Clean My Hamster Cage With Me 🐹🍂🎃 + Treat Haul Unboxing!

[@SomethingAnimal]

How we keep our enclosures clean, safe & smell-free 👇 We’re long past the days where full clean-outs or weekly clean-outs are a normal practice for hamster keeping, modern cleaning routines now focus on what is most beneficial for the hamster. Regularly destroying a hamster’s habitat/burrows and removing their scent from everything is not ideal and should be avoided when possible (though there are exceptions, like for medical necessity). These days most hamster owners maintain their enclosures through a combination of spot cleaning and partial cleaning (also known as the 1/4 method, 1/3 method, or German cleaning method). The frequency of spot cleans and partial cleans will depend on a few factors including; enclosure size, enclosure type, bedding type, climate, and unique individual needs/habits of the hamster. Larger enclosures are often easier to maintain than smaller enclosures, they need partial cleans less frequently and because they can hold much more substrate (which is the main odour control source) they usually smell cleaner for much longer. The bad smell associated with hamster enclosures comes from the build up of urine, if you have less substrate or a less absorbent substrate then that smell will appear more quickly. When hamsters are able to behave in a natural way they will usually (though not always) choose a specific area in their enclosure to use for urinating, this could be an open corner or inside a particular house/shelter. If your hamster has a dedicated toilet this will make smell even easier to manage as you can clean this area out as often as needed and the overall smell will be minimal or non-existent. Hamsters will leave dropping all over their enclosure, but these do not have a noticeable odour as they are typically comprised of seeds, grains, plants and insects. Droppings can be taken care of by *spot cleaning*, which can be done as often as needed. Some people choose to spot clean daily, some may do it once or twice a week. *Spot cleaning* is a light cleaning of the upper surface of the habitat, it does not usually include replacing any substrate. *Spot cleaning* may include cleaning out the pee-area, wiping down the wheel, wiping down exposed platforms, washing water and fresh food bowls, and a light tidying up of the area. *“Big cleans”* or *"Partial cleans"* may be done once a month for smaller enclosures, or once every few months for larger enclosures. A partial clean typically involves removing only 1/3 or 1/4 of the main substrate and replacing it with clean substrate. Each partial clean focuses on a different section of the enclosure. For example, the first time you clean the left 1/3, the second time you clean the central 1/3, and the third time you clean the right 1/3. Then start the loop over from the beginning. This method allows for the majority of the habitat/burrows to remain intact and undisturbed while ensuring that all used substrate is eventually replaced. For large enclosures that only get a “big clean” every few months, an additional practice of *Surface cleaning* or *Top cleaning* might be implemented as well to maintain both the cleanliness and tidiness of an enclosure. These can be done once a month, or at the halfway point between big cleans. Top cleaning is very similar to spot cleaning with the additional task of removing the top 2cm (1inch) of substrate and replacing it with clean substrate. Top cleaning is not necessary if the enclosure is small and the time between “big cleans” is less than 6 weeks. So to summarise, hamster enclosures are kept clean through a combination of: · *Spot Cleaning* · *Top Cleaning* · *Partial Cleaning* 🐹 *My Cleaning Routine* 🐹 My personal preference for keeping the enclosures clean and odour-free, while working in the best interests of the hamster, is to spot clean 1-2 times a week, top clean once a month, and do a “big clean” once every 3 months. Spot cleaning takes about 10 minutes, top cleaning takes about 30 minutes, and partial cleans usually take about an hour. We spend about €25 every 3 months on substrate for one enclosure (approx €8 a month, or €100 a year), so while the first set up of a large enclosure can be expensive, the long-term maintenance usually isn’t. Keeping a large enclosure clean and odour-free does not need to be time consuming or expensive, and often times it is more budget-friendly than a smaller enclosure. You can find lots of videos online demonstrating how to spot and partial clean, and you can also turn to hamster forums for more guidance and advice 😄🐹 . 🤫PS: There are lots of helpful hamster care resources linked in the video description, if you're new to hamster keeping it's a good idea to bookmark them so you can always locate them quickly and easily! .

[@leah66]

I am absolutely in shambles over Lotus’s tiny furious barks and chasing you around the cage trying to interfere 😂 our angry king

[@dagnolia6004]

i love how you SAY that you only want things in Lotus' enclosure that are USEFUL, whilst you endeavor to make it beautiful and aesthetically appropriate each season. great vid!

[@chaosdestructionlove]

It's so nice seeing a more social hamster this time around. What a sweet baby. (The dangling in the well entrance made me miss my old lil granny hamster lol)

[@msk9912]

I couldn't understand why my hamster would cover all the holes in her hideout, and it used to freak me out a lot, but then I started noticing that every time I clear it, she covers it back again, so watching this video and explaining the reason why they cover up the holes makes me understand much clearer now.

[@BenjamintheTortoise]

I love love love seeing how confident and happy he is now!! He's absolutely the cutest hamster ever! I love the fall decor you added, and I loved watching you create them, so fun!! 😊

[@ishimarooo]

loved seeing his burrows, you've built such a cool enclosure for this energetic little guy!

[@sirencalloftoys9162]

Wow, the chaos that is Lotus is truly amazing. He rearranged the whole cage in one night! Impressive. I was also amused at "These Super Worms are really big..." *Lotus gobbles up the whole thing*

[@RosieGamgee]

lotus is so curious and fearless, yet also so clumsy. it is the most adorable combo ever!

[@mariahlynn7715]

18:20 IM ABSOLUTELY ROLLINGGGGG

[@llamalady]

Lotus is a truly incredible lil chaos monster 😂 love the confidence, and the enclosure is looking awesome, even after his destruction ;)

[@completelylostcosplay7137]

I had some life stuff happen, so I havent seen a video of yours since Ammonia got their enclosure tour... 4 years ago. I clicked this video today and all I felt was pride and a wild sense of "Well this is different!" ((From an FtM proud of more than just the content.)

[@Phantom124356]

Lotus is such a chaos gremlin I love him so much

[@3173kiki]

I absolutely love fur children of chaos!!! They have so much personality and funny, quirky antics! ❤❤❤

[@ronaamor]

Lotus is so cute! What an adorable little gremlin of chaos.💖

[@hi.im.lilith]

Love the fall vibes this time around!

[@kryssie1866]

Its amazing what you can make ❤ love it ❤ all those little houses and mushrooms its like a fairytale 😍

[@melme33]

I love your videos! Last I checked in, you were talking about the quarantine bedroom and now it's so cool to get an update that he graduated and adapted well to his new home! I'm so happy for you guys and will have to check out your social media too. Cheers! Ps it's so cute seeing him defend his territory lol

[@lucied2725]

Seeing this made me miss my hamster so much… Lotus chasing you around the enclosure was so adorable ! I don’t have the space for a hamster but that really made me want one again

[@MC-qb1jg]

He is super cute. Your enclosure is amazing.

[@vulcanochloris]

I am sure very active hamsters like Lotus turn into aggressive and self-harming mess if they dont have proper care and proper set up. I am glad Lotus lives in a small piece of hamster-heaven

[@helloagainlisa6426]

All of your videos are calming and relaxing! Thank you for making my day a little better.

[@mattiekitty]

Wow!what an amazing set up you have! Your hamster is in heaven! 💗

[@rebeccaclock3858]

Lotus is so cute, what fun personality. Him hanging on the well was so funny

[@MayteAC]

I love the touch of color you've given it, the new crafts, very cool! And how lucky that they give you some details, they are always much appreciated, enjoy your new little one at home.

[@moda78z]

Ollie, he’s hilarious!!😂 I would have laughed at his antics 🤣😂. He’s absolutely adorable! But I’m pretty sure he cussed you out 😮🤣

[@nebraskadawn]

You videos bring me so much joy. Thank you for sharing.

[@valdenini]

The best hamster content in this planet.

[@khills]

Wow, that is one very charismatic hamster!

[@CRAIGTEMPLATEXCHRIST]

ADORABLE God bless you for caring for this tiny creature he is SO CUTE :) I used to have Hampsters when I was growing up :) PRAISE BE BEAUTIFUL xxx

[@user-rx7lc1od7w]

I am happy that you take such a good care of your hamster! you are a great human being!

[@meldalaskauskaite4695]

18:22 "I SEE NO OTHER GOD UP HERE THAN ME." ❤😂😂 I love it so much!❤❤❤

[@Figgycatone-ce2gm]

He is adorable ❤my son had two dwarf hamsters he got them together, but one would constantly attack the other one so we had to put them in separate cages. My son got great joy out of there antics, but was very very upset when the white one ( snowy lol ) past away at the age of 2 and then the brown and white one ( marshal) at the age of 3.

[@jkmoon7937]

Hey! 👋😄✌️ I’m new here, but I already love you two ❤❤❤ You and Lotus have a very beautiful friendship 🐹❤️😍 And I love how you two communicate.

[@miryammoctezuma5053]

Lotus is soooo fast! Loved the video ❤

[@davonnahemingway9398]

Lotus is a lil trouble maker lol… sure is cute though ❤

[@angienovinger1391]

Love the pumpkin hide, everything is so creative 💖

[@craigtpat]

Could you get an inspection cam and investigate his burrows? That would be cool to see.

[@marjoleinvnoort6961]

Love that he has a big enclosure, I had one when I was a jong child (39 years ago)The cages that were advised were so small. I’m a reptile owner and got a bearded dragon lizard. I built it a big enclosure. It’s 2.20 meter long x 1.40 meter deep x 1.60 meter high. Minimum enclosure size is 1.20 m x 60 cm x 60 cm my opinion is we keep animals housed way too small. So really love you enclosure for him ❤

[@tranngocanhthu2046]

It looks marvelous! please keep updating more videos and please make more cage designs like this. Thank you so much!

[@KabbalahSherry]

Yay! Get up babe, Ollie posted again! 🤗❤🐹

[@bethanymayer3632]

All is right when you post a video 😊

[@stephnemade]

To keep the mushroom lid on, I'd say Velcro but put the soft side on the stem so if he gets it off again it won't hurt him.

[@rayleehayes3975]

Okay, so thats a follow from me, because now i need to see the "seasonally appropriate cover" of spring, summer and winter.❤

[@donnalewis4895]

I always look forward to your videos. 😊

[@belladonnaqueen2148]

Always happy to see Lotus!!

[@victoriafox-bratcher6109]

I would love for you to give some tutorials on how you create these things. They are beautiful

[@Warlockfoxfire]

A messy cage is a happy cage. I love Lotus

[@TV-1997]

2 of my hams also use different spot for peeing and different spot for pooping, I thought they are just quirky but I guess it's a thing 😆

[@lexi4693]

Man you must love that hamster.

[@carysbowen2228]

Lotus is a wee delight!

[@Nicole-ds9sm]

I had a hamster for 4 years and I wish 10 year old me in the 90s had all the information needed to properly care for her. 🐹alvintina❤️

[@isabellahuff9736]

What a tiny cutie

[@rosemarieurwin2578]

instead of using a travel carrier on cleaning days i have a bin cage set up for my hamster to explore while i am busy ...also as he is a robo and very fast it's safer to put him out my way and he is occupied and less stressed .

[@gaynorandrews1684]

Amazing. Thanks for sharing. I love Lotus antics...

[@TheApplesauce1992]

the smaller the package the bigger the menace 😂

[@kayenicole3681]

I know you DIY a lot of the set up but does that include the enclosure itself? If not do you have a link to where that can be purchased?

[@jluke1083]

I LOVE this kind of content!!! Keep making these too! I have to ask...when are you getting a second hamster?? hehe!! You are the best pet parent ever!!!

[@SomethingAnimal]

I was really hoping to get another Syrian before the end of the year but it's just not in the budget 🥲 Maybe before next spring though!

[@jluke1083]

@somethinganimal I will GLADLY contribute to the funding!! 😁 I need to buy my daughter some new stuff from your store for Christmas!! (And maybe something for me too! 😆)

[@PopeClemensIIX]

You should put on the cam again on the pizza mushroom, I think it could be posible he can climb it and get to the same spot he got before. The Metal

[@SomethingAnimal]

I guess this is how I discover I am very bad at making convincing autumnal trees 😂 I will do this though, he's a naughty creature and I wouldn't put it past him to figure out how to climb the... pizza mushroom 😅

[@the_animal_ark]

❤❤❤ so cute little hammy mad

[@maggie81573]

What a tiny little chaos demon...I love him; full of personality! Maybe he needs his own dedicated IG page 👀

[@SomethingAnimal]

He technically does, it's the 'SomethingAnimalOfficial' account, I'm just really really bad at keeping that one updated because I don't use social media much 😅

[@囧囧囧囧囧]

Awww SuperLotus 💪🤣❤️

[@Lori235]

"You're not in that tax bracket love" 😆

[@DreamyDuskywing]

Im sorry to say this but your seasonally appropriate replacement to the lookout mushroom looks like a pizza to me 😂 Lotus is so brave and I live how into everything you add back he is! It's nice to see the evidence of all his chaos the next day

[@SomethingAnimal]

It was supposed to be a tree with autumn leaves lmao 😂

[@lorearrieta955]

Hola qué buen vídeo 😊 podrías decirnos cómo haces esa masa con la que hiciste la calabaza y el tronco? Gracias

[@SomethingAnimal]

Hola, se llama arcilla de papel maché y para prepararla se mezcla papel higiénico con agua y cola PVA. ¡Es seguro masticar y biodegradable! 😊

[@n.d3217]

love ur vids

[@buddytheratmore7540]

is a cage setup like this good for syrian as well? or just for dwarfs? im wanting to maybe get a hamster some day and wanted a syrian because they are larger, but aside from needing a larger wheel is everything else okay for one? or should i just look into getting some variety of dwarf hamster

[@StaffordshireTravelAdventures]

was thinking of getting an hamster. if i put 2 in there will they fight or get on with each other?

[@SomethingAnimal]

Domestic hamsters are happiest, healthiest and safest when housed alone, they don't need companions like some other rodent species.

[@jonah_404]

My Syrian hamster sandy sadly passed away two days ago… I still have my dwarf Casper but it’s difficult 😢

[@SomethingAnimal]

I'm sorry for your loss 😔💛

[@marcjaysonbaluyot8680]

4:03 can see the full vid🥹

[@gaynorandrews1684]

Are you happy Oliver with your latest hamster homestead

[@whozpk__]

How cute, what breed of hamster is he ?

[@lexi4693]

Now that’s one spoiled hamster.

[@lizrochester80]

My ghost hamster pees in his burrows which are at the very bottom of the enclosure (aquarium) and at the back so when I do a partial clean, I have to dig up the burrows and his peed on bedding. I did it tonight before I saw this video and the little turd kept burrowing where I needed to clean. I gave him treats and moved him with a mug but he kept coming back. Eventually I just let him be and cleaned around him…he’s also not a fan of the carrier. I’ve been bit before so now I double glove when cleaning!

[@KabbalahSherry]

You got him in aquarium? No shade but... I hope it's a big one. Cuz even 40 gallons aren't really enough floor space. 😬 Hamsters don't need tall aquariums anyway. They need longgg & deep ones, where tons of bedding can be placed inside it. An IKEA "detolf" shelf system on its side is ideal for a dwarf hammy for example. That's what I got my dwarf in. And I keep my foster hammies in a giant 52" cage as well. But hey... we can always upgrade & do better, whenever necessary right? That's the beauty of this hobby. We can all have the potential to grow & evolve our understanding, as we provide them w/loving care in the meantime. 😊💝🐹

[@hannah3884]

Love home interractive with the home he is

[@dragonshadow4145]

Out of curiosity, couldn’t a shop vacuum cleaner be able to just suck up all the Aspen shavings really fast? They are made to vacuum wood shavings.

[@SomethingAnimal]

I don't see why not, if you own one and that's an easier cleaning method for you then it won't hurt to give it a go, just make sure you hamster is out of the enclosure if you're going to use a vacuum

[@rabbitlovepeace]

The animal just say I want to inside, not outside when you are cleansing

[@SystemofEleven]

Is there a reason you put a bunch of different kinds of bedding in different areas of the enclosure? I know the sand is for rolling in and he needs something for burrowing, but it looks like you have five or six different types of substrate, some of which I haven't heard of before. Do they all serve different purposes, or is the variety just there for mental enrichment?

[@SomethingAnimal]

Having a variety of textures is good for tactile and olfactory stimulation, it helps towards keeping their brain happy. You don't have to use these exact ones, just aim for a small amount of variety to keep things interesting for them 😊

[@Rup179]

I think he need a new friends..

[@SomethingAnimal]

Hamsters don't make friends, they are happiest, healthiest and safest when they live alone.

[@Christopher-dw6xn]

Dude it’s a rodent & you’re afraid it’s gonna get hurt climbing around? WOW

[@Kirbyjer]

@@Christopher-dw6xn yeah bestie hamsters aren't as agile as most rodents and falls are significantly riskier to them.

[@SomethingAnimal]

Hey mate, I think there might be a little confusion here. Yes Lotus is a rodent, but that has nothing to do with his ability to climb. Rodents are an order of animal that are characterised by having a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws, but their physical capabilities vary from species to species and can be categorised into; arboreal (climbers), fossorial (burrowers), saltatorial (leaping on their hind legs), semiaquatic (live partially in water), and some species of rodent can fall into more than one of these categories. Lotus is a hamster, which are primarily fossorial animals, and specifically he is a winter-white dwarf which are one of the clumsiest domestic species. They are very prone to slipping, stumbling, misstepping, and falling over even when just sitting still. On top of that dwarf hamsters do not have a strong ability to right themselves mid-fall which often leads to them landing in awkward positions and on their own backs. This is mostly a non-issue as long as they are only falling very short distances onto soft ground, but the distance between the mesh of this enclosure and the ground below is above the ‘safe dropping height’ for his species. The ground beneath him is also hard and uneven meaning he is very likely to fall onto an object, which significantly increases his risk of injury. Spinal injuries are common in hamsters for this exact reason. Making sure your hamster cannot climb in unsafe ways is part of the responsibility of caring for them, this can be done while providing species-appropriate climbing opportunities like grapevines, low shelving and short ladders for them to express this behaviour safely. *TLDR;* Dwarf hamsters are notorious for trying to million-dollar-baby themselves, it’s perfectly reasonable to want to prevent it.

[@gaynorandrews1684]

Are you happy Oliver with your latest hamster homestead