an Interview with Chip’s Hamster Sanctuary
Hello hamster friends!
Today I had the pleasure of chatting with the woman behind Chip's Hamster Sanctuary!
If you'd like to help Chip's Hamster Sanctuary - you can follow her on Instagram
You can find links to donate in her profile.
Thanks for joining me on my hamster care journey!
Music by Epidemic Sound
Fixing the Niteangel Pedometer
I did it! I managed to fix my Niteangel Pedometer.
ICYMI - I got a Niteangel Pedometer (https://amzn.to/3SFB0jB ) for my birthday in October. One worked great, the other one was a bit flakey.
I noticed, however, that if I gave the pedometer a squeeze, it seemed to awaken it and suddenly the screen turned on, but it was unreliable.
SO, I ordered a precision screw driver ( https://amzn.to/47sZoZS ), twisted those screws in a little tighter, and voila! Problem solved.
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Trying out Niteangel Hamster Snacks
I decided to get a little bday gift for myself and try out these Niteangel Hamster Treats!
I got one of each - the tofu/broccoli and walnut boat. I was a little confused because the packaging actually looks exactly the same, but one was a combo of dried tofu and broccoli, the other was dried tofu and walnut boats.
The snacks come in individually wrapped little packets, which is nice to ensure freshness. Not so great for the environment, but given that it’s coming from overseas, I appreciate the concern for freshness and knowing it’s free from bugs.
My hams were suspicious of the tofu at first, but then, once tasted, they now gobble it all up very quickly!
This was the first time I’ve given my hamsters dried tofu, I’m excited it was a hit!
Purchase from Amazon here —> https://amzn.to/3NTO3Lg
*as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchased
Birthday Goodies!
I had a birthday! Happy birthday to me!
Honestly, I kind of don’t care that much about my birthday. HOWEVER… it is a great excuse to get some new and exciting ham-accessories!
This year my parents gave me two of the Niteangel pedometers (one for Thorfinn, one for Maurice), in addition to an adorable little star bridge from Bucatstate!
The Niteangel pedometers were quite exciting, I’ve wanted one for a while but just couldn’t find a reason I NEEDED one (particularly since I already have Wyze cams watching over my hams, I already know what they are up to at night).
Overall, they are not too tricky to operate. You just unscrew the cap on the wheel using a little wrench (included with the pedometer) and then apply the pedometer. The only bummer is that the 2032 coin-batteries are NOT included. And these aren’t the kind of batteries one tends to have laying around! So I had to actually order these from Amazon and wait until I had a moment to open them up and get them in the pedometers. Kind of annoying and delayed the excitement of a new hamster toy, wah wah.
The first one went in beautifully. So easy, worked well. I put it in Moe’s cork & wooden wheel.
The second one I decided to apply to a small, purple Dark Clouds wheel for Thor. This one was trickier - I couldn’t get it to screw in quite right, and then when I did, the pedometer wasn’t turning on.
I read the reviews on Amazon and noticed that I wasn’t alone in having this issue - a few others complained that the battery cavity didn’t seem to work correctly so the pedometer wasn’t turning on when you put the battery in. I almost asked Niteangel for a return, but then I noticed if I gave the pedometer a little squeeze it seemed to help revive it.
I guess the question is- is the pedometer actually turning on every time Thor is on the wheel? Or is it only working half the time? I’m not really sure.
After the night is over, if you want to calculate how far your hamster ran, Niteangel has a nifty chart for each of their wheels on the Amazon listing here —> https://amzn.to/3QlLt0H
The Verdict:
Overall, I think this is a fun, fairly inexpensive hamster accessory. Is it necessary? Not if you have hamster cams (and you really should have a hamster cam! Learn more about them here). But is it fun? YES! :D
Pls note it only works with Niteangel wheels (hoping Bucatstate comes out with one soon so I can update my Buca-Wheels too!).
If you are purchasing a Niteangel wheel for the first time, they now sell the wheel WITH the pedometer! Link below!
The second hamster gift I got was this adorbs Bucatstate star-bridge!
I’m increasingly a fan of these static, non-bendy bridges because there are no gaps in the wooden rods so a much reduced opportunity for a tiny toe or tiny nail to get caught in a tiny crevice as they scurry across the bridge.
Personally, I have not had an issue with a hamster injuring themselves on any bendy bridges (thankfully!) but I know those who have - it’s not wildly uncommon! Recently, I witnessed little Thor get a toenail caught on the fleece blanket I use as the flooring of my hamster playpens. Thankfully, I was there (a great reason to not let hamsters be on fleece unsupervised), but he went WILD trying to free his little foot. It was scary and I could see how it could escalate quickly if I hadn’t been there to free him and his tiny nail.
Also, a great reminder to get your hamster’s nails trimmed on a regular basis. About every 6 weeks I find works for my hams, but really depends on the hamster. Some are more active and don’t seem to need it as much. My vet charges about $15 for a hamster nail trim and they do it so quickly my hams hardly have a moment to be scared!
Have you tried the Niteangel Pedometer or Bucastate star bridge? What did you think?
*as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Foraging Pumpkins 🎃
Aren’t these the cutest? I ordered a bunch of these from Hungry Hammies Shop on Etsy recently. I love how you can put seeds inside them and let your hams go to town getting the seeds out!
Thor and Moe are less food motivated, but Thor does love to nibble things and he found the pumpkins 🎃 very intriguing 🧐!
Check out Hungry Hammies Shop here—> https://www.etsy.com/shop/HungryHammiesShop
Ch-ch-ch-chia!
Hi Hamster Friends!
I’m working on growing some chia sprouts 🌱 in coconut fiber. I have never tried this before and it might be an utter failure or my hams might be totally uninterested… we’ll see!
I’m excited to see these cute little sprouts though, now on day 6 of their sprouting journey 😊
Have you ever grown anything for your hamsters 🐹? How did it go? What did you grow?
So Obsessed With My New Camera
OMG. I don’t know why I waited until now to invest in a great camera. I suppose it’s been a slow build. a few years back I got a semi-decent point and shoot (the Canon G9X, link to Amazon). I used it for photos on trips to France & Disneyland. It did make a big difference in quality, particularly when compared to older generation iPhones.
But once I got hamsters, my needs changed. I needed a camera to capture those tiny moments. A tongue in midair, enjoying a morsel of banana chip. A leap off of a wheel while it still spins. A curious sniff of a new item. I so desperately wanted to capture the feelings I felt when I interact with my hamster everyday.
So I splurged an purchased a Canon 5D Mark III along with a 50 mm f/1.4 lens from KEH… and what a difference it has made!
This lot of photos I took on aperture-priority, but I am now playing with manual settings to get a faster shutter speed. More to come!
Do you have a fancy camera you use for your hamsters or otherwise?
*as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Who Has a Pet Hamster?
SO excited to see this new children’s book on my insta feed today!
The book showcases “proper” hamster care, features a Hispanic family and uses a font friendly to children with dyslexia or low-vision.
More about the book and author on their website here! —> https://whohasapetbooks.wordpress.com/books/whapham/
a Summer of Hamsters
WHEW what a summer.
Most of my summer was spent dealing with mites. And cleaning hamster cages. And baking everything. And getting rid of lots of excess hamster stuff!
I’m so happy my little friends are back in their Niteangel Vistas and living their best lives. A little shout out to the Vista- the front opening makes it much more ergonomic to clean and interact with your hamster! At some point I’ll do an official review, but it IS notable and I haven’t heard anyone bring this advantage up before.
A few things I mentioned on this episode:
Detolf Lid from HappyHenrysHomes
Mel's Neighborhood Rodents
Great Courses Photography or from Amazon here
Reddit Ask Photography Community
Do you have a fancy camera you use for your hamsters? What is it?
I Made it Big-Time!
…and by “Big-Time” I mean I have crossed the divide from digital media to physical media! YES, that’s right, I’ve been quoted in a BRAND NEW HAMSTER CARE BOOK, now available for purchase!
While every hamster owner has their preferences & opinions as to how to best care for hamsters, I overall commend this book for reaching out to a variety of well known hamster breeders & rescuers for quotes and information on a wide range of topics. AND most importantly, the book firmly recommends that hamsters be housed in nothing less than 600 sq inches for dwarves & 900 sq inches for Syrians… FINALLY! A hamster book that points new hamster owners in the right direction.
*as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases
More Mite Resources 🐞 🧐
It seems tropical rat mites 🏝️ 🐀 🐞 are not a problem I alone have! Sharing this post from a FB group I follow with more info on these little buggers
I “Mite” Have Found the Source of All of My Problems…
Hello Hamster Pals,
Welp, another week, another week of fighting mites.
Every week gets a little bit better, as I continue my intense cleaning to eradicate mites from my home.
This week, however, I got a surprise when I had Orkin pest control come to help me deal with some ants in my kitchen. Turns out I have some mice and bats living in my attic!
A possible (and probable) source of my current mite infestation my have come from the rodents (flying & otherwise) living above the office where I write this now.
For now, Orkin sprayed for mites around baseboards and lighting fixtures- this should help. But, I worry that until I actually clean out and seal up my attic, I may continue to have mites find their way to my beloved hammies. So, hoping to get that dealt with ASAP! Thankfully my hams will still be on Revolution for another month; the goal is to have the attic cleaned out by the time they finish.
Ah, the joys of homeownership!
More on this subject on this week’s podcast!
The Mite Saga, Week Three
Hey hamster friends!
I’m now beginning week three of my fight against mites!
So far, it’s going well, and I’m making progress.
Even though Thor wasn’t showing a ton of signs of mites, I do wonder how many were emitting from his cage. Now that I have him isolated and his cage cleaned out as well I have noticed a big reduction in mite bites on my arms and legs.
I also made the decision to move them both out of the hamster room/office so that I could do more deep cleans / vacuums in here with the diatomaceous earth on a more regular basis. This seems to have helped a lot!
These are a few of my fav mite-fighting things!
Lastly, I got this really cool little puffer device that came with one of the bags of DE, and I’ve been using it to puff DE in all along the edges of the room. Even though the DE is “food grade” and should be non-toxic, I have found the dust to be pretty irritating to my throat, so I always wear an N95 mask, gloves and safety goggles while I apply the DE and I remain out of the room for about an hour afterwards.
Also featured in the photo:
Rubbing alcohol & alcohol spray: a great, non-toxic way to kill the mites. I have been using this to clean the Vistas on a regular basis.
Vaseline: Mites can’t get through Vaseline, so putting it along the top edge of the 200 qt bins is key to keeping the bugs isolated. This is something I’ll be doing with new hamsters in the future until I can confirm they do not have mites!
For more on this week’s fight against mites, check out my podcast episode here!
*as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
New Roborovski Hamster Care Channel!
Hi Hammy Friends!
I recently discovered a new hamster channel all about Roborovski hamster care I wanted to spread the word about! As I’ve chatted about in the past- I often feel like there isn’t enough info out there about dwarf & robo hamster care.
Yes, the basics are the same- large living space, similar diet, crepuscular sleeping schedule. But there is also a lot that is different, particularly for the teeniest, fastest species, Robos!
I’m happy to see someone promoting a gentle touch with robos, going at their speed (not yours!) and making sure you don’t stress them with “taming” techniques (but instead, get to know them for who they are, and respect the way they want to interact).
If you haven’t already, subscribe and support Stef’s channel YT channel here! —> https://youtube.com/@stefroborovskicare
Mite Saga Week 2
Hi Hamster Friends!
Continuing the Mite Saga (UGH!).
Here’s how my hams currently look- Maurice is in the bin above his vista, Thor’s cage is still being dismantled and disinfected, hope to have him looking the same as Moe in the next few days.
Listen to my update on Spotify here.
And check out my insta feed for more updates!
Have you ever dealt with mites? What was your experience like?
Episode 2 is Up!
Hello hamster friends!
This week’s podcast is all about my latest hamster care challenge- MITES (ugh!). I’ll also be chatting a bit about my newest hamster, Thorfinn, and where I see my hamstering going in the future.
Now Coming to You Via Podcast!
Hello Hamster Friends!
I’ve decided to start a podcast! I wanted a quick, easy way to update you all on what’s happening in my hamster-life, and a podcast felt like the perfect forum.
Please let me know your thoughts! Is another hamster podcast really necessary? Do you have any hopes for what I’ll do with the podcast?
(and don’t worry- it doesn’t mean an end to videos!)
Find my podcast on Spotify by searching “Rachel Got Hamsters” or follow the link to Listen Here!
past blog entries…
Follow My Hamsters on Instagram!
