How to care for a one-eyed hamster: cage size and safety tips?

I recommend choosing the larger cage for sweet pea. Hamsters like to have separate bathroom / toilet areas well away from their bedding, so the one with the biggest base area is the best. Height of cage is less important. Also provide safe chewing sticks for her to gnaw her teeth on.

Do not use an aquarium tank. A suitably sized (and secure) wire cage with a solid bottom is recommended. HabiTrail and Kaytee have excellent choices for cages. Buy the largest cage you can afford and fit in the chosen space. You can use recycled paper bedding such as CareFresh or Yesterday's News. Aspen shavings or pellets are also acceptable. Do not use pine or cedar shavings as these can be irritating. A commercial diet from Kaytee or VitaKraft can be fed from a ceramic bowl. A ceramic bowl prevents gnawing and tipping. A non chewable water bottle can be hung to provide fresh water daily. Other necessary items include chew toys and an exercise wheel. Find a veterinarian experienced in treating pocket pets and have your new addition examined to confirm good health. Feed, water and exercise daily. Clean the cage weekly. These little guys require very little care and can provide lots of entertainment. Congrats and enjoy!

I am sorry for the loss of your hamster. A clean, warm, stress free environment is critical to the health of any pet. Stress can predispose a hamster to serious infection. Provide a healthy diet and plenty of chew toys to keep teeth worn down. Your veterinarian can trim teeth if necessary. Regular veterinary checks are also strongly recommended.

This could be stressful to some pets, depending on their personality. I would suspect a prey-species such as a hamster would be more affected by the constant movement/change of scenery just because they may be more alert/aware of their surroundings. Whatever pet you decide to get, you will need an appropriate travel carrier to be sure the pet doesn't get loose in your car. Or even better, if your car is large enough to move the cage between the two households this may be easier on your pets so that the actual cage itself isn't changing regularly. Covering the cage with a dark sheet can be calming for some pets during travel, so they aren't alarmed by the light/noise on the trip.

It is completely normal for a hamster to chew and chew and chew! Just be sure you are offering plenty of safe options for him to chew on, which it sounds like you are doing already. You may need to move him to a metal/wire cage that he cannot chew on and remove the plastic housing so he does not ingest any plastic. It is also normal for him to be a little jumpy as he is still getting used to his surroundings. Just continue working with him and encouraging him to come to you. Using his favorite treats can help too. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

Many of our exotic companion mammals, such as hamsters, will do well in the car if their environment is kept stable. Since you are taking her in her cage, that may help. Other things that you will want to do is remove the water bottle while you are actively driving, but if you stop to take a break (ex: for gas, for you to eat something, or to use the bathroom), make sure that you put the water bottle in to give Mamy an opportunity to drink. Ensure that she has food available at all times as well. I would also recommend removing her wheel while you are actively driving so that she doesn't hurt herself on it. One of the most important things for you to do in the car is to make sure it does not get too hot or too cold. I would recommend running the air conditioner in your car to get it to the temperature that your house would typically be, but make sure that the vents are not blowing directly on Mamy. With Mamy being a hamster, hopefully she will sleep the majority of your time on your drive (unless you plan on driving at night). If you notice that she is restless or seems stressed, then I would recommend evaluating the temperature first. This is often the most stressful part of traveling for these little guys. If you plan on staying in a hotel (which for that long of a drive it may be a good idea, just to give her a break), then you can have her cage set up as you normally would during that time. I hope that helps, and that your trip is a success!

Unfortunately, I would be concerned that what you are seeing means that Caesar has passed away. Without seeing him in person, I can't say this for certain, but if he's not moving at all and one pupil is bigger than the other, my suspicion would be that he is no longer alive. I would check to see if his eyes are reactive to light and if he's breathing. You can also try to see if you can feel a heart rate. If his eyes don't react to light, he's not breathing, and you can't find a heart rate, then I'm sorry to say it's likely Caesar has passed on. You can also take him into a vet to confirm this :-(