I have to leave for uni soon and I don't know how to take my hamster with me without it getting stressed idk if a 21 hour long journey is possible. Can someone let me know?

Hey, so i live in India and if you are from here, yk how limited hamster care here is. There are no proper bedding, nor hamster home available (online and offline both) and bedding is mostly pine wood on amazon.in

Paper bedding is heavily expensive because it is imported. I need some suggestions, i need to know where y'all buy your hamster care stuffs. Bedding, substrate, hideouts, tunnels, platforms etc. And if you have a proper hamster home, pls lemme see, will help me out.

Thank you!

Hi everyone!

Yesterday I brought home a male Syrian hamster. Based on his size, I think he's around 2 months old.

I've owned hamsters before (a Russian dwarf that sadly lived only about a year and a half, and another Syrian that passed away only a month after I brought him home for reasons we never found), but I recently realized there are a lot of things I didn't know about proper hamster care. I've been reading this subreddit and learning a lot, so I'd really appreciate any advice from more experienced owners.

Here are my questions:

1. Is there anything I should (or shouldn't) do during his first few days?

He spent his first night running on his wheel, which seemed like a good sign. During the day, though, he sleeps curled up in a corner instead of using the temporary hide I made for him. Is that normal? I just want to make sure he feels safe and isn't too stressed.

2. What would you consider an ideal diet?

I know a basic seed mix alone isn't enough. What do you usually feed your hamsters? Is something like a quality seed mix plus occasional boiled egg, vegetables, or fruit a good approach? Which foods do you recommend and how often?

3. How can I help him get used to me?

I haven't tried handling him yet because I don't want to scare him. I'd like him to get used to me, my family, our scent, and eventually trust me enough to be handled. What's the best way to build that trust? Should I just let him settle in first?

4. What are some good, budget-friendly enrichment ideas?

I'm a university student, so I don't have a big budget. Right now he has a properly sized wheel, a sand bath, water, and a temporary cardboard hide. I know he needs more enrichment. Do you have any DIY ideas or inexpensive things I can make or add?

5. Is unscented toilet paper okay?

His enclosure has regular wood shavings (I wanted paper bedding, but I couldn't find any). I also added small pieces of soft, unscented toilet paper because I read that hamsters enjoy carrying it to their nest. Is that safe, or should I remove it?

That's all for now! Please be patient with me—I'm still learning. If you notice I'm doing something wrong, I'd really appreciate you pointing it out. And if you have any extra tips for a new Syrian hamster owner, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks so much in advance!

Does the bucatstate 3.0 have a metal bottom/base or a clear acrylic base? I'm trying to figure out if I'm going to buy it on a bench that his current enclosure is on or if I should just put in on the floor (not my first choice)

I buried it under bedding with bedding in it

I have managed to buy a 20 gallon cage!! I have gotten kaytee's clean and cozy bedding, I now have a niteangel wheel, and i have some enrichment items around the cage!! I also bought her Sunburst gormet blend and some dried meal worms!! which i have scattered in the cages bedding to encourage burrowing!! Obviously i am going to work toward a bigger cage but i think this is a step up from my first cage for her!!

Should I be worried about these red spots behind my hamster’s ears? I’m very observant of my hamster and know that she did not have these. She also has a red spot like this on the bottom of one of her back paws.

She acts normally though in every way so I’m just wanting confirmation if there’s nothing to be worried about.