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Old 10-10-2019, 04:56 AM   #1
Sancerree
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Question Roborovski - too long nails?

Hi, I have my beautiful robo girl Kora since 3 months and recently I noticed her nails are not too short. Is this a reason to worry or to go to the vet to trim them? Or perhaps they are not that long yet. They don’t seem to disturb her in anything and she is also not scratching with them at all. I provided her a wooden area in her sand pit (she loves to dig there) so hopefully she will de-sharpen them there in time, since bottom of the cage is glass normally. Could anyone comment on this?

https://imgur.com/a/uQQVJ0E

Also I could not trim them myself since she refuses to be picked up. She comes to my hand for treats etc. But if we try to “capture” her by hand she starts making noises - even before we touch her which makes me think she is scared, therefore I don’t want to stress her.
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Old 10-10-2019, 09:27 AM   #2
Ria P
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Default Re: Roborovski - too long nails?

My Robo runs over and under wooden bendy bridges, runs across his wooden house, scratches about inside his coconut hide, walks over pebbles surrounding his water bowl and holds his Whimzee down with his paws while nibbling on it.
All this seems to contribute towards keeping his nails and teeth trim.

I can't comment on your Robo's nails because i don't know if they need cutting but someone here will be able to advise you.
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Old 10-10-2019, 10:55 AM   #3
Sancerree
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Default Re: Roborovski - too long nails?

Naturally, my hamster does all of those things too, but I noticed the length of nails while one day when she was drinking from the water bottle and holding it with her paws. I can't tell If this is too long or not.
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Old 10-10-2019, 03:35 PM   #4
Dessi
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Default Re: Roborovski - too long nails?

I’m new to hamsters, but it definitely looks way too long. I would take her to a pet store or the vet to get them trimmed. Then, you need to change her bedding and give her surfaces that will naturally trim the nails.
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Old 10-10-2019, 05:12 PM   #5
sushi_78
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Default Re: Roborovski - too long nails?

A terracotta tile or flower pot will help wear down her claws as well.
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Old 10-11-2019, 01:25 AM   #6
LunaTheHamster1
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Default Re: Roborovski - too long nails?

They are pretty long, but if you try a tile or some stones as previously advised that should help.
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Old 10-11-2019, 05:11 PM   #7
Sancerree
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Default Re: Roborovski - too long nails?

Thank you for the advise. Where can I get the terracota tile or a stone which would be safe for hamster? Would some stone from pet store be fine from some other section like reptiles etc? I know bringing stone from outside is not very safe.

I will be changinng half of her bedding in cage to woodshavings, atm she has carefresh which might be too soft... I also provided 2 wood shelfs for parts of the bottom of the cage, since she used to dig there a lot in bedding and her cage is made from glass. Since I put that in I didn’t see her digging there yet.
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Old 10-11-2019, 11:45 PM   #8
stan
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Default Re: Roborovski - too long nails?

I'm not sure where to get terracotta tiles, but you can get granite cooling slabs from amazon (they are for chinchillas, but hamster safe). If you put them under his water bottle he will have to walk over it regularly, and it will help file his nails. When I was reading up on robos, it was suggested they should have 1/3 of the cage as sand. So maybe a bigger sand bowl to dig in might help too.
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Old 10-12-2019, 12:39 AM   #9
LunaTheHamster1
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Default Re: Roborovski - too long nails?

I just used some rocks (stones) out of the garden and made sure they were well sterilised. I must admit I went a bit over the top with cleaning them but was worried I would pass something onto my hamsters, I scrubbed them, soaked in water for an hour, boiled in water for 10-15 minutes and then I think i may have soaked them in vinegar as well.
I notice letting my hamsters run around on my floor tiles helps wear their nails down and in the summer I used a tile that I had put in the fridge to help keep them cool. This was just something I had for mosaicking, but If you have any spare tiles left over from a bathroom or kitchen say, I don't see why they wouldn't be safe to use (unless anyone else says otherwise) So maybe even if you have a local tile/ diy or craft shop that you could purchase a tile from that could help.
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Old 10-12-2019, 04:08 AM   #10
Ria P
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Default Re: Roborovski - too long nails?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sancerree View Post
Thank you for the advise. Where can I get the terracota tile or a stone which would be safe for hamster? Would some stone from pet store be fine from some other section like reptiles etc? I know bringing stone from outside is not very safe.

I will be changinng half of her bedding in cage to woodshavings, atm she has carefresh which might be too soft... I also provided 2 wood shelfs for parts of the bottom of the cage, since she used to dig there a lot in bedding and her cage is made from glass. Since I put that in I didn’t see her digging there yet.
I use terracotta pots and plant saucers from the garden centre, also buy pebbles there or get them from the beach. I give them a good wash in hot water and washing up liquid but don't worry about germs tbh.

Cork and wood tunnels to run through and play in are good too.

Wood shelves on the bottom of the tank may get pee'd on and personally, i prefer the bottom of my hamsters enclosures to be wet wipeable. My dwarves burrow way down and sleep at the bottom of their cages and don't use corner toilets like my tidy Syrian.

A paper based substrate like Carefresh is more suitable than wood shavings and hamsters like it to burrow and build tunnels. You can add a bit of hay too. I use Kaytee clean & cozy for all my hamsters which is even softer than Carefresh.

As already mentioned, a large sand pit is usually appreciated by hamsters for digging and rolling around in.
I placed my dwarves wheels in their sand pits (large biscuit tin) because they run so fast, especially the Robo, then sometimes fall off the wheel but have a soft landing on the sand. Saves on space too.
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