepting no comfort from human hands. There were times in the beginning of all this that I found her sleeping in her coconut fiber area, a very unusual thing for her to do. I’m sure the world felt scary and weird.
After some time, both Sofia & I got used to her new life as a blind hamster. I had to put eye drops in her eyes daily. Neither of us enjoyed the ritual but we did get better at getting through it.
Sofia continued to live a fairly normal life. She ate sunflower seeds greedily and ran on her wheel all night long. She spent hours digging for seeds in her coconut fiber digging area.
By the final month or so, she stopped eating much except for fresh cucumber, pear & apple and whole nuts. She particularly loved cashews and would spend an hour just eating a cashew. I couldn’t understand how such a tiny creature could consume so many cashews and never gain a gram, but she must have had an incredible metabolism. I knew her time was coming near, so I gave her whatever foods she seemed to enjoy most and tried to ensure she was comfortable and happy as possible.
At the end, she even allowed me to start petting her again, which she had refused once she went blind.
On her final day, I had her in a smaller cage during the day time (when she’s sleeping anyway) so a family member could watch her and make sure she was able to get to her food and water without issue while I was at work.
I went to my parent’s house to pick her up and decided to scoop her up and hold her for a few minutes. Maybe she was waiting for this moment, maybe it was just happenstance, but she wiggled around a bit, gave a few, final breaths and then went into her forever sleep.
It’s such a strange thing to experience, to see a creature go from being so full of life to not have any life at all, right in the palm of your hands. I held her for hours after that, I kept watching her, thinking, “what if she’s actually alive still but I just can’t tell?”
It’s lovely being human, with our long lifespans and high-tech medical procedures. But, as a human, I’ve rarely had to deal with death. Even when it was a close relative or friend, I’ve never been there, in the moment. I never had to be the one to decide, “what now”? It always felt like some strange thing that just sort of happened, but never in the same place that I’m in.
Dealing with frequent loss is a downside of having hamsters, I won’t disagree. But, I will say, this time around, with Sofia, it was a little easier. Of course I was sad, I cried. I felt totally useless the next day. But I felt more equipped to deal with the reality of her being gone. I didn’t take three weeks to clean out her cage while I cried over each and every seed casing she once had eaten (like I did with Shirley!). I put on a good podcast & I started cleaning up the next day.
I felt a little guilty that I didn’t drag out her mourning process the way I did with Shirley, but in another way, I felt like maybe this is just honoring Sofia in a different way- rather than spending days crying, I would try to accept her death so I could move on to remembering her tiny legs and the way she would scale a sorghum spray to eat it. To remember how she was so brave and fearless in a world so much larger than her. To remember the way she began to trust us and would even let us hold her at times, giving us teeny, tiny bites to tell us she was ready to be put down.
I got Oscar (my young Roborovski hamster) in part, because I knew that 2022 would be a hard year for me. And, as much as I love Oscar, I realize with each hamster passing, how incredibly unique they are… how no new hamster will ever fill the void of a hamster who passed away. That any new hamster from here on out will be their own thing, and when they leave this world, they’ll leave behind a hole, of course, but they’ll also leave behind happy memories and so many of those salty-sweet (happy-sad) moments that make up the best parts of life.
Goodnight, my sweet, little Sofia. While I know you didn’t have much choice in the matter, I’m forever grateful that you lived your life with me. You were a special, tiny soul indeed!
Adopt, Don’t Shop
This kills me. Why do we breed animals only to dump them and/or abuse them. They didn’t ask to be here. But now they are, and they are our responsibility (human-kind’s) to ensure they live a life free of suffering.
If you are in LA and can foster for a night, a week, a month… please consider snatching up one of these adorable little faces. They come with their set up, bins ready! All you have to do is take home a bin (it’s that easy!)
Just head to East Valley Animal Shelter in Van Nuys by today (6/22) at 5 pm. I’m hoping they’ll give them another day thanks to the extremely short notice. No appointment is necessary! :D
If you would like to help you, you can send me an email (rachelgothamsters at gmail.com) or DM me on instagram, I’ll put you in touch! OR click on the link below to see the insta post and reach out to the poster.
You can also just HEAD TO THE SHELTER NOW and we can help you find adopters once they are in safe hands !
If you can’t help out this time, please consider sharing this post on your social media outlets. Remind people that all animals (big, small, medium sized, etc) deserve a chance to live a happy life. And, if you see someone shopping for a hamster, remind them that there are many in shelters and rescues all around us!
Thank you.
Post about the available hammies at East Valley Animal Shelter in Van Nuys (LA County): https://www.instagram.com/p/CfHxa7JvBAO/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
See available hamsters at East Valley here: https://www.laanimalservices.com/shelter-search/east-valley/
Goodnight, Sweet Shirley
I lost my little Shirley on May 23, 2022. I had her since Nov. 2020, so she was at least a year and seven months (she was fully grown when she came to me from Tiny Tracks Rescue in SoCal). I’m working on a video to discuss the end of her life care and share some additional videos of this sweet gal. Hope to be done with that this weekend, she deserves a good send-off.
This is the first hamster I’ve lost since I started “hamstering” in July, 2020. I knew it would be hard, but ooof, I had no idea the giant hole she’d leave in my heart.
Even though I’m sad now, I wouldn’t change anything. She brought so much joy to my life and I hope she felt the same way about her life with me.
She was incredibly sweet when we first got her, although nervous of course. I remember the first time I got her out and let her climb through my clean laundry piles. She was so excited and busy. I didn’t know what to expect so I wore winter gloves and tried to keep up with her as she kept scaling my sweatshirt and up to my shoulders.
I love thinking about a moment when I had her in my hands, I told her how beautiful she was and how much I loved her. She stared at me for a long time, looking adorable, and then took two paws and did one giant “swat” in my direction! Haha, she was not a “words of affirmation” type hamster, apparently.
Daytime Shirley was the sweetest. She often woke up with us and would spend hours in a playpen, on a couch or hanging out on a desk while we worked. She was happy to come out, eat a snack, then find a soft corner to nap in. Always easy going, happy as long as she had a snack and a cozy spot to reside. The best part was watching her squishy, little bod sleeping in a corner. She would melt into a pile of Shirley (you almost couldn’t tell where her face was) - she just looked like a lump of mashed potatoes… which is what we started calling her when she napped, “Mashed Potatoes”.
Nighttime Shirley was a different matter. She often wouldn’t come out once the sun went down until we went to bed (Laverne is the same way, it must be some dwarf hamster instinct?). When she did come out, she’d dart around, quickly running from wheel to wheel (she had two) and avoiding being seen at all costs. This is why all of our videos and photos of Shirley are in the daytime, it was the only time she wanted to hang!
I could talk about Shirley for hours. The way she’d look at you and then put one, tiny paw on the tip of your finger and stare deep into your soul. The way she would greet you by grabbing the tip of your finger with two paws and begin licking. The way she would lay on her back and chew her Whimzee sleepily. I’m going to miss every, squishy inch of her.
A little bit of science
Want to know more about Robos?? —> https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Phodopus_roborovskii/#67EA7D02-4542-11E4-B281-002500F14F28
Happy News
Sometimes the morning news comes with anxiety-producing stories about war, inflation and a looming recession (eek! Thank goodness I have hamsters to comfort me!). But other times it’s an inspiring story about the role hamsters can play in our lives & family.
For more on this family-run hamster rescue based in Denver, CO., please check out their website here: https://www.grettashamsterrescue.org/
Just Shirley
Life at the hamster-ranch has been a bit more stressful lately. I now have four hamsters who are approx 1 yr 9 months old. For hamsters, this is getting in the “elderly” zone, particularly for my hybrid dwarf hamsters, Laverne & Shirley. Roborovski hamsters (like my Steven & Sofia) can live well past 2 years old, although Sofia has had health issues for a few months now, and I just discovered a little lump on Steven (he will be going to the vet this week to have it looked at!).
I sometimes find myself swaying into sadness, imagining my life without my little fur friends. This week has been one of the hardest in a while. But then I try to let go of that fear of the future and just try to be in the moment with them. It’s my privilege to give them as happy & healthy of a life that I can, but I can only do that when I’m there with them, engaging with them, taking care of them, doing the hard things (like putting eye drops in Sofia’s eyes 2x a day!) and the easy things (hand feeding eggs to all my elderly hamsters).
Shirley was doing really well up until last week. She had even gained a bit of weight and was starting to look like the Shirley I once knew - round, soft, mellow & happy. And then one day she didn’t eat her eggs. And then the next day she didn’t eat her eggs. Two days without eggs!? I knew this couldn’t be a fluke, so I gingerly dug through her bedding to see what was going on.
I found Shirley there, sleepy and out of it. She would eat eggs if I held them up to her mouth, but would fall asleep in between chews. I found I had to hold the eggs for her because she kept dropping them as she dozed off and wouldn’t bother to find them again. I held her up to my ear and heard tiny, little “clicks” as she was breathing. I knew that wasn’t a good sign, so I brought her to the emergency vet in town (it was a Saturday and at this rate I didn’t think Shirley would make it to Monday without intervention).
It’s still a bit unclear what was wrong with Shirley, but the vet did confirm that her lungs were congested and sent me home with some antibiotics (Baytril), pain killers (Metacam) and probiotics (Bene-Bac). I was also told to give her some hot-steam treatments so help open up her lungs (aka- bring her bin into the bathroom as I shower).
Shirley has improved since last week, but we aren’t out of the woods yet. Until I’m able to make a full video about her journey and (hopefully!) recovery, I’m sharing some videos I have from this past month. She’s just the sweetest little ham and no matter what happens, my life is better having known her tiny soul. I hope you enjoy :)
Steven’s 200 qt Bin Cage Set up
Hi Hamster Friends!
I’ve been a bit crazy lately but wanted to share the latest 200 qt bin cage set up I have for my roborovski hamsters and dwarf hamsters.
This one is for Steven, my robo hamster who is coming up on 2 years (but still doing well!)
Products featured in this video:
*as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
200 qt bin: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Sterilite-50-Gal-Stacker-Box-14794K03/308820153
Niteangel 6 room multichamber hide (Steven has size S): https://amzn.to/3t6rVD8
Niteangel cork topper for multichamber hide: https://amzn.to/3CECzEh
Niteangel multichamber hide stilts: https://amzn.to/3IafGcW
Love Drizzles Water Bottle Holder: click here
Niteangel Acrylic Wheel size M (10"): https://amzn.to/3I2lTrD
Niteangel Adhesive Cork: https://amzn.to/3MQI8V8
Container Store Acrylic Riser, 10” x 5” x 5" (largest size available, use to support sand bath so your hamster can burrow underneath safely): click here
Adhesive cork to stick to the acrylic risers & other platform: https://amzn.to/3CCZFuU
Cork round size M (get size L for Syrians): https://amzn.to/36cOvRr
Cork Flat Size S: https://amzn.to/3IdwPCx
Niteangel Long Bendy Bridge: https://amzn.to/3I0ZACt
ReptiSand (for sandbath): https://amzn.to/3IdwPCx
Glass Jar - upcycled item, only good for dwarf hamsters, Syrians could get stuck in this.
Sand bath: large, tupperwear container Similar/suggested: https://amzn.to/3IagFtE
Cardboard packaging items from pots and pans and coffee: https://amzn.to/3KHqyAY
Niteangel 11.8” platform: https://amzn.to/3t1IX5u
Sheet Moss: https://amzn.to/3CAjyTu
Clean & Cozy Bedding: https://amzn.to/34zCNju *please purchase unscented bedding for the safety of your hamster.
Whimzee chew toys: https://amzn.to/3t8ugNY
Seed Sprays from Hope's Healthy Treats: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HopesHealthy
Flower Mix (sprinkled on top) from Redwood Grove: https://www.redwoodgroveshop.com/product-page/harvest-flower-mix
Banana Stand (for hanging boredom breaker) from Target (I only recommend for robos and dwarves, Syrians may try to climb this and get injured) click here
Water Bowls: https://amzn.to/3J82R4b
Oscar’s 200 qt Bin Cage Setup:
Everything I used in this cage set up:
*as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Niteangel 7” platform with cork topper (supports wheel and water bottle): https://amzn.to/3IbHo9y
Niteangel Water Bottle: https://amzn.to/3hX54Up
Niteangel Dark Clouds Wheel (shown here the 8” size, I recommend 12” for Syrians and 10” for most dwarves and robos if you can get it): https://amzn.to/3vYNozP
Container Store Acrylic Riser, 10” x 5” (largest size available)
Adhesive cork to stick to the acrylic risers & other platform: https://amzn.to/3CCZFuU
Cork round size M (get size L for Syrians): https://amzn.to/36cOvRr
Niteangel Long Bendy Bridge: https://amzn.to/3I0ZACt
Niteangel Coconut Hide: https://amzn.to/36bCATY
Glass Jar - upcycled item, only good for dwarf hamsters, Syrians could get stuck in this.
Sand bath: Pyrex container from Goodwill store. Similar/suggested: https://amzn.to/3KtgGuu
Cardboard packaging items from pots and pans and coffee
Niteangel 11.8” platform: https://amzn.to/3t1IX5u
Acrylic tray for Coconut Soil: https://amzn.to/3vXofWj
Loose Coconut Soil: https://amzn.to/36bEDYc
Sheet Moss: https://amzn.to/3CAjyTu
Cat Grass Growing Kit: https://shop.smallpetselect.com/products/pet-greens-medley or https://amzn.to/3t5937N
Tiny Plates: https://amzn.to/3hYzVjt
Clean & Cozy Bedding: https://amzn.to/34zCNju *please purchase unscented bedding for the safety of your hamster.
Seed Sprays from Wonder Hamster Shop
Flower Mix (sprinkled on top) also from Wonder Hamster Shop
Dried Veggies from Wonder Hamster Shop
Banana Stand (for hanging boredom breaker) from Target (I only recommend for robos and dwarves, Syrians may try to climb this and get injured)
Water Bowls: https://amzn.to/3J82R4b
Laverne’s Abscess Update!
Hello hamster friends!
Today's video is about Laverne's most recent surgery, recovery period and antibiotic treatment.
Please note - this video shows Laverne in her recovery period, post operation, which may be difficult for some people to watch.
If you have a hamster with an abscess or other hamster health concerns, I hope this video is helpful! Please remember to always seek veterinary care if you have a concern about your hamster. Laverne would not be alive today if it weren't for the wonderful veterinary care she has received!
Previous videos about Laverne's abscess: https://youtu.be/0UpM_eg5Lbg & https://youtu.be/ZkuGN0zvlVw
Hamster Emergency First Aid Kit Video from Hopping Hammy: https://youtu.be/D6z3_rybvTo
Bonfire Hamster T-Shirt Store (proceeds to be go towards hamster & small animal rescues!): https://www.bonfire.com/store/rachel-got-hamsters/
Thanks for joining me on my hamster care journey! Music by Epidemic Sound: https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/hx2mwp/
Products featured in today’s video (as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases):
Flax Sprays from Redwood Grove: https://www.redwoodgroveshop.com/product-page/flax-sprays
Sterile Saline Water: https://amzn.to/3H7241A
Q-Tips: https://amzn.to/3s6IP4h
Cotton Swabs: https://amzn.to/3LNm90E
Heating Pad (please use caution if using a heating pad, use on "low", only under a portion of your hamster's enclosure and only as defined by your vet as your hamster can quickly overheat!): https://amzn.to/3H3GQSw
Pedialyte unflavored: https://amzn.to/3h00Zhx
Baby food: https://amzn.to/33Bwvj1 and https://amzn.to/3h3nsdQ
Oxbow Critical Care Omnivore: https://www.vetito.com/en/petmeds/1164/Oxbow-Critical-Care-Omnivore
Bene-bac: https://amzn.to/3LNmvEw
Multipack of small syringes (needless): https://amzn.to/3BACb9m
Now Launching a Graphic Tee Shop!
This has been my dream for a while, so I’m finally doing it! My very own hamster graphic tee shop (with proceeds to benefit hamster rescues & small animal rescues, of course!)
You can check it out here —> https://www.bonfire.com/store/rachel-got-hamsters/
Fav Small Hamster Shop Alert - Hungry Hammies Shop!
Hungry Hammies Shop: https://www.hungryhammies.com/shop
Hungry Hammies Insta: https://www.instagram.com/hungryhammies/
Hungry Hammies Shop insta: https://www.instagram.com/hungryhammiesshop/
My New Fav Hamster Grass Growing Kit!
I have a new favorite hamster grass growing kit! I recently purchased it from the Small Pets Select shop while I was buying a few other things for my ham fam.
I have tried quite a few grass growing kits but for some reason have had no luck. Possibly I didn’t do the sprouting portion correctly in the past (you’re supposed to keep it in the dark until sprouts show up), but either way, this time I followed the directions carefully and it WORKED! And my hamsters also liked it!
I have been rotating the grass between a hamster’s cage and my kitchen window for the past week or two. I check to make sure my hamsters aren’t chewing on the plastic each night. So far, I only see that they’ve enjoyed digging around inside of it (as shown in the photos below!).
*as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
How I Wash My Hamster Sand
Hey-o hamster friends!
Lately I started washing my hamster sand and it is a GAME CHANGER!
I found a simple way to do it so it’s something I can incorporate into my weekly hamster chores.
How do you take care of your hamster sand? I would love to hear from you!
Products featured in today’s video (as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases):
ReptiSand (sand used for sand baths): https://amzn.to/33XaBaa
Sand Bath Tray (acrylic or Pyrex work great!): https://amzn.to/3HpDji4
Sifter: https://amzn.to/3o9yxhr
Dish Towel: https://amzn.to/3KUsp6j
past blog entries…
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