advice on robo's please!!!!!! not got any yet. just thinking

[ellisyellis]

hi i have 2 syrians, ellis who is a year old and edgar who's age i dont know as he was a rescue. i am thinking about getting some robo's from the rescue centre edgar came from. they have 3 girls and 2 boys in two cages. am thinking about the two boys. or possibly waiting untill my syrians are O.A.P's before getting some. does anybody have any experience of keeping robo's in a imac fantasy? also any other tips would be great. i have never had a dwarf ham before. my childhood was full of syrians! am also thinking that the cage they come in from the rescue centre may need replacing once i have them and if i have them. needing top robo tips! if i dont get these robo's im sure the centre wil always get more needing homes.

[cornishrobos]

Hi Ellisyellis. I got my first pair of mal Robos nearly a year ago and have acquired 3 more since then and can advise you what works for my guys.

Firstly if you do adopt a pair/group prepare to separate them, so have spare cages on hand. They are known to fight at times, there are no particular reasons for this, so if there are signs are fighting and it looks aggressive then you'd have to split to save from injury!! My pair still live togehter in a zoo zone 2, so they have enough room to get away from each other if need be and enough room for 2 of most things, i.e wheels, houses etc. I did have 2 little bowsl for their food but now have a big bowl for there main food and I scatter their treats. They like to dig and bury themselves, so they need to have a nice deep base of shavings or whatever you use for this.

Secondly they are much much faster than Syrians when you have them out of the cage, they aren't cuddly like Syrians but once tamed they do enjoy being stroked and will sit in your hand to let you do this, my liitle Henry will even fall asleep in my hand if held in a certain way, bless (trying to get a picture of this to show you all).

They eat the same food as Syrians although mine are now on a dwarf food from Zoo plus.

I have lone Robos living in an Imac, not sure how suitable they would be for a pair, seeing as you would need 2 wheels etc, I suppose mini silent spinners would fiton the wires to save space, i'm pretty sure the regualr size won't fit, my 2 have the flying saucer type wheels.

Other than making sure they have plenty to do and space to do their own thing then fingers crossed they will fine, but like i said just make sure if you do take them make sure you are prepared if you need to separate.

[ellisyellis]

ok thanks thats great help. i am now thinking its best to go for a pair incase you get a trio who all fall out with each other! i know with people 3 is a bad number! i am thinking if i use the imac fantasy i could buy the extention kit for it to add more space for them? would give them another full level. now im looking into it im thinking they are bought as a cheaper and cuter alternative to your loyal fluffy syrian as they look like they only need a small cage. i now understand that if kept in pairs they probably need MORE room! i hope by finding out plenty i can confidently become an owner of these little delights and hopefully avoid a fall out by providing plenty of space and double everything.
i think i will hold off till my syrian is old before i get them now and just read up on them this year. i will always look in the local rescues first before buying one from the pet shop.
any tips welcomed!

[cornishrobos]

In my opinion a pair would be better than a trio, it would save 2 of them ganging up on the third member! Also keep a close eye on them, they don't make a sound when fighting, so check for any sign of injury!! I am lucky that my 2 robo brothers still live together, i'm sure they have a squabble or 2 (who wouldn't living together 24/7) but they are handled every day and checked over, they seem happy and their coats are in lovely condition, they eat and play well, so i'm happy all is well with them. I'm pretty sure I could tell if there was a problem!

I think after a while you get to know their own unique personalities and will know when to act if there is a problem, for example I have 1 lady robo called Tilly and Paddy (who is one of the brothers) goes nutty when he senses she's on heat, he only acts like it for a few days then goes back to being less nutty lol. He's the only one of the 4 males I have that acts like it!!

Anyway i've warbled on enough but if you need any further info just ask. As i've said before on other threads, i'm no expert but can only tell you what works for my lot. :D

[ellisyellis]

hi thanks for your help, thats great. good to know they dont make a noise when squabbling as i would have thought they would be noisy so if i get some i wont think all is well just because its quiet!!. also are they as nocturnal as syrians? my chaps dont wake up till very late evening. is this typical of robo's aswell? i have LOTS of hammy toys including a chinchilla sand bath and a playpen and wooden toys. would they play in the sand? also if i put them in the playpen would i ever catch them or are they realy that speedy? i have a cat who brings in mice and am thinking are they like that. very quick and a nightmare to catch when loose in the house after the cats lost interest in his furry toy! are they more like mice than syrian hamsters? p.s my cat is not allowed in thew room with the hamsters so dont worry!!

[cornishrobos]

Yeah they are nocturnal like Syrians, however as with Syrians you can wake them when you want to. They will get up during the day for nibbles and drink and then go back to bed.

Yeah they like their sandbaths and will roll around in it, however sometimes they will use them as a toilet, so the sand has to be changed more than usual. To try and stop that i've got them hamster potties, they seem to use them for what they're intended!!

I've not got a play pen for mine, so can't advise if they are suitable or not, I have read that Syrians can easily escape from them. Robos can climb and they can also jump to a great height if they set their minds to it, so just supervise their time in the pen. Just this week I had an escapee, my Robo Rolo (bit of a mouthful) was being moved to another cage, I was on the floor sorting it all out, was about to transfer him over, he was in his tube at the time, before I had time to get him in the other cage he made a jump for it from the tube and he was gone like lightening!!! He went running under the bed, I had to go around and block of everywhere I thought he could get, i.e under drawers, wardrobes, however he still managed to get where I thought i'd blocked off. I couldn't catch him and had to wait until my partner got home from work in the morning!!

They are tough to handle at first, they wriggle and are quite jumpy but the more you handle them the easier it becomes, they'll never be as cuddly as Syrians but will enjoy being stroked, apart from Rolo (our newest addition) the rest are tame, my 2 brothers Max and Paddy are adorable, they will come up to you if you knock on the cage to wake them and will come out on our bed to have a run round, they don't look to run off, Tilly who was a complete pain to tame is now really good, it took time and patience with her. We were still taming her when we got Henry, he was very much a baby (like Max and Paddy) when we got him, so started taming him near enough straight away and he was more tamer than Tilly. We have to give Tilly her due though, she was a rescue and then we have Rolo also a rescue, he is trying bless him but he is the devil in a hamster disguise I think, he does what he wants when he wants, like escaping, however i'm sure we'll get there in then end!!!

[Ness]

adding another level to an imac for robos might not be a good idea for two reasons (maybe three):

one the way they are meant to get up to the other part might be hard for them as they find it hard to climb up tubes, two as the cage will be split up into different areas this can cause fights and increase ingury as there are less escape routes from one area to the next. they also might find a way to fall.

I've never used an imac before, but I think someone on this forum had robos escape from one before, I'll try and find her on here.

playpens, well some robos can climb out of them, but i haven't found any manage to get through the bars, just keep an eye on them.

as you are getting them from a rescue it's hard to tell how tame they are going to be, just keep that in mind.

to catch them you have to learn the leap and grab method really. I've had a new arrive get free and be out all night, I ended up camping down stairs and blocking off all holes.

to start with you can sit in a bath and play with them running over you, or have a lined (with shavings) playbox under your hands.

robos are best with big singel story cages as they enjoy running about a lot, they also like to have enough shavings to dig in.

a sand bath will keep there coat lovely and clean as well. though I've never managed to potty train mine before, but also don't have a problem with them going in there baths either.

some people find that robos will wee in there running wheel, this may need washing every few days.

you will need two of each wheel. I would recommend not using a food bowl and just spread the food over the cage to prevent fighting.

robos really love seeds as treats such as linseed, millet seed, hemp seed, etc. and mealworm.

also its worth bearing in mind that even though robos are less likely to bite or get angry when woken up during the day, it's still not health for them. they are mainly active during the night, but are awake alot more during the day compared with syrians. there patterens tend to change when yours does, and they will sleep more when it's colder.

[ellisyellis]

ok thanks ness, if i do get a pair of robo's i would like to get it right first of all and not fix it after i have them, sounds like a big tank style cage would be better for them then. i have seen those in my local pet shop so will have another look :)

[Ness]

ok keep us posted, if you want anymore info on tanks and cages, just find out the names of them and I'm sure we can help. :D

[Hanlou]

I have a Robo' in an Imac Fantasy but I didn't think she'd be ok in it. However she's been living there for about two weeks now without any problems with escaping. I got the Imac as a bargain on ebay and as she'd escaped from her Gabber Rex (through the roof) and was living in a spare but smaller cage I thought I may as well try her in the Imac.

She loves it, really loves it - it has an extension too - and freakily she *can* climb up and down the tubes between most levels - but I would imagine a lot of Robo's would struggle with them. I also left her in the Imac in the bath for a while as I thought she may be able to escape.

You can fit a Regular sized Silent Spinner on the bars no problem.

However; I totally agree with Ness that a two level one would be bad for a pair due to it being a modular set-up that may create territorial behaviour. A Zoozone one or two would be ideal for a pair I think.

[ellisyellis]

right im still thinking about it! i have a few more questions

what is the best cage for a pair of dwarfs to live in??

may sound silly but are you supposed to get them out regualy to be handled or are they meant to be watched? and possibly take food from you with your hand in the cage. im not sure how much handling your supposed to do with them. im used to my boys who i just scoop out of their cages!

[Ness]

the first week or two you handle them as few times a day. this way it'll mean they will get use to you. robos should be played with, and it's better to play with them together if you can.
you wont beable to let them walk freely round a sofa or asrea like a syrian as such as they move so fast they can end up anywhere.

after robos become use to you so will take food from your hand in a cage. a lot of mine will take food out of your hand out of a cage now and sit and nibble on it or pouch it.

if you want to watch robos more i would recommend a glass tank.

cages, well there is the Duna cage, the gabber rex, a gabber lux, and things like zoo zone one and two, and rody rabbits.

barred cages are best avoided.

i spoke to the person who had the imac problem, and it ended quiet bably for the little robo.

within the cage you will need two wheels, most cages come with wheels but these make a lot of noise, you really are best with getting silent spinners 4.5" or slightly bigger.

[ellisyellis]

ok so if i got a pair i could expect to handle them but not like a syrian. handle them in their cage with the top open. i am still thinking about this quite a lot! x

[Ness]

yep thats a good start, if you have a plastic box you can put shavings in the botton and bring them out into that.

if you want tamer robos i would get them from a breeder, pet shop ones tend to stay more wild, and even when tamed can easierly go back to the way they were raised.

[Hanlou]

Be careful with Gabber Rex's - my Robo' escaped from hers. She jumped up to the top from the shelf and must've got out of the top barred section. :)