Pet Hamster

[tortoise]

Hamster grain seedlings are popping up. I found whole einkorn (an ancient wheat) today at a bulk goods store and bought some to plant.

There are seedlings growing in her cage too! I'm excited for this! I gave DS7 a plant light to put on top of her cage.

 

[flowerbug]

Hamster grain seedlings are popping up. I found whole einkorn (an ancient wheat) today at a bulk goods store and bought some to plant.

There are seedlings growing in her cage too! I'm excited for this! I gave DS7 a plant light to put on top of her cage.

plant light might have UV and not be great for creatures and DS7 if he's watching the hamster (or you for that matter ).

 

[tortoise]

plant light might have UV and not be great for creatures and DS7 if he's watching the hamster (or you for that matter ).

it's an LED shop light. soft white. My houseplants do better with soft white than a grow light spectrum, so the hamster seeds are going to have to make do with it

 

[Finnie]

Having bred parakeets in my basement for 12 years, and doing a little research on the effects of lack of sunlight, my first reaction was that if the plant grow light had any UV in it, it would be healthy for the hamster.

 

[flowerbug]

Having bred parakeets in my basement for 12 years, and doing a little research on the effects of lack of sunlight, my first reaction was that if the plant grow light had any UV in it, it would be healthy for the hamster.

for shorter lived creatures it might be ok, but for longer lived creatures you could be risking diseases like cataracts or skin cancers, some UV is probably ok or even required but too much may cause problems.

 

[tortoise]

I set up hamster's habitat for winter. I added 2 5-gallon buckets on garden soil and mixed it in with her mix of coconut coir and aspen shavings. The previous bedding mix was about half decomposed, but there wasnt any odor or fungus/mold so I left it in. She uses her sand bath as a toilet, so I dumped that and added new sand. I seeded the surface with her food. Whatever is left after she forages will grow. The roots provide structure that help hold her burrows. I have an LED light on a timer to help the plants grow. I spent <$5 [more] on this cage setup, just for a big bag of play sand at a home store.

 

[tortoise]

for shorter lived creatures it might be ok, but for longer lived creatures you could be risking diseases like cataracts or skin cancers, some UV is probably ok or even required but too much may cause problems.

Hamsters are nocturnal and burrow during the day so I think they would be fine with any light?

 

[flowerbug]

Hamsters are nocturnal and burrow during the day so I think they would be fine with any light?

hope so but i'm no expert! my main concern is not as much with normal lights but specifically plant or marine lights which may have more UV. if the hamster isn't out when the light is on then it's probably going to be ok. me just being too paranoid...

 

[tortoise]

Omg. When I started being interested in a bioactive hamster habitat, hamster people told me that soil wouldn't hold a burrow, would collapse and kill a hamster. I didnt buy it. But I had no idea how well soil would hold a burrow.

Hamster did a major excavation today on the planted side of her cage. (I left one side drier and more hamster cage like and planted the other side which has a light and gets watered daily). You have to see this to believe it.

Her new burrow is from the wheel to the front right corner. You can kinda see her in there. The soil she removed is on top on the left.

 

[tortoise]

Its tall enough she can stand up

I hope she cleans the glass so I can get a better picture