Your hamster's new home

Your hamster\
This Christmas I received an hamster from my girlfriend!
She is so cute and her name his Ramboia! I am not sure if she ia a Winter White Russian Dwarf Hamster or a white Campbell's, I guess I'll wait until Spring to see if she changes colour.

Since I am new to taking care of hamsters and rodents in general, I spent some time searching for information on the internet.
I read somewhere that despite the small size of the dwarf hamster, they are quite active and appreciate plenty of space.

In this instructable I'll show how you can:
- Expand and create room for your hamster, using cheap resources!
- Make a feeder from bottles of water.
- Make tubes using bottles of water.

Attention:
- Do not harm your little friends!! Use common sense when building something for them.
- Take special attention on plastic edges, make sure they are not sharp.
 
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Step 1The original cage

The original cage
Along with my new little friend I received a pretty much standard cage for small rodents.
It came with a little bowl for food, a bottle for the water, a ramp to access the loft and a plastic wheel (more appropriate for smaller feet).

Despite the small size of Ramboia, I think she feels cramped in this little cage, so I decided to build her a new and bigger house!
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65 comments
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Nov 14, 2011. 7:59 AMachui says:
Your tube idea is awesome!! I just have a quick question, since I have mice instead of hamsters (and getting ratties today, and no I will NOT be keeping them together don't worry haha) do you know if they will chew through them?? on a side note... did Ramboia chew through the tubes at any point?
Nov 3, 2011. 6:16 PMkbarretto says:
Hey, can you use a hair drier instead of the hot air blower. I want to make the curved tubes, but i don't know anyone who has that tool.
Oct 16, 2011. 4:50 PMlordbot says:
"She is so cute and her name his Ramboia!" are you talking about you hamster or your girlfriend. XD
Jul 14, 2011. 10:01 AMthomasporter says:
your hamster is too cute!
and the plastic water bottles for tubes is an amazing idea! i wish i had thought of it before i bought some new tubes at my pet store :/ but thank you for the idea!
Jun 18, 2011. 11:15 AMalex109711 says:
I need ideas to make toys for my hamster. I cant find any plas that has ideas.
May 31, 2011. 1:21 PMmimilover03 says:
Great idea, and youve truly made an awesome house for your hamster.
Though i wish you good luck with cleaning it XD. I have two hamsters and i had a LOT of tubes, till i found out that i had to clean the whole shazam every two weeks.
After a couple of months i grew sick of it , so i sold half of the tubes. Shame for my hamsters, but they still have a lot of tubes left and now I dont have to clean as much!
Apr 4, 2011. 12:17 PMwagnerduro says:
Congratulations! Look this instructions is funny and make have news great ideas! The photos are clean amd make happy see it. Big instructable!
Nov 8, 2010. 10:54 AMFrozenIce says:
SUPER cool thanks soomuck! btw if you had a hamster that climbs allot it mite clmb away from over the tubes! btw u would not be the first one to lose a hamster in their house trust me.i once lost my hamster on my grandmas balcony wich was 6 floors high!
Sep 21, 2010. 6:54 AMrenex500 says:
it too cute hamster!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sep 21, 2010. 6:53 AMrenex500 says:
my hamster loves it(i realy mean it)
thats asome dude!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sep 10, 2010. 8:22 PMnikeman76 says:
My mom says that I can get a hamster by christmas so this could be really helpfull. Also, IT IS AWESOME!
Feb 10, 2010. 7:33 AMemielieo says:
how can you make the house?
could you make an instructable of that ?
Feb 9, 2010. 7:23 AMemielieo says:
awsom idea!!!
nice hamster.
Dec 1, 2009. 6:00 AMpunkhead58 says:
I don't like the plastic tube idea, it seems kinda dangerous for my little buddy. However, the cage and feeders are awesome.
Oct 11, 2009. 8:11 PMYawningDog says:
Some common plastic storage boxes can smell kind of bad, and can outgas for a long time, so just be sure to check that first when choosing what kind to use. If you can smell the faintest hint of plastic or other synthetic smell (even after washing the box), the rodents will be able to smell it much more strongly. One good way to test the strength of the plastic smell is to leave it shut in a closet or cabinet for a day or so, then open the door and take a whiff. No smell? Good to use. :)

Also, some kinds of plastic tend to absorb and hold on to pee smells -- usually the softer, more flexible plastics. But then, those are the plastics that tend to smell the worst on their own anyway.
Oct 9, 2009. 9:56 AMAspvl says:
és de portugal certo ?


pela garrafa do luso
Sep 18, 2009. 8:08 AMmeyers says:
dude you got to clean his home he must be mad xD just need an LCD in the mansion
Aug 26, 2009. 5:46 PMlukesthomas says:
That looks just like mine! Mine is a winter white.
Jul 27, 2009. 2:30 PMsharlston says:
wow this really helped with my golden syrian hamster i made her a new house ill post a pic of her
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Jul 16, 2009. 6:07 AMgetthim says:
maybe make a mini slide enterd by tubes
Jul 14, 2009. 2:33 PMhungyhipo 2 says:
in the start you put an hamster insted of a hamster
Jul 5, 2009. 4:04 PMsocram says:
thats its great
Jun 21, 2009. 12:14 PMhungyhipo 2 says:
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Jun 21, 2009. 12:55 PMhungyhipo 2 says:
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Jun 19, 2009. 12:18 PMhungyhipo 2 says:
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Jun 16, 2009. 1:14 PMawsome pie says:
Cool I have two gerbils but they would probably eat the bottles,considering they chewed up a PVC tube
May 7, 2009. 11:14 PMk8nvan says:
too cool! I need to expand my hamster's cage- I have a black bear hamster named Oreo- This looks like the perfect way to do it! Thanks!
Mar 31, 2009. 4:14 PMYerboogieman says:
Do Not Use wood chip stuff like that for little pets. It can make them sick and possibly cause death.
Mar 31, 2009. 4:23 PMYerboogieman says:
My mom uses Toilet Paper.
Mar 31, 2009. 2:20 PMtrebornerdnoc says:
nice Instructable maybe u could use a 2 liter bottle to make a feeder for a rabbit
Mar 20, 2009. 4:23 PMAnimal_Freak says:
ummm well i have a couple cages but how would i conect them one is a bird cage wate kind of tubes did u use and how much did u end up spending. i have a fish tank which my hamster is in now and a nother type of cage
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Mar 8, 2009. 8:49 PMha123123123 says:
you should make another islend or place and toob them or cut hole in them so thears mor room make 3 for all i care witch is ALOT
Mar 7, 2009. 6:17 PMidogis1 says:
I'm not trying to be facetious but how much bottled water do you drink?
Mar 1, 2009. 7:59 AMWalder says:
Esta muito bom, a Ramboia deve estar contente :)
Feb 7, 2009. 10:13 AMStercus Fit says:
A few questions for you:<br/>- Are the water bottles made out of anything special or are they just regular bottles?<br/>- How did you make the edges so that they won't harm the hammie?<br/>- What kind of tape did you use? "Adhesive" can be anything.<br/>- I don't have a hot air gun, my boyfriend does, so excuse me if this sounds silly: what temp/how long should the air gun be applied to the bottles? Wouldn't that emit nasty smells? How would I keep the inside diameter the same while reshaping the bottle?<br/><br/>And a few things for you, in case you haven't figured them out yet:<br/>- The only difference between a Campbell's and Winter Winter hammie is that the Winter White changes colors. It's insinuated that it's the temp that changes their color, but it's really the amount of light -- if there's less than 13 hours of light per day, they change to white-ish. <br/>- As sea4nl said, that fluffy stuff in his house is a big no-no according to the Humane Society. I'm not 100% on the reasoning for this, but they said that bits of tissues (non scented) and toilet paper are perfect.<br/>- Do not, under any circumstances, use pine or cedar for anything around the hammies. Regardless of the type of hammie, they emit odors that we can't smell but are toxic to them.<br/>- Remember that both Campbell's and Winter Whites are *dwarf* hamsters, so just because it says it's good for hammies doesn't mean it's good for dwarf hamsters. (I found out the hard way when my guy escaped from his cage three times the first night). <br/>- Don't let the food or water dish be bigger than the hammie. If so, he can urinate in it and that's not good. It's no biggie if he poos in his food, he'd probably end up eating it anyway, and the water dish can be cleaned out if you see poo in it, but urine isn't as obvious and contaminates the water. I've yet to read anyone suggesting a water dish instead of a water dispenser. I bet a variation of the food dispenser you've got is idea for water.<br/><br/>Hope that helps you and that you're willing to help me. I could totally use it, cuz I just spent about $200 on my cutie, a Winter White.<br/>
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