Moldable plastic

[greysome]

Hi all,

Last week I unexpectedly came home with a syrian who is tentatively being called Hazel Nut. I won't go into the entire background, but the gist is that instead of getting a hamster a few months from now as I originally planned, I got nervous about the large size of two hamsters in a tank at the pet store while price-shopping. I already had a one level bin cage tentatively done. It's supposed to be the first level of a 2-3 level cage--and tentatively done because it had been cut/meshed for ventilation but I hadn't purchased any tubes yet so was holding off on making any holes/possible permanent changes to the bin.

But to the point of this post: I can't find any tubes I like for Hazle Nut. Since she's a syrian I know the "normal" tubes except maybe the habitrail ovo are too small but looking at the habitrail ovo, I'm worried she will outgrow it relatively quickly. I was looking at drain/corrugated pipes and then started considering molding my own tube out of clay or some moldable substance so I can create tubes with a long "window" running through most of the length of it for both ventilation and so I can check and see if she's in the tube. While looking at possible materials, I came upon something called instamorph moldable plastic (the link which I can't put up)

I was curious what people thought about it. It says it is non-toxic but I figured I should check with you guys since I'm new to hamsters and figured you would probably know more about safe materials/what not than me. Would this be a safe material for Hazel Nut if she decides to go on a chew frenzy (thus far, she has been very good and is only interested in chewing wood, particularly popsicle sticks). I hadn't even heard of it til today (albeit, I have been away from artsy endeavors for over the better part of a decade now and was never particularly into sculpting anyway). I love the idea of being able to custom make tubes/tunnels and oh the possibilities!

[spyro87]

I can't see anything likely to be in this non toxic plastic that wouldn't be found in non toxic plastic used by hamster toy manufacturers.
So yeh I would say it's likely to be pretty safe if I'm honest!

Good luck with Amur and I can't wait to see pictures of whatever you manage to mold!

[2LittlePuds]

That stuff looks really good. I would say it is safe for hams, you could make some brilliant things for hamsters with it. Id love to see pics if you go down this route

[greysome]

Awesome! Thanks

[Dusty]

This looks great, anyone recommend somewhere in the UK that sells this? I'd love to have a go at making toys with this stuff!

[BrainGirl]

Oh wow, that does look really cool! Congratulations on your new hamster greysome, we'd love to see some pics if you get a chance

[greysome]

Dusty--you can get (nontoxic) moldable plastic off amazon...I am super excited and have so many ideas right now. What I will actually do, however, will be another story I'm sure. At least the tubes will be a sure thing

BrainGirl--Thanks! Right now my only camera is my phone. I suppose technically I have a digital camera though it is "old" in technology-years (I think it's less than 10 years old but more than 5) and temperamental. Sometimes it refuses to turn on, no matter how much I plead.

I haven't been on the lookout for a replacement though I am now thinking maybe I'll wait for the black Friday sales to come around during the holidays and make a purchase then. I have a couple of pictures of Hazel Nut though they're on my phone and not very good. I'll see if there's any that's passable after this post though and maybe create a intro thread for her. The pics are done through the cage though.

She isn't allowed outside the cage just yet (she isn't tamed though she is very friendly). She's fine with interacting with me from inside the cage and will come up to me (well, not so much me as the possibility of food/treats) as well as tolerate the occasional pet from me in the cage (though she prefers to do the "petting"--by which I mean she rubs herself against my hand--I think she's scenting me as part of her territory). However, she's very nervous when sitting on my palm--she'll sit on it but she's very shaky and I want her more comfortable/confident before I go any further in the taming process. So pictures so far have been taken via the wires that serve as ventilation in the cage. The bin itself is opaque and I am kicking myself for it.

[BrainGirl]

Ha! I think you have the same camera as I do I keep thinking I'll get another one but...

Sounds like you're making good progress with your little girl though! Slow and steady wins the race as the old saying goes. She sounds like a real sweetie, kind of like my Suri. She's still scared to death thanks to her early experiences but she does like me, she's just nervous outside of her cage and shakes a lot when she's out of it.

[greysome]

Thought I would give an update: The plastic arrived two days ago. It's difficult making a tunnel/tube with it as it hardens within several minutes and I needed a lot. Breaking the tube making process to smaller sections of one tube was not a pretty picture though I imagine it will be easier with practice. I ended up using clay to create a tube but the molding plastic did create a small veggie bowl and a possible tiny water bowl if I so choose as well. I like the plastic but I think I'll hold off using it for larger projects until I have a better hand on sculpting (on the other hand, it's great that it's reusable so no piece goes wasted!)

[Amy313]

Another thought..... The 16.9 fl oz. water bottles work well as tubing. Some slight bending can be done with a lighter but not sure how much. Possibly cutting off the the bottoms and then in half to make your corners/turnsThat's about the right size for a Syrian though. Take a lighter to the cut briefly so the edges curl inward to fit about 1/4-1/2 inch inside the other, using dots of hot glue on the piece that will fitting into the other. Just make sure the edges that your heating briefly to fit inside the other aren't sharp.