Vertical Hamster/rat Tunnel?

[Ethos]

Just out of curiousity, I've seen some of those 'hamster' cages, and they have tunnels that go vertical. Can a hamster/rat climb a plastic tube vertically?

 

[The-Wolf]

the short answer is yes

 

[Saedcantas]

The long answer is that when your small rodent begins to age a little and becomes less able, you send it to an early grave when it falls from the top of one of the vertical tubes and breaks something.

 

[Bloo]

You are absolutely right. Some of my old and geriatric hamsters couldn't even climb their 45 degree ladders anymore as they grew stiff. I also had to keep the water and food right outside the opening of their nests, as eventually they didn't even leave their nests anymore. I also had a few real oldies that eventually could only feed soft food, and one extreme one that had to be syringe fed for the last few weeks of her life

 

[tekknocolor]

I'm glad you asked the question, I didn't know either and have always wondered.

 

[Ethos]

So how long does it take for a hamster to reach that age? Atleast a few years, right?

 

[RandomWiktor]

I can't speak for hamsters, but I consider any of my mice over a year old to be in their golden years, as the average lifespan for them is 1-3 years. Two is average, so a one year old is "middle aged" so far as I'm concerned. My eldest mouse was 5, but from what I've read, this isn't too common, esp. from pet store/feeder lines that are all inbred and descending from lab stock.

Many rodents don't live to be over 5, so "a few years" is pushing it. In other words, don't bother getting the vertical tunnel Why make something like that a part of your rodent's territory and behavioral enrichment if you're just going to have to take it away?

edit: Just looked up hammie lifespans. Looks like the same as mice roughly. In fact, a few sites said only 18 months as the average, though I have to wonder if that figure isn't influenced by the number of people who get them and don't care for them properly.

 

[timmystood]

Any hamsters i've kept in those cages have been able to - providing their not too fat.