Everything Zen

[SKB_Hamsters]

Originally Posted by cypher

She is very cute but she's such a handful too lol! Really keeping me on my toes, I've just been trying to stop her bad habits with cardboard over some of the bars & it little wooden ledge attached vertically to stop her getting at those cable ties, she just got up to inspect my work & I don't think she's well pleased!

Zen sounds very determined and michevious but she looks so innocent. I used to have to do all this with Sherbet cage, I also used to attach flat bendy bridges to the bars to stop some of Sherbet bad habits to.

[cypher]

I think hams have looking innocent down to a fine art, maybe Chineseys more than most lol!
She really is a character & I've never had a ham quite so determined to do something once her mind is set on it, I do worry a bit about her though, her determination to get under the shelf her wheel was on in her first cage & rubbing a load of fur off her face just shows she's not afraid to hurt herself silly girl!
She was a real little horror on Wednesday, I think she was totally disgruntled at not being able to get to her cable ties so was taking it out on the bars down below where I put the cardboard, the bars on the Alaska make it virtually impossible to thread card through the bars at the corners & if I put it inside she would have ripped it off in no time, I did think of using a bendy bridge inside but having thrown some away recently after other hams had had them I seem to have run out of spares, must order some more.
Although she could still get to the bars she couldn't get her nose through but was so determined to give it a go & it was very hard to ignore but I managed it for a while & she slunk off under her shelf instead of running in her wheel as usual, I think she may have been sulking

I hardly dare say it but she was much better yesterday & this morning the only thing I've seen or heard her chew is her whimzee, fingers crossed it stays that way as she has loads to do & i'm totally out of new ideas to distract her but I am kind of waiting with bated breath to see what she thinks up next...!

[flowerfairy]

Aw she is so pretty. Sounds like you two are going to have fun fun fun! If i didnt already have six hamsters i would get a chinesey they really are world class cute.

[Fluffagrams]

Originally Posted by cypher

I hardly dare say it but she was much better yesterday & this morning the only thing I've seen or heard her chew is her whimzee, fingers crossed it stays that way as she has loads to do & i'm totally out of new ideas to distract her but I am kind of waiting with bated breath to see what she thinks up next...!

Always one step ahead of you eh?

When Jessie needs distracting from something I tend to give her food in a little box so she can work on opening it. It's worked so far but I don't know what I'm going to do when that novelty wears off and she starts being a pickle again.

Little Zen sounds like an absolute character and SO entertaining.

[Pebbles82]

She is so adorable As if butter wouldn't melt .... lol.

[Thin Lizzy]

What a little trier Zen is, lol at her sulking!

[cypher]

Zen's coming on really well with taming & bonding now, I still forget I haven't had her long & was beginning to feel that we weren't really bonding as well as I hoped but she's changed a lot over just the last week & I've still only had her about 5 weeks so I am pleased with how things are going.
She's quite a lot calmer, still races around like a mad thing but then she wouldn't be a crazy little Chinesey girl if she didn't lol! but she's much less hesitant about running to greet me at the front of the cage & like Zephyr & Whisp has quickly learnt that running up to her hammock & peeking out looking cute is a sure way to get some treats
She's still not happy in her taming bin but loves running into the little cardboard box I use to transport so I'm guessing her sessions in there aren't too scary! I had to take the flower pot out of her cage as she digs so much it was rolling around & I was worried it might hurt her so I put that in the bin & usually hide something nice in it & she really enjoys that.

She's been a lot better with the bar/cable tie chewing, she's so funny though, she hadn't done it at all, at least not when I was around for a couple of days so I thought I'd give her something extra to occupy her & hid some of her food in a paper parcel (she completely ignores cardboard ones so I gave up on those), I heard her come out & the paper rustling for a few seconds but I don't think she was well pleased lol! Whether it was having to work a bit harder to find her food or a strange piece of paper she didn't like in her cage but she immediately went & began to chew the bars! I think we'll pass on that idea for now on
She's been pretty good since then, only does it occasionally & quickly stops if I go over & ask her to, I think she's learnt she won't get a nice seed if she does that too!

She had a big change this morning as I swapped the free standing shelf for the old two room granite top house Zephyr used to live in.
It has been really funny watching her constantly digging around the shelf, creating mountains of fitch & very nearly burying her wheel again but I know a lot of that is actually anxiety from her natural instinct to hide every possible gap around her burrows & little hideaway plus the fact that it's hard for me to take the shelf out to clean or check what she's been up to without completely destroying her burrows & there's always a load of substrate to sweep up off the floor so time for a change!

I did want to put that house in when I first moved her into the Alaska but was a bit worried with her bald patch around her nose she might hurt herself even more trying to burrow under it so I've done a bit of adapting, glued some small bits of wood onto the base in three places which lift it up just enough for her to comfortably get underneath while it's not to tall & the wheel still fits on top, just!
She's been busy investigating & settled in there really quickly already so I think she'll be happy in there & I will be able to do a bit of spot cleaning just by lifting the tops off now.
I put her tube into the doorway which she seemed to like but that was quickly stuffed with substrate & blocked off & sure enough she's going in & out underneath, she pops out through the hole in the top of her yellow cube thing which is really cute
She could change her mind of course but so far it looks as though it may be a success!



I'd like to put another hammock in for her really as it's a bit empty on one side higher up but I think the hammock would probably be a bit big & too close to the top of her wheel & I really don't want her climbing on to the top of the wheel which she would of course if it was remotely possible lol! so I may try & get the snooze cube in there & see how she gets on with that, enough change for one day though I think, maybe in a day or two if all goes well with the new house.

[Thin Lizzy]

I love her house, and that fitch! Like that you put her tube right at the doorway, lol at her blocking it of, it brought a smile to my face.

[Coco61]

You must be pleased to have been able to use that lovely house for Zen. Tunnel entry is great! Stuffing it closed- been talking to Mocho?! Huge progress after only 5weeks.

[Pebbles82]

Love the set up and the access to the wheel is good - I bet she'll love it - so much to do and a nice tunnel leading to her house (it'll be interesting to see what she does inside the house )