Dusty the Robo dwarf hamster.

[Maz]

I thought maybe that was the case So I think you'll need to use the topper for now with the floor covered. And it would be the easiest adjustment. Cardboard would be fine but you can also use things like chill n chew mats if you have any.

Yes a house can sink! Especially if it's a larger type like the labyrinth houses and people put "legs" or stilts on them. You can actually buy hamster houses that come with legs to fit on in various different lengths. Or if you're handy, just use thin dowels and glue them on. How big is the house in there at the moment? It's hard to tell. It doesn't look too big so might be fine without being supported underneath. Robos do tunnel so yes it might start subsiding a bit! But it shouldn't be heavy enough to squash them especially with the amount of bedding you've got in there.

The alternative is a shoebox house (ie cardboard) which is cheap to make and doesn't sink. When I've had Robos I've tended to find they ignore the small houses provided - and just dig a burrow in the bedding instead. But if they have a larger house that's dark inside, they will nest in it or partly under it. Mine would even use a litter tray inside the house with sand in it

 

[Maz]

For a shoebox house you just cut the base out of the shoebox and keep the lid as a lift-off roof, then cut an entrance hole - ideally on one of the long sides near one end (so the other end is darker inside). Then if you have a bendy stick bridge you could put that over the entrance hole to make a tunnel entrance, which makes it even darker inside and also provides a ramp onto the flat roof of the house.

 

[elusive]

It’s best to put houses & any other heavy items on stilts really, that’s just dowels glued onto the base with non toxic glue as they do burrow under things, you actually want them to be able to burrow under the house.
I know it’s difficult when the cage isn’t big enough so you can just do the best you can for the time being.

 

[Maz]

Do you know if he's been in the topper yet? You could try putting a bit of substrate on top of the wheel at night and see if it's gone in the morning. Then you'll know he's been up there and used the wheel

 

[Dusty's Mom]

Keeping the topper as a roof sounds an idea If you could fit 25cm of substrate in it would be good. My robo had 25cm of substrate - they really love burrowing and digging tunnels. As Elusive says it's better to have the same depth of bedding in the whole cage, but if the tank isn't tall enough for very deep bedding then 20cm to 25cm would be ok. It looks like you have about 25cm already - so presumably the wheel wouldn't fit in that case.

As long as the top part is easily accessible, then it might be better to use the topper with the floor covered and keep the wheel up there. If you could put some kind of shelf or bendy bridge over the entrance to the exit/entrance in the top part. The reason for this is, if the hamster did happen to climb the top bars right to the top of the cage and drop, they couldn't fall too far and down the exit hole.

As he's just settling in, it might be better to leave things as they are and make the topper hamster-proof For now. Assuming he can get up the ramp ok to the top? They are pretty agile little things, robos. You might not see him doing much at the moment, but he'll be pretty active at night.

Do you have a babycam/nightcam? I have one I used to use with our robo and it was great seeing what he got up to at night.

Oh what great ideas....thanks Maz! I just measured and right now I have about 15 cm of bedding in there. I have more I can add. I think covering the mesh topper floor right now is the best idea, like you say he is settling in and the cage really can't hold everything he needs in the tank. We did replace the mesh ladder with a NiteAngel wooden bridge.
I will have to figure something else out to give him a larger area. I have a 36 X 18 X 16 inch tank for my gerbils. Would a tank like that be ok with dividing it between deep bedding and shallow substrate (which I have no idea how to do) to have the wheel and water and sand bath and dig box? or would a longer, shorter tank be better? I just would have to figure out where it would fit in my house. Thanks again!

 

[Dusty's Mom]

Do you know if he's been in the topper yet? You could try putting a bit of substrate on top of the wheel at night and see if it's gone in the morning. Then you'll know he's been up there and used the wheel

We did see him night before last getting a drink in the topper and exploring it. He was up then because we pulled the mesh ladder out to replace it with the wooden ladder. We disturbed his slumber I guess. He didn't get into the wheel though. All day yesterday and last night until about midnight we didn't see him at all. And so far today nothing. I will try the bedding in the wheel. Good idea! And your idea about a camera to see him at night is great. But I don't have one of those. Maybe put that on my wish list.

 

[Dusty's Mom]

It’s best to put houses & any other heavy items on stilts really, that’s just dowels glued onto the base with non toxic glue as they do burrow under things, you actually want them to be able to burrow under the house.
I know it’s difficult when the cage isn’t big enough so you can just do the best you can for the time being.

Are Dowel rods made of safe wood for hamsters? I have no idea, but we could do that. My son works in wood and just made me my wooden topper for my gerbils tank that I secured a wire topper to. If I get a larger cage for Dusty I don't think a topper would be necessary. Am I thinking right?

 

[Maz]

The 36 x 18 x 16 sounds like a 40 gallon breeder tank? Ideally something 40" x 20" or larger is best (100cm x 50cm) but a 40 gallon breeder is a popular option in the US. Something longer wouldn't be better though if it was narrower.

The thing to do then, instead of a deep end and a shallow end, is just have things on platforms or on stilts. So you could have a platform for the wheel, a house on legs and a platform for a sand bath.

 

[Maz]

Are Dowel rods made of safe wood for hamsters? I have no idea, but we could do that. My son works in wood and just made me my wooden topper for my gerbils tank that I secured a wire topper to. If I get a larger cage for Dusty I don't think a topper would be necessary. Am I thinking right?

Yes it would be better to have something with more floor space and less height. A 75 gallon tank is idea if you have space for it and could source a second hand one. Dowels can be made of all kinds of wood so just check the description, birch or beech or pine is fine. Sometimes they just say hardwood and that's fine.

It can be easier to make platforms if someone is good with wood As then no glue is needed - you just have a piece of wood, drill a hole in each of the four corners, and screw thicker dowel legs on through the top. For dowels to support a house you'd need thinner ones - maybe 8mm dowels or 1cm dowels.

 

[Maz]

I'm not sure what safe wood glue you have in the US. Some of us use ponal (which is from Germany) which is virtually odourless and non toxic and sticks really well. Someone else might know of a suitable wood glue in the US.

 

[Dusty's Mom]

I'm not sure what safe wood glue you have in the US. Some of us use ponal (which is from Germany) which is virtually odourless and non toxic and sticks really well. Someone else might know of a suitable wood glue in the US.

Here in the US I have heard that Elmers school glue is safe because it is non toxic. Thanks!

 

[Maz]

Yes it is It might not be strong enough to glue dowel legs on though.

 

[Dusty's Mom]

Yes it is It might not be strong enough to glue dowel legs on though.

I wonder if there is a non toxic hot glue. I have a hot glue gun.

 

[Maz]

I'll let someone else answer that but I think hot glue is safe Daisy or Elusive might know.

 

[Daisy]

Normal clear hot glue sticks are safe.

I've also used normal PVA glue (e.g Elmers glue) for attaching dowels to houses and it seems to work if the house isn't too heavy. But hot glue will be stronger and easier to use.

 

[Daisy]

In terms of the enclosure, I wonder if another option for the time being might be to remove the topper floor entirely and fill the tank up the top. Long term he would do much better with something bigger but I think the current enclosure can work for now with some adjustments.

 

[Maz]

Do you mean just use the glass tank part Daisy? Dusty's Mom was thinking the wheel wouldn't fit in then.

 

[Daisy]

Do you mean just use the glass tank part Daisy? Dusty's Mom was thinking the wheel wouldn't fit in then.

I mean keep the topper but take the shelf out, if that's possible to do. It would allow for very deep bedding plus a house, tubes etc on top of the bedding.

 

[Maz]

Actually something that just occurred to me - what is the bar spacing on the cage topper? It might be too large and a robo could get stuck then. It needs to be no bigger than 1cm

 

[Maz]

If you have the 36" tank available, it might just be easier to move him into that If you do move him, you'll need to keep all his current bedding and substrate to move over with him and add it on top of any new bedding you'll need in a larger tank. That way it still smells familiar and they settle much quicker. If you can find somewhere to put the 36" tank