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Old 08-22-2018, 12:07 PM  
cypher
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Join Date: May 2014
Location: Wales UK
Posts: 24,789
Default Re: Sleeping under her wheel

Pet shops & some other sources will still recommend cleaning weekly but it really isn't necessary & is very stressful for them, they rely heavily on scent not having good eye sight & so get around & recognise things more by scent than anything else so it is important to keep as much of their scent in the cage as possible.
A 10 gallon tank is small but I would still suggest doing no more than half at any one time & stick to the same time frame, leave it for a few weeks then maybe do half & the other half a couple of weeks later.
Try to clean as is needed rather than to a schedule that you think or have been told should be done.
Baby wipes aren't needed & I don't think they are especially useful, water & paper towels are enough most of the time, you only really need more if a ham is sick.
As she's in a small tank it might be worth considering an upright wheel as they take up so much less space than a saucer & give a better running position too, an 8" wheel is about right for a Chinese if you want to think about that, not sure which wheels are available in the US now but avoid silent spinners which are pretty useless! If it would fit in your tank the silent runner is a great wheel.
Maybe consider a large tank too at some point.
It would probably be best to leave her to settle for a while now & not change anything . just yet then think about what you want to do once she's gained more confidence.
I wouldn't give her fruit often if ever as Chinese are prone to diabetes & need a sugar free diet to minimise the risk of that developing. Veg are fine though although it's usually best to introduce them slowly, maybe every few days at first working up to daily.
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