Rock Wall and Hideaway Made From Drink Carriers DIY By Hammy Time

This is how I made a faux rock wall and hideaway for my hamster. They’re made from paper drink carriers. Drink carriers are mold pressed from paper pulp. Any paper product should work. I avoid anything with ink and dyes. The only ingredients are paper and water. PLEASE be careful if you make one using an oven. If you are a child , please get permission and supervision. Never leave your oven unattended. I prefer to use the sun or air dry mine with a fan. It can take up to week to air dry depending on the amount of clay and consistency.
This video features my Chinese hamster, Zoe. I rescued her and her sister, Ziggy from my local animal shelter about a year ago at the same time as Bernie.
Music:
Pacific Sun by Nicolai Heidlas - FREE Creative Commons License
Royalty Free Music from HookSounds
www.hooksounds.com
/ hooksounds
/ nheidlas

[@veerlepeters3695]

For everyone that doesn’t have these cartons, you could even use paper bedding like carefresh!

[@HammyTime]

Yes, I did say that in the video, however the drink carriers work better because the paper pulp fibers have been broken down more so it binds together better when it dries. The paper bedding is not as strong. To break down the paper bedding fibers you can boil it to break it up more. It's a process I wanted to skip so I stick with the drink carriers :)

[@initialjeff2476]

THIS IS SUCH A GOOD IDEA! I GOT CREATIVE AND MADE A LITTLE DINO SKULL HIDE! i will comment when it dries!

[@initialjeff2476]

dis how i made it. i got a round tubblewear. you know that rubber maid stuff? yeah that! and i put the clay on it and made a mouth and some teeth and made somemore holes that will act as the eyes and mouth. and i wait over night. then... ta da! a new hide!

[@phoeisacat4771]

Aaah sounds so cute! Im sure your pet loves it. Do they chew it?

[@ProfessionallyIdiotic]

COOOOOOOOLLLLLLLL col

[@antoniaerlenmeyer8533]

Did it dry yet? Cause it's been three years

[@camillak9321]

Hope it's dry by now

[@kiui5022]

Love this idea! I'll be sure to make both, but I guess I'll have to do order a bunch of drinks from a fast food restaurant! XD

[@lillybarnes5873]

doki You can ask for them!

[@yarr1238]

U can use like an egg box

[@sunflowerz7813]

Or use an egg box and feed the eggs to you’re hamster!

[@camillak9321]

U can use egg cartons!!

[@evac.705]

This is just a fantastic idea. The burrowing idea is so important to them. But this is great! Thanks for sharing.

[@HammyTime]

This wall is a barrier to help hold back the bedding so I can put deep bedding for burrowing, and then have another substrate, such as sand :)

[@user-oh8py4dl7n]

2:13 ..... ....yum.....

[@lucyna911]

Wow. How creative. Great job. Thank you for sharing.

[@lightningmcdeutschland]

I used this to make a mountain and cave for science. I don't have a hamster and never will because personally I don't like them, but this video is great!

[@HammyTime]

I'm so glad you could use this for your science project. This will work with any paper products so it's free to make :)

[@amayaelessar]

Very nice - and I love that you don't use glue 💜🌱

[@HammyTime]

Thank you :) I always look for the simplest solution.

[@pissbutt5702]

so cool! I have that exact bin cage too so I will definately be doing this

[@linaulnes8821]

Love this inspo!

[@critterpaws8373]

Excellent idea

[@hollyhamster6755]

Lovely! It’s so cool

[@syriansugar1010]

What an amazing idea! I was going to give my hamster a beach themed cage soon and I want to make this now but it'll take too long. I'll make it for an upcoming cage theme though!

[@HammyTime]

Thank you. A beach theme cage is a super cute idea. I can imagine your hamster sitting on a little beach chair :)

[@syriansugar1010]

Hammy Time Awe thank you! I should make one!

[@kayleejanes6607]

Syrian Sugar hey, I love your name and just checked out your channel you just earned a new sub

[@syriansugar1010]

Kawaii_Koala Oh thank you! :)

[@angelinal.5782]

Oh that may be good for my pregnant hammy to build a nest!

[@ahhmiike]

Awesome idea!!!

[@aqor4496]

2:54 I started from the bottom Now we here 4:58

[@katehague2654]

this is such a good idea!

[@HammyTime]

Thank you :)

[@veronicasafonova1229]

Hammy Time my hamsters name is hammy

[@kwanghuiyengwen1737]

Hi Hammy Time, you're so clever and creative ;)

[@HammyTime]

Thank you :)

[@sweetox_9690]

This is awesome

[@HammyTime]

Thank you :)

[@evesims4738]

I love ur voice it’s so idk I just like it😄😁🤣

[@HammyTime]

Aw, thank you so much :)

[@MrPuppysk]

Dam I going to do this right now

[@yuiyui3127]

Amazing

[@HammyTime]

Thank you 🙂

[@HeatherTea2280]

So cute!

[@HammyTime]

Thank you! 🙂

[@hollyhammy2809]

Oh wow I love this! It looks so good! I wonder if mixing vegetable paint with the pulp would work to make colourful walls? ☺️ ❤️

[@HammyTime]

Yes, you could paint with vegetable paint. I'm not sure how the colors will turn out. It would be fun to try :)

[@GiiovannaJoe]

i'm gonna do it today!! thanks :D

[@HammyTime]

You're welcome. Have fun :)

[@bellagarson9590]

Would this also work if you did it vertical since I’m trying to make a natural digging tower but I haven’t found any materials that give a natural look

[@HammyTime]

To be able to make a vertical structure you will need to add some non toxic pva school glue to the paper mixture to make it more like clay. If you add glue then you can use less water. The paper clay without the glue would be very difficult to get the right consistency of water to get it to stick together and not slide off the wire form. I know because I tried to make a faux cork round. I had to add glue. I have a video on it coming soon :)

[@bellagarson9590]

Hammy Time Thankyou 😀

[@chippiza]

Genius! Thanks!

[@stevenstoles3635]

i want to let you know, i don't know about if someone put a rock in an oven but you can't put rocks with any moisture in them around a fire because they can explode. Someone might have died and someone might have gotten seriously injured in the past from flying chunks of rock from exploding rock. i might have heard that it or they exploded with great force.

[@HammyTime]

The rock hideaway was put out on my door step out in the sun to dry. You can see my brick steps at the 5:20 mark. You're right not to put rocks in the oven. I'm not sure if the lowest temperature I used to dehydrate the wall is hot enough to cause a rock to explode but it's best to avoid it.

[@stevenstoles3635]

@@HammyTime i thought you put it in the oven. i wanted to let you know.

[@HammyTime]

@@stevenstoles3635 Thanks for letting me know :)

[@stevenstoles3635]

@@HammyTime You're very welcome. Very cute hamsters! i don't have any anymore, but i used to have a nice amount of them and hundreds of rats.

[@HammyTime]

@@stevenstoles3635 I would love to have rats. I can't convince my family to get any so not any time soon.

[@Anonymous-kk8wf]

Would it be safe to add food coloring just for a little color pop

[@HammyTime]

Yes. You can add food coloring to the mix but painting with food coloring might work better for details :)

[@tf_erencan7220]

thanks.♥

[@cameronedelen7211]

Nice might try this💕love your channel❣️first

[@HammyTime]

Aw, Thank you :)

[@ProfessionallyIdiotic]

Vid=peaceful song=agggaaagaaagaaaaaaaaaaaaagagagagaaagaagaagaagggaaaggaGgGgagaagaagaagaaaaaagaag

[@evesims4738]

And ur so creative

[@wildberrycitrus]

I started from the bottom now I’m here

[@janicecarpenter4999]

So how do you keep it upright? Is it just balanced?

[@HammyTime]

The wall leans against the bedding at enough of an angle to stay upright. The bedding is stuffed up under it. The sand in front of it keeps it from moving forward. It's light weight so paper bedding on both side would keep it in place :)

[@camillak9321]

Just when me blender broke!

[@HammyTime]

Oh no! Maybe you can get a cheap one second hand from a thrift store or charity shop. I have one for food and a cheap one for all of my crazy craft projects :)

[@camillak9321]

@@HammyTime that's ok my dad is working on fixing it but we have a hand blender thing that would also work

[@HammyTime]

@@camillak9321 Dads are awesome like that. The hand blender should work. You may need to let the pieces soak in the water a little longer before you blend it :)

[@lisawilton5863]

Hey. Can you use toilet rolls please. This is amazing.

[@HammyTime]

Thank you. Yes, you can use toilet rolls but you will have to let them soak in water first to let the fibers break down :)

[@lisawilton5863]

Just had an idea. The Cadburys egg and spoons boxes. Was going make a wall from them and then plastickote it.

[@HammyTime]

@@lisawilton5863 I wouldn't plastikote it because your hamster most likely will chew on it to make a new entrance. My hamsters will chew holes at the ends. I wanted to use a material that was safe for them to chew on so they could make their own holes :)

[@lisawilton5863]

Ok would the purple colouring that makes the coloured boxes be a problem do you think.

[@HammyTime]

@@lisawilton5863 I'm not familiar with Cadbury boxes but I would stay away from inks and dyes. I really don't know if it's safe or not.

[@CactusBerto]

This just gave me an idea :D

[@rob1185]

where do you get the stalks and seeds?

[@HammyTime]

I got the oat sprays and millet from pet stores. The oat sprays are in the hamster section and millet can be found in the bird section :)

[@mypawfectfamily]

Would this work with egg cartons? Also how does it hold up with the hamsters peeing? Also, do they chew it? Great idea though!! You are always so creative. We did something like his in art class with newspapers for paper mache like clay

[@HammyTime]

Paper egg cartons should work. If the wall or hideaway gets any pee on it the parts where there is pee can be removed and repaired with new pulp. Same thing if chewed on. I probably wouldn't use this for a Syrian hamster who likes to chew when bored. My Chinese hamster, Zoe chewed a small doorway on the corner which is what I expected and what I intended it to be for. The paper allows her to modify the wall so her burrows can lead out to the sand area. I will be sure to update later to show how it's holding up :)

[@mikeyfinger8026]

This video was fantastic I love the idea and the execution! I would be careful with egg cartons though because they have to be very clean because you can transfer salmonella from any egg that gets on the carton.

[@HammyTime]

Eggcellent (sorry, I couldn't resist) advice. Thank you, Mikey!

[@marissarae5283]

Hi I don’t have wire mesh what could I use to substitute it

[@HammyTime]

You could try tin foil. You can try to shape it and use it to support the paper clay while it dries :)

[@breakblake4823]

Does anyone know if I can use this for a leopard gecko?

[@Copperflash]

Loli Chan I don’t see why not... you might want to do a quick google search though...

[@yunnz8571]

I love your DIYs and I really wanna do this one! Just a question, how long did you leave it in the oven before air drying? And did you use the oven (and how long) afterwards again as well? I understand it depends on the wall but I wanna have a reference haha, thank u for sharing your ideas!

[@HammyTime]

I would never leave it in for longer than 15 minutes at a time and I don't leave the kitchen while it's in the oven. After 15 min, I take it out and let it cool down before putting it back in or I just let it air dry. Make sure the oven is at the lowest temperature. You're just dehydrating it. You don't want to cook it. If the weather is hot and sunny outside you can put it out in the sun. I made a large platform and just let it dry on my dining room table. It took about a week to air dry :)

[@flwrthorn]

*Me*: -watches the video- Mom! Can we go to McDonalds *Mom*: What do you want? *Me*: -Shows Mom the video- Thanks for the ❤

[@HammyTime]

Ha ha! Yes, that's the best reason to go to McDonalds :)

[@yerimiesze2045]

Is egg tray safe?

[@HammyTime]

I think they're fine but some people are concerned about possible salmonella contamination. I personally would use them if I didn't have drink carriers.

[@kristiemilan2426]

So behind the wall is filled completely with paper bedding, for burrowing? What brand paper bedding do you recommend? Our hammy has colored paper bedding but I was thinking it was non toxic or natural coloring 🤔

[@HammyTime]

Yes, behind the wall is all bedding for burrowing. I have been using CriiterCare from Walmart. I have had no luck finding natural paper bedding that does not have additives like baking soda so I really don't have a brand that I can recommend. You can try aspen. I'm not sure how well it works for burrowing but I'm told it's a great alternative to paper.

[@kristiemilan2426]

Thanks so much for the reply! We have our first hamster so it’s been a learning experience. What food do you recommend? We’ve been using the oxbow that looks like Cheerios and mixing in the vitakraft. Do you use the vitamins that you mix into water?

[@HammyTime]

For dwarf hamsters I use Sunseed Vita Prima Dwarf Hamster Formula mostly because they really like it and for Syrians I'm trying out Higgins Vita Garden. My Syrian seems to like it so far. I do not use the vitamins that you mix in the water. If you use that be sure to change the water every day because I believe that vitamin drops can go bad in a couple of days. Also , if you try it I would put in a second bottle with no drops in it so if your hamster hates the taste they still have water they will drink. I would not recommend the vitamin drops. Check out Erinsanimals channel on youtube. She just posted a video on her hamster's diet that should help you :)

[@kristiemilan2426]

Okay I will do!! We do have a dwarf hamster. Thanks so much for your help and recommendations!! 🐹

[@cursetin9833]

Can i use egg cartons instead?

[@HammyTime]

I personally would use clean egg cartons, but one person pointed out that eggs can carry salmonella, so it might be too much of a risk for some people.

[@taraleenorin1467]

@@HammyTime Cartons from the store and uncracked eggs.

[@stephanieh358]

Hi Hammy Time! I'm going to be attempting this setup in my 29 gal bin cage, I was wondering how much sand you think will be needed?

[@HammyTime]

I put in enough to get a minimum of 1 inch of sand. My hamsters like to dig in it and so it ends up in large piles everywhere. The sand appears to keep them very entertained at night :)

[@stephanieh358]

hi Hammy Time. Finally got a chance to make my wall. How long do you keep it in the oven to dehydrate? Leaving it outside isn't an option since it's about 50° outside so hoping to dry it in the oven.

[@HammyTime]

@@stephanieh358 I have been letting the walls air dry on my dining room table lol. It takes about a week to air dry but you can use a fan to gently blow air on it to speed it up. If you use the oven then set it to the lowest temperature and do not walk away from it. You will need to keep an eye on it. When I have used my oven I put it at the lowest temperature and leave it in for about 15 min. I take it out and then let it air dry for a while and then put in back in for another 15 min. It's kind of a pain so now I just let it air dry completely.

[@yellowbutterfly7268]

Would paper/cardboard egg boxs work as well?

[@HammyTime]

I'm not sure if egg cartons would be safe to use because eggs can contain salmonella. It would be best to use something else :)

[@Copperflash]

Hammy Time I give my hammy egg cartons to play in all of the time... I don’t think that salmonella can get in the carton because the shell doesn’t carry it... I might be wrong but I’ve never had any problems.

[@cythedeliveryguy2311]

@@Copperflash actually salmonella is in the shell

[@GoregeousLuna]

You're so creative! 😄How many cup holders did you use for the first project?

[@HammyTime]

Thank you. The wall took about 5 carriers and the rock took 2 :)

[@user-tm5be8dr1t]

Can I use egg cartons? IDK if you said it in the video because my phones volume is off? Please reply soon (great DIY tho)

[@HammyTime]

I'm not sure about egg cartons. If any of the eggs contained salmonella it could have contaminated the cardboard. It's not likely but it still could be a risk. You could use paper bedding to make the paper clay if you don't have drink carriers :)

[@user-tm5be8dr1t]

Hammy Time oh and what's salmonella?

[@HammyTime]

It's a bacteria that can be in raw eggs. You should always wash your hands after handling raw uncooked eggs so egg cartons may not be the best source.

[@estefanyhernandez3254]

I subscribed! :) By the way, what type of sand are you using and where can you get it? Thanks if your reply!!! ^^

[@HammyTime]

Thank you :) I use Zoo Med ReptiSand Natural (No calcium) and children's play sand. You can get ReptriSand from Petco and Petsmart in the reptile section. You can get play sand from Home Depot and Lowes in the garden section.

[@estefanyhernandez3254]

Hammy Time thank you soo much!!!!

[@toweypat]

How hard is it to clean your blender after doing this? That's the only thing stopping me from trying it.

[@HammyTime]

I have a very old blender that I use for crafts so I just wipe it down but if it was my blender for food I would wipe it down and then wash it. The paper comes off easily. I avoid getting paper down the drain by wiping it off first :)

[@toweypat]

Hammy Time thank you very much!

[@flatline1170]

Hello hammy time! I recently adopted a bunny. I was wondering if toilet paper would be safe for my bun???

[@HammyTime]

Congratulations on you bunny :) You will need to ask that question on a bunny forum or look it up. I don't have bunnies so I don't know, sorry.

[@flatline1170]

I will check ^^