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Old 08-22-2018, 06:40 AM   #1
Jackiie3xld
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Default Sleeping under her wheel

Hi I just got Phi and instead of sleeping in her hide away she is now sleeping under her saucer. I need to clean it but I don’t want to disturb her. Should I change her hideout or just let her chill under the wheel?
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Old 08-22-2018, 06:46 AM   #2
mangoandmimi
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Default Re: Sleeping under her wheel

Hi welcome. She will take a bit of time to settle in just leave her for now - she will probably move into the house with bedding soon so don’t worry. I wouldn’t disturb her sleeping spot for at least a few days.
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Old 08-22-2018, 07:19 AM   #3
cypher
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Default Re: Sleeping under her wheel

I wouldn't worry, they do choose to sleep in odd places sometimes & it's best to just let them get on with it especially when they're just settling in.
I wouldn't clean the wheel just yet, try not to do anything but spot clean any pee you find for at least the first few weeks.
What kind of house/hide does Phi have? Some aren't all that suitable & may not get used.
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Old 08-22-2018, 07:45 AM   #4
Jackiie3xld
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Default Re: Sleeping under her wheel

Okay I wanted to clean it cause when running she got poop on it so I didn’t know she was sleeping under there till I moved it. I will make sure not to move it again and should I clean it or not if that happens again in the night? I will leave a picture for the one I have cause I’m not sure if it is suitable honestly but it was cute and said for hamsters and was like the one they had at my pet store.

http://i.imgur.com/bIFQZ7Y.jpg
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Old 08-22-2018, 08:00 AM   #5
cypher
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Default Re: Sleeping under her wheel

No need to worry about poo on the wheel, they nearly all do that! Poo is dry & perfectly ok to leave until you do partial cage cleans, it's only really pee that needs to be cleaned frequently, it's important that she can get her scent on everything so she'll really settle & feel at home now which is the reason for cleaning as little as possible.
Those houses are cute but not really suitable for sleeping in, they need somewhere a bit bigger than that ideally & it needs to be dark inside, if you think it may be big enough for now (depending on how big she is really) you could put a bendy bridge over the door to make it darker or just use a cardboard box with a hole cut out for a door & no base. Give her a really big pile of shredded plain white toilet tissue to make a nest too.

ETA Just saw the photos of Phi in your other post, hadn't realised she was a Chinesey, sleeping in silly places like under the wheel is quite typical for them tbh! The little house may be big enough for her for now at least but they do like to burrow down & be somewhere dark so the bendy bridge & tissue may encourage her to use it.
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Old 08-22-2018, 10:00 AM   #6
Jackiie3xld
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Default Re: Sleeping under her wheel

Perfect! I’ve been wondering what to do with my bendy bridge so i will make sure to put it over the strawberry she might even like climbing on it which would be great! I’ve been wondering what to use for nesting too so that’s perfect. I read somewhere to use paper but I was worried about it being to tough. I’ll also make sure not to clean the tank (besides spot cleaning) till she gets used to it. How long do you think that should be? Cause I was planing to do one next Friday.
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Old 08-22-2018, 10:41 AM   #7
cypher
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Default Re: Sleeping under her wheel

I would wait 3-4 weeks before doing a clean & never do a full clean.
Just clean what's necessary, it depends on how large your tank is, the larger it is the less you need to clean but even with a small tank at least put some of the old substrate back on top of any new clean substrate, only clean out the nest if it's been peed in or gets smelly (Chinese tend to pee in the wheel mostly so if need be wipe that down with a damp paper towel, no disinfectants or other strong smelling soaps or anything, no more than once a week) & always put some of the old nest back, same with the food hoard, if that gets a bit old or has fresh food like veg in it then just replace it with some fresh mix otherwise you can leave it for quite a while.
Your right about most paper being too tough for nests & shredded paper can be sharp so toilet tissue is perfect as well as being cheap & they love it!
I'm sure she will enjoy climbing on the bendy bridge, they are quite agile & once settled females tend to be busy little things & enjoy lots to explore.
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Old 08-22-2018, 11:52 AM   #8
Jackiie3xld
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Default Re: Sleeping under her wheel

I can’t wait to see her like that! So where I’m keeping her is in a 10 gallon aquarium and I was recommended to fully clean it once a week. What would you recommend for that size since I shouldn’t fully clean it. Also since the wheel is a saucer I’ll most likely have to clean around it. I am giving her fresh fruits and veggies daily but I am also making sure she has her blocks for protein and all that so I’ll keep those in until they don’t look fresh. Thank you so much for all this help I really want her to have a happy and safe life. I was also told baby wipers work for cleaning little things?
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Old 08-22-2018, 12:07 PM   #9
cypher
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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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