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Old 02-18-2017, 02:31 AM  
Pebbles82
Hamster Antics
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
Default Re: Connecting a wire cage to a bin cage

Hope you get the refund Zooplus can take up to a week to deliver - depending if there's a week-end in the way. It can take 2 days or 7 days. They might say bring it back when you have the new cage if you tell them it's not suitable and you are waiting for something else to arrive in the next few days

When you move Lemon, move all the existing substrate across as well - it helps them settle in after the change. I found it easiest to put all new substrate in almost to the top of the cage base, and then spread the old substrate on top (because the Barney will hold more substrate than you have now). If there's not enough of the old substrate then spread most of it around the house and wheel areas. And put a big pile of torn up strips of plain white toilet paper out somewhere in the cage, maybe not far from the house. Lemon will take it and build a nest. Sometimes the mountain of paper doesn't seem to go down much and then one day you notice there isn't much left!

A lot of people on here use Fitch substrate because it works out economical in a big cage and also hams seem to really like it and add it to their nest. It's just recylced food grade paper, doesn't have any dust and it's hypoallergenic. But there are other substrates available you can buy in bulk. I like it because the pieces are big enough that it doesn't fall out of the 7mm bars even if it gets piled up against the bars! The 20kg bag works out cheapest but it's huge - I used to get the 10kg bag which was easier to store indoors - and that would last me about 6 months - if you have the substrate deep - because then you only need to spot clean mostly and only do a "big" cage clean every 2 to 3 months or even longer - particularly if your ham uses a litter tray. Even then you don't need to replace all of it - just the top third to half and mix the new in with it so it still smells familiar (the bottom layer mostly stays dry although if a ham burrows down and wee's near the bottom it might be a different 1/3 to 1/2 you re-use).

If you get chance it can be good to let them have a play in it a day or two before moving everything over so they adjust to the move. You could have the new substrate in and a couple of his familiar toys and let him explore it and check everything out. Then on moving day you'll need somewhere to put him for an hour or so while you move everything across. If you have a pet carrier that can be a useful place - I used to fill it with substrate and a little house and hide some food and put it upstairs in the bedroom with a blanket over (so our hammy couldn't hear me messing with his cage!) and he'd just go to sleep in it. But a large box with some toys/tunnels in might do (maybe the box the Barney comes in

This is the Fitch substrate - it also takes a few days to arrive. Amazon sell it too but it costs a pound or two more and I think it still comes direct from the manufacturers.

https://www.fitchrecycling.co.uk/ani...-delivery.html
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