10 replies to this topic

[Nicolademe]

I would like to welcome my new buddy JJ. I just adopted him earlier today and he's settling in great! At the moment he's in a Prevue 528 but he will soon be upgraded to a DIY cage I'm going to make out of a dresser. He also needs a bigger wheel which I've just ordered (12" silent spinner I think). His full name will be JJDIDTIEBUCKLE because it's an acronym we use in my JROTC and I think it's funny. Welcome to the family buddy!!

I would like to post photos but .. how do I do that?

[HumphreyDumptey]

 

Aw, congrats on JJ! Excited to see some photos! Here's a tutorial on how to upload photos - http://hamsterhideout.com/forum/topic/144562-photo-uploading-tutorial-set-by-step-imgur/

[Nicolademe]

Aw, congrats on JJ! Excited to see some photos! Here's a tutorial on how to upload photos - http://hamsterhideout.com/forum/topic/144562-photo-uploading-tutorial-set-by-step-imgur/

Thanks!! Much appreciated.

Here's JJ's photos http://imgur.com/gallery/k8P0qdq I included a photo of the cage he'd been kept in and his new one. As you can tell, it's a definite upgrade... But he'll be getting another one soon!

But as an update I did have to take him to the vet today. He was clicking when he breathed and had diarrhea last night. This vet is super great and much better than any other I've been to before, and was very gentle and sweet with him. He's had no more diarrhea which is good, and the clicking seems to be more nasal than lungs, so we're holding off on antibiotics. If he stops eating, gets diarrhea again, snot, or other things we'll take him back for antibiotics. Poor JJ really didn't like being handled, especially when they put the tiny thermometer up his bum... But he's got forever to settle in and be comfortable now

I'm also likely going to be changing his name soon, as JJ just doesn't fit him, and I'd like to signify his new life with a new name. Here's to JJ!

[Nicolademe]

Oh and one other thing, I'd like to describe how much of an upgrade he's getting... I'm sure his past owners loved him, but they really didn't do him any favors.. the cage was tiny, less than an inch of bedding, the bedding was Pine/cedar shavings, a tiny barred wheel with his fur stuck in the hinges, no chew toys, no actual toys, no hide, no treats, no lab blocks, and they were feeding him *rabbit food*. This poor boy probably hasn't gotten sufficient protein in his entire life.. and I believed they had small children, so it makes sense why he flinches so bad when there's a loud sound or when you touch him. I hope he can learn to be comfortable and know he's loved now, as he's going to be very much spoiler!

[HumphreyDumptey]

 

 

 

ohh my goodness I want JJ!!! He's soo beautiful!! He's also just so lucky to have you as an owner. It sounds like he's much happier!!

 

The saddest part for me is that he's long-haired and the pine and cedar bedding was sticking to his fur.

 

I'm glad you took him to the vet. Do you know if he was showing those symptoms before you got him? So yeah, anyway, he's in a great home now. He's so lucky.

[Nicolademe]

ohh my goodness I want JJ!!! He's soo beautiful!! He's also just so lucky to have you as an owner. It sounds like he's much happier!!
 
The saddest part for me is that he's long-haired and the pine and cedar bedding was sticking to his fur.
 
I'm glad you took him to the vet. Do you know if he was showing those symptoms before you got him? So yeah, anyway, he's in a great home now. He's so lucky.

I'm not sure if he had them beforehand. He's been on this bedding for at least a year so we're getting he uses to have an infection and it was never treated, and so his respiratory system has probably been forever affected and he may always have trouble breathing. He was "examined" by a vet twice at the shelter but I know they probably don't specialize so I doubt they would've caught anything.

I've also officially changed his name to Cloud Nine, and his nickname will be Swiffer . My family also calls him Fluffy, Fluffbutt, Snugglebum, Furry, Hampy, and Hammy lol. He's got a great appetite and *really* likes lab blocks, so I think we'll be good on nutrition. He's running excitedly on his wheel, too, so I think he'll be even happier with his Silent Runner.

[HumphreyDumptey]

 

I'm so excited for you! It sounds like he has a great life ahead!

 

I love his new name! My family also has many nicknames for my hamster. Good luck!

[Nicolademe]

I'm so excited for you! It sounds like he has a great life ahead!
 
I love his new name! My family also has many nicknames for my hamster. Good luck!

Thanks!! Say, how many lab blocks should he be eating in a day? The switch from dwarf to Syrian is a bit daunting lol, he really eats a lot! And he actually eats in front of me too, which Gwin never did. I'm currently giving him 1 and 1/2 block a day and he really seems to like them, but I want to know if that's too much or too little.. thoughts? He's a big boy too, needing a 12" wheel

[HumphreyDumptey]

 

What is the food that you are mixing with it? It all varies depending on the amount of protein that the main food contains.

[Nicolademe]

What is the food that you are mixing with it? It all varies depending on the amount of protein that the main food contains.

The blocks are Kaytee Forti-diet (I checked, no etho-whatever) and the seed mix is Mazuri. I don't know the brand of his old food, but it was for rabbits and is mostly fiber pellets, and no blocks. He's happily chowing down on veggies like cabbage, carrot, bell pepper, and celery (in very small amounts so he can get used to it) and handmade treats, the occasional yogi drop, and I've offered a few mealworms. He also seems to drink a ton. Again, I'm not sure if I'm overreacting, as my dwarf seemed to eat nothing (literally I would give her a tablespoon and she would eat less than half?), But he's really munching.

[MerryBB]

 

 

When you are feeding a mixed diet, you should be combining your foods (such as a pellet and a seed mix) beforehand by weight so that you know what protein/fat/fiber a scoop of that mixed food will provide. Feeding pellets and seed mixes separately, by volume (individual pellets + scoops of seed mix), keeps you from knowing what protein/fat/fiber your hamster is getting. So in the long-term it would be ideal to have a premixed diet like this. (For example, one 2.5lb bag of Higgins Sunburst to one 2lb bag of Mazuri Rat & Mouse.)

 

But if you're just feeding a pellet for now- which is understandable, honestly the first most important thing after his previous diet is to get him onto something fortified with the right nutrients to keep him healthy- you can base your feeding on what the packaging says about serving sizes. Syrians will eat roughly 10 grams of dry food in a day, including treats, so I would try to go for a little bit more than that so that he has something left to hoard.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by his "seed mix" being Mazuri, as there are no hamster-appropriate Mazuri brand seed mixes (only the Rat & Mouse lab block, which is fortified with the appropriate vitamins/minerals for hamsters) but here's what I could find on serving sizes based on the packages of Mazuri Rat & Mouse and Kaytee Forti-Diet Mouse/Rat/Hamster:

 

- Mazuri pellets are about 16g per four whole pellets, so I would go for anywhere from two and a half to three pellets and see how JJ does on that.

- Kaytee pellets are about 5g per teaspoon, so I would go for two teaspoons and an extra pellet or two. (Kaytee has different foods labeled "forti diet" so I would double check this if you're feeding a Kaytee brand food.)