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Dusty the Robo dwarf hamster.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dusty's Mom
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Hi. The grapevine looks fine. I agree that the chew toy isn't really suitable as it contains hay chews which are more for rabbits than hamsters. If the things a hanging toy is made of are suitable for hamsters, then there's no harm in it, except it's probably best not to have something hanging from the roof in case the hamster tries to climb up it and get to the roof. The cork flat is fine - a cork tunnel like rainbow listed would be nice as well. They really love large cork tunnels to sit in. I find the cork flats quite useful too though, for a kind of step up to a wheel or some other thing. ie they can make a useful mini step. I had one in front of the wheel and our robo made a second burrow underneath it :) As well as using it as a step.

He had one nest/burrow in/under his house, but would de-camp to his second one under the cork if I cleaned the half of his cage where his house was. That was my way of cleaning with a robo. Do one half of the cage leaving the other half smelling familiar. Then do the other half maybe three weeks later - then he'd move back to his first nest/burrow! But you really don't need to do a clean very often as they pee such tiny amounts and are quite neat and tidy usually. I would go a few months. Then when I did do a clean I'd find one little corner where he'd pee'd, well away from his next and hoard.

The ceramic hide is cute :) Resin hides are ok actually. They are safe. However, some of them can have quite sharp edges on the inside - I had one so I sanded the edges with a bit of sanding paper to make them less sharp.

I second a dandelion root :)
 
Things like ceramic items and resin items would need to stand on a platform though. Which wheel do you have?

I'd recommend having a piece of sanding paper handy. Ever since I've had hamsters, I've had sanding paper! Occasionally you'll find a sharp bit on an item or a splintery bit, so they need checking for things like that. Even ceramic items can have a sharp nib inside but it's easily sanded off.

Also sprays.
 
Thanks Maz and RainbowBrite, I have millet sprays already. I love that cork round and put it in my cart to order. I will have to look for Dandelion root in the US. I will not get the hanging chew toy. I was wondering about the rope it is hanging from anyway. Thanks for letting me know resin is ok to use. I read there were chemicals in it that if a hamster chewed on it was toxic.

This is what I have already in my supplies I use for my gerbils that probably could be used for hamsters as well. I have pinecones (sterilized), I have willow chew balls, I have various chew sticks of apple wood, hay sticks and bamboo sticks, I have a coconut hide and various other wooden hides. I have a wooden rectangle tunnel with openings on all sides to place next to the glass so you can see them in there if they don't fill it with bedding. :) I have a bending bridge. I have a wooden log with holes in it that he barely fits through. I think that was in my first video of him. I have wooden ladders and platforms (Niteangel). I have a maze house for him and a larger one for the gerbils. For substrate I have paper, aspen, hemp and hay. I have some coco peat, an 8.3 inch wheel. I have sand baths and desert sand. I have various wooden loose chews like an acorn shape and a mushroom shape and round marble shape and octagonal ball shape. I ordered a seagrass T shape tunnel and I have a willow hide like a short tunnel that is closed on one end.

I am ordering today that Cork round RainbowBrite suggested, the grape vine, the ceramic strawberry hide. Have have questions about the cork flats I will post in my next post. Thanks!
 
Wow that's a lot of great stuff :-) It probably won't all fit in the cage :ROFLMAO: You'll have fun setting it up and working out what works. A caution with bendy stick bridges - they can have gaps that a hamster can get a foot caught in. If there are any gaps, people stuff the gaps with moss or paper bedding.
 

I found this cork flat and I know it is big but might be able to be cut to size needed. But I don't know if cork is the way to go...most all of them have reviews about being moldy. ugh! I might look at my local reptile shop. I would love to get some cork for Dusty, I just don't want it to be filthy and moldy. I could also use some cork in the Leopard gecko tank. I don't know if it is safe for gerbils. I would use these as ramps to platforms or at least lay them flat on the bedding.
 
Maz said:
Wow that's a lot of great stuff :) It probably won't all fit in the cage :ROFLMAO: You'll have fun setting it up and working out what works. A caution with bendy stick bridges - they can have gaps that a hamster can get a foot caught in. If there are any gaps, people stuff the gaps with moss or paper bedding.
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Yes, I have heard about the gaps in those bendy bridges. I get the ones made of the finished wood dowels, they tend to have less gaps. I have one made of natural sticks and I can fill any gaps in that one if I use it. Yes, I have more than will probably fit into the cage, but when I clean a cage I like to add different things for variety for the animals.
Maz said:
Wow that's a lot of great stuff :) It probably won't all fit in the cage :ROFLMAO: You'll have fun setting it up and working out what works. A caution with bendy stick bridges - they can have gaps that a hamster can get a foot caught in. If there are any gaps, people stuff the gaps with moss or paper bedding.
Click to expand...
One more thing I thought about....I have a piece of drift wood that I have had for many years. About 6 inches long. It was used in my aquariums many years ago and now is just a decoration in my curio cabinet. Would it be OK to put in the hamster cage?
 
I'm not sure how easy they are to cut. I think cork bark pieces tend to be in better condition than some logs, which can arrive very dusty and even with the odd spider etc! I usually give them a good rinse and scrub out in hot water, then put them in the oven at 100 degrees centigrade for 30 to 40 minutes. By soaking it first, it basically steams it. The idea of a mouldy one doesn't sound good!

You can sometimes get a bag of smaller cork bark pieces which might be a better size. I've done that before. Maybe 6" or so. Although I've usually only used one if using a log as well.
 
Dusty's Mom said:
Yes, I have heard about the gaps in those bendy bridges. I get the ones made of the finished wood dowels, they tend to have less gaps. I have one made of natural sticks and I can fill any gaps in that one if I use it. Yes, I have more than will probably fit into the cage, but when I clean a cage I like to add different things for variety for the animals.

One more thing I thought about....I have a piece of drift wood that I have had for many years. About 6 inches long. It was used in my aquariums many years ago and now is just a decoration in my curio cabinet. Would it be OK to put in the hamster cage?
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Driftwood is fine if it's baked/sterilised first :-) With hamsters it is much better to leave their set up the same all the time and not change things. They can get very stressed by change. Ideally you get everything set up and leave it like that indefinitely. Occasionally they will accept a new item ok, providing it doesn't mean taking away a familiar item or changing the layout around.

But additional items can be used in a playpen :-)
 
You have bought such lovely things for Dusty. The link to the dandelion root is from a US store. I found it difficult to find any in the US. Exotic Nutrition usually sell them but are out of stock right now.
 
Dusty will love his new set up! Get your camera ready for when he moves in :-) Sometimes they run around exploring everything happily and then disappear in a house or down a hole for a couple of days. Other times they disappear straight into a house, but later on in the day/evening, come out and investigate.
 
I don't use driftwood personally as you usually can't be sure what type of wood it is. It could be anything.

Things like hides made of resin are fine. It's the naturals in wood that can sometimes be resin (but resin can refer to many different substances).
 
Maz said:
Driftwood is fine if it's baked/sterilised first :) With hamsters it is much better to leave their set up the same all the time and not change things. They can get very stressed by change. Ideally you get everything set up and leave it like that indefinitely. Occasionally they will accept a new item ok, providing it doesn't mean taking away a familiar item or changing the layout around.

But additional items can be used in a playpen :)
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So I will bake this drift wood I have with the cork I am getting. That works. I didn't know change in the cage was stressful to them. For gerbils they explore new stuff and settle in. I think I will stop buying stuff for the cage now and see how it will all fit in.

I have also heard you shouldn't clean out the entire cage either. Just spot clean mostly. Or clean one half at a time but not too often. I do know that when I move Dusty into the larger cage I will put most of the current bedding he is using now in the new cage as well. I wonder if it should go in first on the bottom or on the top or mixed in with the new bedding?
 
Maz said:
Dusty will love his new set up! Get your camera ready for when he moves in :) Sometimes they run around exploring everything happily and then disappear in a house or down a hole for a couple of days. Other times they disappear straight into a house, but later on in the day/evening, come out and investigate.
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yes I will have to figure a good set up for the camera. (y)
 
RainbowBrite said:
You have bought such lovely things for Dusty. The link to the dandelion root is from a US store. I found it difficult to find any in the US. Exotic Nutrition usually sell them but are out of stock right now.
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Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

This is the only dandelion root I could find on Amazon here. Lots of powders for humans to take and even small pieces for humans. It is expensive!
 
Dusty's Mom said:

Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

This is the only dandelion root I could find on Amazon here. Lots of powders for humans to take and even small pieces for humans. It is expensive!
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They look great! I had no idea Niteangel sold dandelion root. That kind of thing can be difficult to buy from Amazon. Yes, there is a lot of powders for humans and to make tea with it seems. I was not able to see the price of the one you linked as it shows as unavailable to me. Was the one I linked any use or is that too expensive?
 
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