Lots of Questions!

Question
Hi! I was wondering how well the harness works for your hamsters, how do you make it, and I just bought a black bear male hamster and he is so FAT what do I do? It seems he has trouble getting through his tubes in his cage! Do I execise him or put him on a diet? Please Help! Best Wishes!

Answer
I too have a big male black bear, he's pretty lazy. I wouldn't say that he is fat, black bears, to me at least, are larger then a normal syrian. It is not the case of being overweight, so exercise and diet are not needed. As long as he is sticking to store bought dry foods, then the chance of your hamster becoming over weight is very very slim. If you feed table scraps, that's pretty much the only time i've seen an actual overweight hamster. If your worried he is not moving enough, make sure there is a wheel, get him out for time to crawl under your supervision, or get him a hamster ball.
    If you think there is trouble getting through the tubes, you are either misinterpreting the hamsters movements, or you have tubing that is difficult to get through. As large as my boy is, I have the bubble tubing with the ribs on the inside, making it even smaller. He still gets through just fine, but he moves through it in a caterpillar motion, if that helps describe it. It may look like hes having a hard time, but as long as he has something to grip on the inside, then its not a problem. If there is nothing to grip, that might be the reason he's having trouble moving through.
    My hamster harness is made out of felt, and modeled after a dog harness. I don't have plans made for how to make one for yourself unfortunately. Enjoy!