Moving.......

Question
QUESTION: Hi! You may remember me, irishbunny4657@yahoo.com? I have the hamster Butters and she has the 2 cages.
Well we're moving so we have to buy a carrying them for her. Since it's fall and chilly what should I do to keep her toasty when I'm taking her from the house to the car and through the car ride. We're moving only about 15 minutes away but I wanna keep her warm until we get to our new house.

ANSWER: Hi Kegan!

Yep, I remember you and your hamster (I remember thinking how cute a name "Butters" is :)

Since it's a short trip, you can just give her extra bedding so that she can make a nice, cozy nest.  Besides giving her regular bedding (Aspen or Carefresh), you can also give her strips of plain, unscented, unprinted toilet paper.  Hamsters love the softness of toilet paper for their nests.

Also, keep in mind that Butters will be very anxious during the move.  Hamsters don't like change, and she will be nervous as she takes in the new sights, sounds, and smells.  Try to keep her in the quietest place of your new home, so that her stress is lessened.

Good luck with your move!

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask :)

Kelly

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Nice to know that you remember me. We had to get rid of her second cage too. Anyway, the toilet paper isn't a good idea. She chews up EVERYTHING! The carrier cage that I wanna buy (up to mom) comes with a water bottle and I'll add my extra food dish. Doubt she'll eat.
Also, my hamster has been chewing on the cage bars alot. And may I add shes doing a great job of thining them out. They are all rusted and she keep nawing to get out. Anyway I could stop?

ANSWER: Hi Kegan,

To stop your hamster from chewing on her bars, go to the pet store and buy Bitter Lime Spray (or Gel).  It's marketed towards ferrets, so it will be in the ferret section.  It's less than $10 (typically around $6), and it's safe for all small animals.  Simply spray or rub the Bitter Lime on the bars of your cage (and anything else she's chewing that she shouldn't be).  When your hamster tries to chew on the bars, she'll taste the Bitter Lime and be disgusted.  You may have to use the Bitter Lime a few times, but your hamster should soon get the idea :)

Also, be sure to give your hamster plenty of chew toys.  Since hamsters' teeth are always growing, they always need something to file them down.  You can use chew sticks, a variety of chew toys, and you can also use a vegetable wheel.  (Hamsters love the taste of the vegetable wheels.)

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask :)

Kelly

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you. She has alot of chews toys and yet she never uses them. She did for a while then stopped. It kinda mades me mad that she never chews on them. but she has lots of tubes, a bed, water and food, a yellow house thing in her cage, a look out, a litter box, 2 playforms, a latter, and chew toys. I also wanted to ask you what could I use for toys. I tried toilete paper rolls be she tore it to shreads. I want her to have fun but I don't know what to use for toys!?!?!?!

Answer
Hi Kegan,

Since your hamster isn't chewing on her chew toys, you may want to try a vegetable wheel.  It's cheap (around $2-3), and since hamsters love the taste, they're more inclined to use it.

As for toys, my favorite toys are the Super Pet Puzzle Pieces.  They're at the pet store in the hamster/gerbil section.  They have several different sizes, and they're so much fun for both you and your hamster.  Because they can be arranged in so many different ways, you can always stimulate your hamster.  I usually recommend this product because of its variety, and how much fun it is.  (As opposed to buying several different toys.)  Here's a link to some of them:

http://www.petdiscounters.com/c7/c5/c143/c145/Puzzle-Playgrounds-p1444.html

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask :)

Kelly