hamster safety

Question
i know this might be a silly question, but a couple of the tube attachments on my hamster's cage are smaller than the rest, and although she can still fit through them, and doesn't seem to mind, she really has to squeeze to get through. i know they can dislocate themselves and stuff...which is creepy...i just want to make sure its safe for her to be doing it all the time. she really has to squish to get through them and i don't want her to be harming herself because of it. especially when she tries to get through with stuff in her cheeks, it makes it harder but she still does it all the time. should i take the tubes off, or is this okay?

thanks

Answer
Hi Jen

I understand totally what you are saying - as I have a hamster that crawls through a tube and I always wonder if she's going to get stuck and I'll have to dismantle the whole thing to rescue her.  I don't know about your hamster, but mine has filled her tubes with food and she almost has to 'swim' to get through it which makes one heck of a noise!  

Syrian Hamsters have an ability to change their body shape (unlike gerbils).  They seem to be able to stretch themselves, however, this isn't possible when they have crammed their faces full of food.

In a lot of cases female hamsters are larger than males - therefore a standard tube size is probably fine for them, but for females, especially teddy bears, it is a bit of a strain.  Also, when the hamster starts to get older or isn't well, tubes can be a real problem.

It is difficult to advise on this as I don't know how big your hamster is and how small the tubes are - if she is clearly having problems getting through the tubes, or actually gets stuck and ends up sleeping in the tube, then I would advise you block them off.  From what you've said, she's got other tubes to play in, so hopefully this wouldn't be a problem.  Also, if you are worrying about her - then this is another reason to block them off, as you don't want to lie awake worrying she's got stuck.  Perhaps there are other toys you can get for her, or climbing frames if there is room in her cage.

I don't know if this helps at all - she sounds like a real character!  Good luck with this.

Regards