Species: Syrian
Estimated age: < 6 months
Gender: Female
Likes: Large hideouts, being left alone
Dislikes: Attention
Fosterer’s Instagram: @sailing_contradictions
Named for her cute banded tortoise-shell face, Tortoise is an extremely solitary girl, due to her harsh background where she was housed with nearly 20 other hams in a singular cage.
She is not picky with her food, and will steadily ration out her daily mix portion and sprays instead of devouring them at one go, which is peculiar for Syrians. Tortoise will definitely not be suitable for families with children as she is extremely timid and will jump from hands with no prior warning. She is recommended for experienced adopters who have adopted from HSS before or have experience with reticent hamsters as checking on her regularly and handling her will likely be a daily challenge. She tends to freeze when seen outside of her safe space (hideouts), and monitoring her activity levels will likely require a lot of effort.
Tortoise is not potty trained, and will require a large sand bath as she is not averse to sleeping in her waste within her hideouts. Regular clean-ups for this girl will be a necessity in order to prevent pests and related health issues. Will you be the one for this stinky and extremely pretty girl?
Requirements
Cage: Unbarred cage of at least 4,200 sq cm
Wheel: 30cm
Bedding: Paper-based like Oxbow or Fatpouches teabag bedding
Sand: Wittemolen / Versele Laga chinchilla sand
Food: Currently being fed Fatpouches Ultimate + Summer Mix for Syrians
Enrichment: Lots of bedding to burrow in as well as ceramic hideouts to sleep in, along with sprays and forage for enrichment as well as a large sand bath.
