Rodipet House for Davy?

[Roza]

Hi all
Does anyone have this house? I hope this presents as a link you can click on!

Rodipet – Innovation leben. Zukunft gestalten. Tiere verstehen.

Just that Davy poos, wee’s and stores food in his bed. Thought this might be better for him. Currently he has a Ferplast Guinea house with a Rodipet ceramic toilet that Beryl gave me - this is in the corner, but still in the one room. With this house I could put his toilet in another room . And he could store his food in the third.

Or maybe he’s fine with that and its me seeing a problem that isn’t one! I don’t want to buy it only to find he still does it all in the one room .

Thank you in advance
Roza xx

 

[RainbowBrite]

I have the smaller version for my dwarf hamster and he loves it.

 

[elusive]

It might make a difference to have him in a multichamber house, a lot of hamsters do use the different rooms for different purposes with those.
I’m not sure about the size for a Syrian though, that one isn’t any bigger than the ones I use for my Chinese which are a lot smaller than Syrians.

 

[Maz]

I think the multiroom houses are great and they do nest and pee in different rooms (and usually hoard under the nest). I have a couple of Rodipet ones, but not the newer Furling one - but they are very similar. They do need to be supported on legs though or they can subside if the hamster digs under them. Rodipet sell legs to go with them.

They have changed the layout a bit with the Furling ones and I wonder if this one by Happy Henrys homes might be a better layout. It's similar to the layout of my old Rodipet ones. All our hamsters have nested in the left compartment (which is the darkest area as round two corners) and used the centre back compartment next to it, as a toilet. Which is a good place to put a litter tray. It's also slightly cheaper . They sell legs that fit these too and you can choose the length of leg you want, depending how deep the substrate it.

Hamster Chamber House - Formaldehyde Free, Non Toxic, Wooden, Slot Together & Mo | Happy Henry’s Homes

Slot Together Wooden Hamster Chamber House Made from robust materials Assembled without glue or nails Flat packed to save on packaging materials Modular, allowing you to change the design to suit your requirements Chambers can be changed into two main configurations Removeable roof for checking...

www.happyhenryshomes.co.uk

 

[Maz]

They do seem to like the toilet next to the nest area and I wonder if a hamster might be too lazy to cross the centre corridor into the back right compartment of the large Furling house - to use a toilet!

 

[Roza]

That looks really good Maz. I have already bought something from HHH, I think it was a platform. But would it fit in a Savic Plaza? It looks massive!

 

[Roza]

Davy’s substrate is not very deep. I have piled it up for him but he just flattens it all out x

 

[RainbowBrite]

Davy’s substrate is not very deep. I have piled it up for him but he just flattens it all out x

The best thing to do with bedding is to compress it. It helps to hold tunnels. You can compress it and then add more.

 

[Roza]

OK great yeah good plan. He has lined his two tube with bedding too. So sweet

 

[Roza]

I think i am going to go with the HHH house. It has the dimensions in the website so I can measure and even if larger than what he has now it won’t take away floor space as he can scuffle around on the top! Thanks all for you help x

 

[elusive]

That house Maz linked to looks a much better size for a Syrian, it would fit ok in the plaza but depending on your set up you’d probably have to do a fair bit of rearranging.

 

[Roza]

That’s fine I can do that. There is a few bits I have put in that he doesn’t really use so can take those away. Just hope he doesn’t freak out! Think he will be fine as he is a robust little fella he has been through a lot. Thanks guys x

 

[Maz]

It has about the same dimensions as my Rodipet one, so it basically almost fills the width of the cage at one end - but there is about 4" spare. It doesn't stick out too far though. It also makes a useful shelf or platform

The 15cm stilts would probably be best. You'd just need the substrate level up to the top of the base at the house end then. They like digging down underneath the house for burying hoards etc. Or they also do 8cm stilts which would be about 3.5". Which would work with most levels of substrate and if the substrate was deeper around it, it could be a part subterranean house.

Personally I find the 15cm legs (6") are good because then the top of the house is the right height for a platform and there isn't loads of space above it then. Although you might have other shelves over it instead. The stilts just secure the house so it's stable.

As the cage base is curved, I just put two at the front, one half down one side, and one in between two compartments and that holds the house up fine (ie no legs at the side next to the base or the back).

This was Raffy's previous set up in the plaza - you can see how that size house fits in - I have at one end on the left

 

[Roza]

Hi Maz
Yes see what you mean. That looks ideal. I would have to move his trixie shelf and his wheel but it would all fit in fine. I can just copy your set up! His wheel is currently at one end, but I can put his shelf there instead and move his wheel to the middle.

Thank you so much for your help. Will order the house & legs tomorrow. And take a pic when its all done! x

 

[Maz]

I did have Raffy's wheel at that end originally and shoe box house in the middle (which didn't work very well). So I had to move his wheel centre back when I got the multiroom house and had it at that end. He wasn't the slightest bit bothered that the wheel had moved - in fact it was easier as he could run straight from the front door of the house onto the wheel It did take him 2 or 3 days to adjust to the other changes (I had to move a couple of other things to fit the wheel at the back). It didn't bother him particularly but he did keep going to something that wasn't there any more and looking a bit surprised! Just hide lots of treats after the changes and he'll be happy. But might be need a couple of days adjustment after the changes to settle into them.

Are you going to get 15cm or 8cm legs? On that photo I think I only had 10cm legs. The 8cm legs might be fine then you could maybe still have the shelf at that end above the house?

 

[Roza]

I think I will go for the shorter legs. He doesn’t tend to burrow much to be honest. Shelves & the tubes that Beryl gave me can then go above. He is a quite a chilled out little Ham I think he will be fine I will pop him in his travel box whilst the cage renos are going on! Should I fill the rooms with bedding to help him along or leave that to him? Also, if they burrow down underneath the house they won’t be in the room will they? Or is that just me overthinking it?! x

 

[Maz]

I find they tend to build a big nest in one room but like to bury hoards underneath it. If he has an existing nest (or there’s some clean bits of nest you can retrieve if it’s peed on) it helps to put that in the house so it’s their familiar smelling nest. I’d put it in the large front left room. If he decides to nest in a different room he’ll just move it . But they nest in the darkest room. I’d also save a bit of his old hoard that’s dry and stick that in one of the rooms and the toilet with sand in the centre back room. And a pile of new nesting toilet paper outside the house near the door - he’ll probably take it all inside himself as and when he wants it.

Agree the 8cm legs would work well and keep the existing shelf over it - then you’d just need something like a bendy bridge on top of the house so he can get to the shelf

Have you got one of the larger litter trays? I sometimes use these cheap plastic ones (they fit in well) that are a good size for a Syrian. The ceramic ones I save for a Syrian who chews plastic! But not many do. The ceramic ones can sink a bit. They tend to pee in the very back corner - I had one who would sit in the front for a wash as well . They seem to like an en-suite bathroom!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trixie-Corner-Toilet-Multi-color/dp/B000PKIKZ2/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?crid=ICODBJZ00C9Y&keywords=trixie+hamster+potty&qid=1690101995&sprefix=trixie+hamster+potty%2Caps%2C113&sr=8-2

You might want to paint the inside of the house with plastikote as well - just in case it gets pee on it. Although be careful to just paint the inside walls and not the slot in bits and holes or it might not fit together properly! It just makes it wipe clean inside. It really only needs the toilet room painting inside where the litter tray goes - but then he might decide to use a different room for a toilet!

I have used them unpainted before though and if it did get pee on it they tend to scrub up ok later!

 

[Roza]

Gosh thanks for all that Maz. I will keep this thread handy when I’m doing the refurb .

I do have a plastic corner litter tray which is currently in his dig box but he has been using a ceramic Rodipet one that Beryl gave me. He uses it with Kaytee bedding in, not sand tho I think I may transition him to sand its probably better & easier to clean.

I am a big fan of plastikote (Beryl will tell you - before Davy arrived I painted all his wooden stuff, his house, shelves etc. I think Beryl was worried I was actually going to paint him! ). Good idea about painting inside though? Perhaps I could paint all the rooms…. Or do you think he wouldn’t like that?

I am ordering the house today so hopefully will arrive by next weekend.

 

[RainbowBrite]

I always plastikote any wooden items such as MCH, sand bath, dig boxes etc. It helps to protect them from urine. I have plastikoted the inside and outside of my MCH.

 

[Maz]

I tend to paint all the rooms inside as they could choose any of them as a toilet! Although most of mine have used the litter tray in the centre back section because it's adjacent to the nest area. You just need to be careful not to paint the top bits of the actual house (or the roof might be too tight) and just the inside walls. With that one being like a jigsaw as well I'd avoid painting the slots and jigsaw pieces. Or alternately you could just paint it inside after it's put together and it then won't come apart again - downside to that is you can't rearrange the rooms in the future so you need to get the room compartment layout right from the start. i think the best arrangement is the one on the photos of that house (one of the first interior photos). Large compartment front left and front right and large compartment rear back. Yes sand soaks the pee up a bit better and is less cosy so he won't be tempted to nest in the potty!

I sometimes don't paint the top of the roof or they can find it a bit slippery! But instead I put a piece of hemp mat on the roof. However pee can soak through that and stain the roof. And it's probably not THAT slippery if painted.