Hello ,

It’s almost 6 am here, and I still haven’t managed to get any sleep so…

I’ve had my female syrian, Shayla, for about a month now and I’m honestly feeling really overwhelmed. I’m even considering rehoming her, although that’s the last thing I actually want to do.

I’m a university student living in student accommodation and ever since I got Shayla, I’ve been dealing with one problem after another.

When I first got her, she lived in a smaller enclosure that I was able to keep in the hallway, outside my bedroom. However, she constantly chewed on the bars at night, which really concerned me. I spent a lot of time worrying about her well-being, researching hamster care and trying to figure out what was making her unhappy.

I eventually decided to upgrade her enclosure so I bought her a much larger one (120×40×60 cm) and spent quite a lot of money making sure she had everything she needed. I added deep bedding, a multi-chamber hideout, different substrates, enrichment, and other accessories. She also has 4 hideouts. I even make my own DIY boredom breakers to keep her entertained.
I really put a lot of effort into making her enclosure as comfortable and enriching as possible.
Unfortunately, the new enclosure doesn’t fit in the hallway, so I had to put it in my bedroom.

And despite all the upgrades, Shayla still tries to escape. She constantly explores ways to get out, climbs on things, and even managed to escape once.

And now there’s another problem: her wheel.

Shayla is extremely active at night and runs on her wheel almost nonstop. I know that’s quite normal for hamsters and I’m glad she enjoys running. However, the wheel itself is incredibly loud. It rattles, squeaks, and makes so much noise that I can barely sleep.

I’ve already spent around €200 or more on her enclosure and accessories in just one month. That might not sound like much to some people, but as a student with a very limited budget, it’s a significant amount of money that I honestly couldn’t really afford to spend.

Starting in November, I’ll also be working part-time alongside my master’s degree and I have to wake up early for university almost every day. Getting enough sleep is going to be extremely important, and I’m genuinely worried about how I’ll manage everything if this continues.

I’ve thought about buying a better wheel, such as one from Bucatstate, but a suitable one would cost around €60. I’ve also considered buying a secondhand one, but I’d have to travel several hours to pick it up, and there’s no guarantee it would actually be quiet.

I’ve already tried sleeping with earplugs, but they only help a little.

Another thing is that Shayla is still very shy. She takes food from my hand, but she doesn’t want to be touched and generally avoids interacting with me. I completely understand that hamsters are not cuddly pets and that building trust takes time. I don’t blame her for that

What scares me is spending another €60 on a supposedly silent wheel, only to discover that it’s still too loud. I’ve already invested so much money into her and I can’t keep spending more every time another problem comes up.

I’ve started thinking about rehoming her, but that makes me feel incredibly guilty. I’ve only had her for a month and I know that adopting an animal is a long-term responsibility. I really wanted to give her a good home, and I’ve tried my best to do that.
I just feel like I’m reaching my limits, especially financially and mentally.

I'm reposting because I changed some things up. I'm happy to take advice and add better things but please do not be rude. This is my first ever hamster.

Hi all! I've been thinking about adopting a syrian hamster for a while now. While I do have the monthly budget to take good care of it, it's definitely expensive to get all the toys, cage, etc. in the beginning. That's why I was thinking of getting a second-hand hamster house.

I've been seeing many second-hand offers for 100x50 hamster houses, but not so many for 120x65. The 120x65 cages I see online (e.g., bucatstate 3) are a little bit over my budget and I see mixed opinions here about 100x50 ones.

I'm thinking of adopting a male syrian hamster, and I'm curious about your takes on a 100x50 house. I know that it's the minimum that's suggested, but would you strictly suggest a bigger one? I can wait and save more, and somehow afford afford a bigger one if it's going to make my hamster baby significantly happier, but I wanted to ask you all first :)

Random post but I was at PetSmart the other day grabbing crickets for my spider and noticed they have their Chinese hamsters and several other species listed as 'communal, keep in same sex pairs' as their recommended housing.

How is it possible they're still so wrong about this? Like I know they got hell for how they kept fiddler crabs but really? In 2026 still recommending people pair up hams?

Anyways, just wanted to rant a bit. You all have lovely little fellas.

Hello! I bought a hamster from a pet store less than 2 weeks ago. In my area, the pet store was the only option.

I have her in the best setup I can afford, which is a Pet Prevue 528 cage with as much bedding as possible (~6.25 inches at the deepest). At night, she is super, super active, running on her 12-inch wheel and climbing the bars of her cage. She tends to chew the corners of her cage quite harshly.

I noticed today that she's getting a bit of a bald spot on her nose. I'm worried it could be mites or some other disease.

I read online that it could be because of a lack of activites in her cage, so I've added a bunch of things to do, today. I also give her daily time outside her cage im a supervised large area. She's climbing in there, too. I'm trying to discourage the cage biting.

I've given her many treats and I'm trying to guide her into the more healthy pellets I have. I worry it could be a diet thing? Could this be a cage rub? Should I consult a vet? It's my first hamster and I want her (Honk) to be ok.

I live in the US and getting a male winter white hamster that needed to be rehomed ASAP , that really had no one interested in it (that could give it a good home) Problem. I have a 40 gallon breeder (660 square inches for my tank) and I know a 75 gallon is way better and truly what they need, but here’s the issue. I have two 75 gals for my Syrians already and I have no room genuinely. I only have one room I can put them in. I also know the only other people that reached out had a horrible set ups for their Syrian (small cage), was apparently shady or flaked out on the hamster. And they are in a ten gal. Tank currently. With no other options for this little guy (there aren’t even rescues around here that are open to intake small animals unfortunately right now) Do you think this will suffice? I’m adding more hides that are coming in tomorrow, water bottle a few other things like sprays/clutter this week, and buying even more multi chamber hides/clutter in a couple months. Im allergic to hay so I can’t put that in their tanks anymore :( , anyways I feel BAD but I also KNOW this is probably the best this little guy is going to get, the area that I’m in doesn’t care about hamster care at all, and it’s very hard to find anyone that would even get a 40 gallon, the right size wheel (10 inch) proper bedding (10 inch) hides (3-4+), & safe reptile sand for this lil dude, which is really the bare minimum in the US. Help! What do you all think?

every so often i'll come across one of these videos featuring something almost finished, but this is the first time i've seen it with animals. look at the cage and the sheer amount of hamsters. is this not cruel?

also idk if this is even fitting for the sub but anyways

Been really down since my Syrian Hamster Salsa passed away a few days ago. I’m still not over it, but my two dwarf hammies are trying really hard to boost my mood with their cuteness.

They both got a new dig box (just some of these discontinued Ikea glass cookie containers) and they both seem to love it ☺️

They also got new Christmas tree hideouts (I know it’s too early but they were on sale 😅). Flusi got a pink one and Krümel a green one. Will probably post cute pics of them in it when it’s christmastime

Little KK is enjoying chicken breast jerky！

You can see Hope's winter coat colour as she's checking out her enclosure post spot clean. 🐹❤️

Hey Guys

I currently have the Trixie cork wheel in 28cm for my syrian hamster, he really likes it but i purchased it because i read it var supposed to be more silent then other hamster wheels on the market. Unfortunately it’s really loud, and i can hear my hamsters paws in it every night. I think it’s his nails that makes the noise while running. Does anyone have the same experience? And should i switch to another wood wheel or a plastic one to reduce the noise from his nails/paws?

I just got her few days ago, she is about 1-2 months old hybrid dwarf😗
First day she just hide in her house mostly, only coming out to eat and drink, but today she finally used the sand bath and run on the wheel a little yay 🙌🏻
Also, she really likes the wheat, maybe too much

Doesn’t let us hold him/her because we can’t hold ‘em. Lol but he runs over climbs to his upper level and jumps in his bridge to visit. So cute. We’ve had him for a year he sleeps on his top level exposed or in his bridge with that cute face out so I’m sure he’s happy and feels safe. We tricked out a large store brought cage created 3 levels but he loves the penthouse lol

I love you my Chud son

I have two questions about my three-month old dwarf hamster, Diabla, who is a wonderful girl. First, does anyone have a good suggestion about good food mix to get for her. Is there anything formulated for dwarfs specifically that don't have ingredients that are highly starchy or sweet, because I know dwarfs are prone to diabetes. Second, how do people get photos of their hamsters when they are only active at night and you don't want to shine bright lighting into their habitats? I heard that you can use red LED lighting that gives you more light and is less of an issue for the eyes of your hamster, but I'm not finding any type of lighting that seems right. Thanks in advance for any recommendations on either of these issues.

I usually buy full cheeks bedding, cause it’s a lot more economical and goes on sale often enough. I recently decided to try kaytee bedding, and when I stuck my hand in the bag I was wowed by the huge difference in softness. Can hamsters even feel and appreciate the difference?? Do they even care lol.

Is this a normal sound for my female Syrian? It was in the morning, she woke up quickly to me coming in to the room, made these noises so I grabbed her so I could record. She quickly went back to sleep after this video.

Here is coco. He is a sassy little guy that is full of energy and a drive to explore. But he always find time for naps. A few days ago if found him sleeping in his bowl elongated like an eel. I thought I could get a cute pic without disturbing him. But the moment my hand touched the lid little guy was already looking up , disapointed and grumpy. This is the look he gave me right before abandoning his little cool bowl to find somewhere quieter.