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The Bumblebee Burrow

@thebumblebeeburrow

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followers

115

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🐹Hamster care advocate
🐝Brand Ambassador for @onceuponaburrow
🤗Volunteer at @bright_horizon_hamster_rescue
🌵Echo 🦋Syaoran
🌈Oreo, Azriel, Bumblebee

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✨ Pawhut cage front opening DIY video is here ✨

This DIY allows for almost 30cm of bedding and for both top and front opening access which makes cleaning, rearranging and hand taming so much easier.

The pawhut enclosure is a great size for hamsters, but it has its drawbacks, and one of those is that it is not front opening. My back does not like this, so I devised a way to make it front opening. The great thing is that you only need minimal tools and minimal extras, so it’s a pretty cheap DIY. I only had to buy a piece of wood for the top half of the door, 2 hinges, 2 latches, and 2 long screws to secure the two middle batons at the bottom.

Tools required:
🔨 A drill and 2 sizes of drill bit
🔨 Screwdriver
🔨 A Stanley knife and cutting mat
🔨 A ruler and tape measure
🔨 A sharpie and pencil
🔨 A saw

Optional extras:
🔨 Aquarium silicone to add to the acrylic seams for extra stability and reducing rattling
🔨 Cuprinol garden shades paint if you wish to make the pawhut urine proof
🔨 Metal flat brackets if you wish to make the lower edges chew proof

I couldn’t include all the details in a short video, so if you have any questions about something specific, message me or leave a comment. Please use safe practices when using these tools. Never cut towards a limb! Thank you.

@pawhut.store #hamstercageideas #hamsterDIY #ethicalhamstercare #hamsterenclosureideas by @thebumblebeeburrow

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2 years ago

Thank you for coming along on this journey with me 🥰
Why not share yours? 👀☺️

#hamstercare #hamsterrescueuk #rescueuk #adoptdontshop #meetthecreator #meetthemakers #dogrescue #animallover #hamstergram by @thebumblebeeburrow

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a year ago

🔂 A re-upload of my decoupage tutorial as I’ve had a few people request it lately! ▶️

❗️Please note:❗️
Not all craft items are hamster safe and can be toxic when peed on, chewed or ingested. Below is a list of products we know are hamster safe. Please use your common sense when it comes to the safety of your little friends. Thank you 🙏

Paint:
🎨 Cuprinol garden shades
🎨 Water based acrylic

Glue:
🖌️ Children’s PVA
🖌️ Mod podge
🖌️ Aquarium safe silicone
🖌️ Purely EVA hot glue (it’s still plastic, remove if chewed due to ingestion risk. Be sensible)

Varnish:
🖼️ Plastikote project enamel
🖼️ Baker Ross craft varnish

Printed items:
🖨️ Any paper items that are food safe such as paper napkins, cupcake liners, etc.

These are all products we know are safe based on them being water based and having a low VOC. All items should be fully dry before putting into a hamster enclosure.

Enjoy crafting!

#hamstersafecrafts #ethicalhamstercare #hamstersetuponabudget #craftideas by @thebumblebeeburrow

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a year ago

🌈 How do you honour the memory of your hamster?

I like to reunite mine with nature, surrounded by familiar items, and I choose plants that express what they loved most in life 🌱

#petloss #griefandhealing #hamsterlover by @thebumblebeeburrow

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2 days ago

Yesterday I found Oreo in his forever sleep 🌈

I had a feeling yesterday morning. When I went to give him his morning medicine he felt unusually cold. I warmed him up in my hands and we had a cuddle and a kiss. I unknowingly got to say goodbye 🥹 He perked up a little and attacked a cracked nut in his enclosure, and then went back to bed. He must have passed not long after ♥️

In all honesty it’s the death I’d hoped for him- in the comfort of his own bed, with full cheek pouches, and plenty of pain relief on board to see him through his final moments in peace. Despite living with severe scoliosis/ spinal fusion, and later on rampant cancer, he lived life to the fullest to the very end.

I’m going to miss our daily cuddles and his sweet little kisses the most 😔 The hamster room and my life won’t be the same without him.

Rest in peace, sweet boy 🌈
11/12/2023 - 01/10/2026 by @thebumblebeeburrow

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4 days ago

Oreo is 2 years and 9 months old now ♥️ I’m cherishing these little moments while he’s here.

His spine must be pretty much solidly fused at this point based on his movements, and his belly is really swollen from the cancer. He is on a lot of pain medication to manage his issues. I’m waiting for him to show me he is ready to go, but like all of my old hamsters he is so resilient and active. A fighting spirit who thinks of nothing past foraging and bathing and toddling around. Just once, I hope he gets to go in the comfort of his home. But I’m ready in case I need to make that call for him.

Send your love ❤️

#hamsterlover #paliativepetcare #ethicalhamstercare by @thebumblebeeburrow

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18 days ago

I’m sorry I’ve not been posting very much. I feel like I’m constantly fighting fires. I recently took Oreo to the vet to get my suspicions confirmed. He is riddled with cancer. He previously had a testicle removed due to a mass, but we probably didn’t catch it in time and it has slowly spread. Within a few days of the initial vet appointment his stomach started to balloon from another mass too. At 2 years 8 months old the best I can do is keep him comfortable. He is on 2 different painkillers twice daily, and a third medication to try to slow the progression of some of the cancer, though it won’t help with the stomach one.
He is still so so active and seems to have a good enough quality of life in spite of this, and the scoliosis, but I know it’s only a matter of time before I’ll need to make the final decision for him 💔 it’s already becoming difficult to get him to eat his supplementary foods. The vet has okayed me giving him whatever he fancies, whether that is rice pudding, peanut butter, fruit, you name it, so he is getting the calories and energy he needs.
This little guy was one of my first rescues, like Azriel, and we have been through so much together. Send your love for him 🙏

On a personal note, I feel like I haven’t caught a break since we moved house 10 weeks ago. It’s been one thing after another with my health, Dakota passing, the stress of the house problems and trying to work between it all. I feel like there is a cloud of death around me right now. I found a bird with a broken wing the other day that had to be put to sleep on ethical grounds, and next week I’m visiting my friend’s grave for the one year anniversary of her passing. It’s just a really heavy time.

I will get back to being my creative, hamster mad self soon ♥️ I’m hoping to start fostering again next month, all being well 🤞🏻 by @thebumblebeeburrow

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a month ago

I can’t get enough of his little face 🥹 Echo ♥️

#ethicalhamstercare #hamsterlover #hamstergram by @thebumblebeeburrow

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2 months ago

This is the worst mistake I’ve ever made 😔💔

I really didn’t know how to make this video at first. It’s been really hard to get past the shock, the anger (at myself) and the sadness for Dakota and her adopter @slowlivinglucie

Even experienced keepers make mistakes. I’m trying to not be too hard on myself. She had 6 good weeks with me. Prey animals hide things incredibly well, and the timing played a big part in the outcome here. I’m not sure I’ll ever fully make peace with myself.

I’m so sorry.

Edit: Video was meant to say August 2026

#petloss #grief #hamsterlover by @thebumblebeeburrow

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2 months ago

Throwback to when my dad came to visit 🥰
He would deny it, but he loves anything cute and fluffy 👀
#hamstergrandad #hamsterlover #ethicalhamstercare by @thebumblebeeburrow

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2 months ago

If you’ve been following my stories, you’ll know that it’s been a bit chaotic around here lately 🙃

In June I moved house, which is no easy task with 4 hamsters in ethical set ups.
Yes, you heard me, 4. But Nicola, you only have 3 hamsters… don’t you?

Well dear ones, a week before we were due to move, a hamster came up for sale 2 minutes drive from my house in an awful cage. I couldn’t leave her there. So, this is Dakota 🐹 She is an absolute sweetie pie! She is now looking for her forever home ♥️ If you are able to prove you can provide ethical standards, and have a space for her, please get in contact! I reside in Dorset and can travel a little bit.

I will share more about her story soon.

Besides that, I’ve been working, and trying to survive the heatwaves (plural) and a massive wisdom tooth infection 😭 I’m only now starting to feel human again and settled in enough to post regularly.

I can’t wait to share all the updates, and things I have planned, with you 😍

Peace out for now ✌🏻 by @thebumblebeeburrow

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3 months ago

Oreo has gotten more reserved in his old age. I will often see him at all times of day going about his business, foraging for tasties and sitting in a hide, but he doesn’t seek out play time or human interaction anymore. He’s a spritely chap in spite of his wizened age, living with severe scoliosis and struggling to put on any weight.

Today I was blessed with this beautiful sight 🥰

#hamsterlover #elderlyhamster #hamstergram #ethicalhamstercare #properhamstercare by @thebumblebeeburrow

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5 months ago