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View Full Version : bored ham hams? (long)


pinkpink33
04-08-07, 03:09 PM 04-08-07
hiya

by now you probably all know i have 3 dwarf hams who im obsessed with lol!
anyway, im worried they're bored.
two live in bin cages, and one lives in 2 rotastak kidney cages connected via tubes (will try to get some pics in a min). each ham has her own wheel, toilet roll tube (or 2) igloo, straw nest ball, shelf with wooden bridge ladder thing to climb and hidey place. they each have 2 water bottles, sand bath and i scatter the food around the cage on a daily basis, they love to forrage for it!
they dont tend to gnaw on anything, but only one of my hams actually likes coming out to play (squeaky). pepper, the runt (who is now nearly full sized - yay!!!) is afraid of me, and mitsy is pure evil! she is v territorial of her cage, and also the corner she plays in down the side of my bed - she will grab on to me and try to drag me down by her teeth!
i have worked very hard and spent alot of time trying to tame my hams. all take food from my hand, but only squeaky will walk onto it waiting to come and play.
squeaky and pepper have play time together (they used to live together) but pepper ignores squeaky. squeaky was recently intoduced to mitsy on neutral ground, but mitsy turned out to be a big bully, chasing squeaky around the cage and force-grooming her before attacking her. so no more play times for them together!
anyway, i worry that they're bored in their cages, as squeaky is the only one who will willingly come out for long stretches of time.
any advice would be great (on toys, playing or cages) - i am crazy for my hams and want to give them the best life possible :)

dbl120902
04-08-07, 03:17 PM 04-08-07
You know what you could do? I tend to take their favorite foods and put them loosely in to a small cardboard box, and they have to tear in to the cardboard box to get the food! They love it, and it keeps them busy for a while! When they're done, they eat, and take a nap, and when they wake back up they usually do something else like take a sand back or play on their wheel (but, my three are in one bin, so they interact with each other a lot too). You could use paper with no ink, or maybe even unscented/unlotioned Kleenex and let them tear at that. Mine love to tear up anything and everything. The cardboard boxes probably keep them the most busy. :)

pinkpink33
04-08-07, 03:29 PM 04-08-07
just uploading my pics... will be posted shortly :)
they have quite a lot of shredded toilet paper (undyed, unscented), and also a few sheets unshredded, and usually a toilet roll tube with a few sheets still on! only one of my hams seems to like to shred!
but i love the box idea! it's be great to see them tearing into a box to get at treats! thanks :)

dbl120902
04-08-07, 03:30 PM 04-08-07
No problem! :D Can't wait for pics... I lurve pics!

pinkpink33
04-08-07, 03:44 PM 04-08-07
kk here they are -

pics of squeaky and peppers cages (identical, so only one set)
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w46/pinkpink33/th_IMAG0448.jpg
4 bin cages connected via rotastak tubes

each bin cage as seen from above
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w46/pinkpink33/th_IMAG0445.jpg
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w46/pinkpink33/th_IMAG0443.jpg
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w46/pinkpink33/th_IMAG0442.jpg
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w46/pinkpink33/th_IMAG0441.jpg

mitsys setup, 2 rotastaks -
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w46/pinkpink33/th_IMAG0438.jpg
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w46/pinkpink33/th_IMAG0439.jpg
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w46/pinkpink33/th_IMAG0440.jpg

the hams-

mitsy, my gorgeous argente
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w46/pinkpink33/th_IMAG0385.jpg
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w46/pinkpink33/th_IMAG0424.jpg

pepper, a normal satin (cant see satin well from pic)
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w46/pinkpink33/th_IMAG0419.jpg
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w46/pinkpink33/th_IMAG0431.jpg

squeaky, a normal ham ham
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w46/pinkpink33/th_IMAG0392.jpg
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w46/pinkpink33/th_IMAG0391.jpg

such gorgeous hams!

each of the bin cages is 12 by 30 inches :)

pinkpink33
04-08-07, 03:45 PM 04-08-07
moop, the pics are tiny on the links :(

dbl120902
04-08-07, 04:50 PM 04-08-07
It's okay, I could still see. Your hams are too cute!

Geminigirl
04-08-07, 04:52 PM 04-08-07
yes they are cute.

pinkpink33
04-08-07, 05:03 PM 04-08-07
thanks! they are such angels, so cute and small!
so does everyone think the 2 rotastak kidney cages are big enouh for one dwarf ham to love in alone?the cages are about 12x the length of mitsy by about 4x her length. she loves climbing the tubes, though occasionally she struggles as she's gotten a little chunky lol.

Ky86
04-08-07, 09:20 PM 04-08-07
Those pictures are extremely small.... >_<
But looks like a good set-up... I think... hard to see.