Adopted a Syrian Hammie. Housing emergency.

[Femshep]

She had been in the adoption bit at the local pets at home for a couple of weeks and the lady that worked there said she had a bad reputation for biting so no one wanted her. Also she's quite an ugly little thing . I knew no one was going to take her so I brought her home with me after the woman said she would be "taken out of store" at which point the hammie put her little paws on the glass and looked straight at me . When I put her in the cage I had she looked so cramped and she's actually much bigger than I thought she was and is so cramped in the cage shes in . I can't really afford a bigger cage right now but I do have an old guinea pig cage which is far too small for even one guinea pig . the only problem is the bar spacing is quite wide and I'm worried she'll escape through the bars. do Hamsters do this?

It really was an impulse decision to bring her home and I haven't got much of an idea what I'm doing . Just couldn't leave her there.

[goodasitgets]

Have you tried gumtree, free cycle etc? If you're in the northwest I have a cage

[goodasitgets]

And yes, they will escape! You could fix it by using mesh on the outside or make your own
This might help hamsterhideout.com/forum/topic/67372-how-to-make-a-bin-cage/

[Femshep]

I made a bin cage for my pet mouse so think I'll have to look at doing this for the new addition (thank you for the kind offer of a cage but am in the West Midlands.

Now the trouble of finding the right size bin and one I can fit a wheel in.

[annebullin]

Look on ebay/preloved. Someone may be selling one for 99p or something. Yes the hamster will escape if there's a big enough gap between the bars. They are escape artists!

[droitwichmummy]

I have a cage. Are you anywhere near Worcestershire?

[goodasitgets]

The best wheels are wodent wheels, virtually silent and they come on eBay a lot

[Iwillorderthefood]

Hamsters are escape artists.!! When you handle her make sure you have washed your hands so there are no traces of food on them, she is more likely to bite if she smells food. You can try getting her used to you by just having your hand in the cage first of all, and allowing her to walk over you.

[crazykat]

Free uncle or gumtree are usually good for cages. They will escape given the slightest chance. Syrians are best kept in a separate room to other hamsters unlike dwarf ones which do best in pairs.

I had a rescue Syrian hamster that had been mistreated and she was a biter at first but with patience and gentle handling she soon stopped. I had her for four years and in the end she had a huge cage full of toys bought with pocket money.

[Femshep]

I am in the West Mids Droit and don't drive thank you though!

She is really lovely, should I be letting her take food from my hand? She happily trotted over and took some kiwi from me . She is in a room with rats and a mouse but there is no way they could escape and get to her.

I maybe shouldn't have got her on impulse without doing some research first but I don't think she'd have been adopted by anyone .

[goodasitgets]

Yep it's good that she will do that
Mine loved monkey nuts to crack, dog biscuits like markies, and bits of carrot/apple/cheese

Don't use fluffy bedding as it kills them if they eat it, ripped up cheap loo roll works