Rodney

[Member ID2]

He went on a little evening stroll tonight but was more interested in pouching even more looroll strips for his nest!
I spot cleaned his house so his roof was on the floor. He immediately sat on it and then hovered around my legs. He wanted back home to check on what i've been doing.
No chirps but he decided to go back in his house and stay there.

 

[Maz]

Oh they do get worried when they know you're doing things in their cage don't they? Raffy was out in the playpen last night and OH came in and opened a metal filing cabinet drawer at the other end of the room. Raffy was extremely concerned by this! It did sound a big like cage noise. Mind you he is always concerned about the slightest noise if it's not me making it! Like "someone else is here!"

 

[RainbowBrite]

It is very clever that they can sense when their cage is being cleaned despite being out of the cage.

 

[Member ID2]

Raffy is very much your boy, Maz.

 

[Maz]

It is very clever that they can sense when their cage is being cleaned despite being out of the cage.

They have very good hearing and a very good sense of smell! I usually put the hamster in a different room if I'm having to do a fairly major cage clean (which is very rarely) like doing the substrate because some of them can get really upset otherwise. Out of hearing out of mind!

 

[RainbowBrite]

They have very good hearing and a very good sense of smell! I usually put the hamster in a different room if I'm having to do a fairly major cage clean (which is very rarely) like doing the substrate because some of them can get really upset otherwise. Out of hearing out of mind!

That is a good tip. The day I gave Orko a health check and then had to put everything back in his cage, I put him in his pet carrier but in the same room as me. He went under the bedding in there.

 

[Member ID2]

Rather than move him upstairs, i've now added mats to keep any drafts from the big window out. The window has blinds and lined, thermal curtains.
Rodney came out chirping, annoyed at the disturbance. I think he's picking up again.

 

[RainbowBrite]

You have made such a cosy cage for Rodney. I hope he likes the changes.

 

[Member ID2]

Rodney insulated the inside of his house and won't come out now. It's beyond a nest and looks like a Kaytee cave.
I have seen him earlier but he's not interested in out of cage time at the moment which is a bit worrying.
The central heating is on so he can't be cold.

 

[Maz]

He's probably just getting cosy Sometimes they hide away a lot till Spring!

 

[RainbowBrite]

I hope he is just being cosy like Maz says. Funny how they can sense season change even with the heating on.

 

[Zara]

Rodney’s cage looks fab, are they seagrass mats?

Can I ask, is your nesting area substrate right up to the top of the blue base of the hamster heaven or is the entire ground floor loaded up to the top of the blue base. The last time I filled it high Hams just trampled it all down. Rodney’s cage looks really cosy, liking the sound of a Kaytee cave.

 

[Member ID2]

Yes, they are seagrass mats. I buy them in the local pet shops.
Yes, the HH is filled up to the edge with Kaytee. Here's a closer photo.

I know what you mean by trampling the substrate down. Jack does that. It goes flat in a matter of days but he's a big, heavy hamster.
Rodney is small and light at 150g compared to Jack's 280g.

 

[Zara]

Thank you for posting the extra photo it looks so cosy with the fuller substrate. Hams is like Jack and a heavier fella as fast as I put extra in, it just gets trampled down.

 

[Member ID2]

Rodney asked to come out tonight and went for a longish evening stroll. I had to help him up to the grain store. He struggled a bit last time and couldn't get up there tonight.

He's been waddling along for a few weeks now but is still quite good on his paws.
For the last month he's also started to look bloated, some days more than others.

Rodney is nearly 2yrs 5mths and he doesn't appear to be in pain. I have to keep an eye on the bloating but don't feel that there's anything the vet could do for him.

That's a photo of him tonight where he looks very bloated. I have no experience with this because Henry and Rory went the other way and shrunk.

 

[RainbowBrite]

It is so nice he likes to have his stroll despite his advancing years.

 

[Maz]

Aw he does sound like he is doing ok despite the bloating. I would keep an eye on it. Newt was like this and the bloating got bigger. Then one day his ears were down all the time and I could see he wasn't happy. I had to have him pts and they said it was good I hadn't waited any longer. I don't want to sound grim but he got so bloated I was worried he would burst (and have heard of such things). He doesn't look too bad at the moment and if he's happy enough in himself, that's a good sign.

 

[Member ID2]

I was thinking of Newt. I knew that he had a similar problem.
Rodney seems ok at the moment and his poops have improved since i cut out the steamed food like caulifower and pototoe. He's fine with cucumber and courgette but anything else seems to upset his stomach. I gave him a bit of tofu tonight.
He sleeps a lot but i think that's normal for a hamster his age.
That's him tonight, stocking up before he went back in his house.

 

[Maz]

Aw he looks fine. Good he's enjoying his food. Some hamsters get bloated and just stay at the same sort of level of bloatedness - not too bad.

 

[RainbowBrite]

I Iove how he is using his little paws.