How can I improve Gopal's set up?

flowerfairy · 02-01-2016, 11:11 AM

He is a fluffy chocolate male syrian hamster and has a barney cage.

On the shelf he has a rabbit corner litter tray and his dish of water.

Opposite that is his wooden house which now (since I took this picture) has a hammock hanging over it (nice and low so no danger of falls).

In the middle at the back is his karlie wooden wheel with two bendy briges as walls to hold back the substrate (fina card with fitch on top).

He has a china mug on its side and a cardboard box under the shelf (took his second, smaller wooden one out to repaint).

I would like some ideas/examples of set ups/toys/accessories to make his place more interesting please.

Coco61 · 02-01-2016, 11:27 AM

Can you hang a rat sized Sputnik from the roof and use rat tube or other bendy bridge to get access. Serendipity and I have posted about this on her new thread on Charlie's new cage. I have two sputniks in Mocho's barney and this is like an upper level.

Pebbles82 · 02-01-2016, 01:24 PM

I love your substrate mix by the way - it looks really interesting! I'm not very good at ideas for making cages more interesting lol. It makes my head hurt - but little hidey places are popular - eg under or on the shelf. Or a rat Sputnik over the shelf as Coco says. I'm thinking of putting an additional shelf in on the back wall with a tube leading up to it from the house roof, and possibly adding a cork tunnel to the floor of the cage - something to go under and also as access to the shelf. (If it isn't too big when it arrives!). I nicked the extra shelf idea from Keith's set up in his Goran cage

he has a long shelf on the back wall going up to where the wheel is.

I've just ordered this one

Cork Bark Half-Round 30 cm (Rodent Reptile Vivarium) cork wood tree oak ⌀= 10 cm: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home

Charlie also loves this hyacinth tube. He chews it and goes in and out through the hole and the front, round and round. It might be a nice toy for under or on the shelf.

Rosewood Boredom Breaker Small Animal Activity Hyacinth Tunnel, Small: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies

Another thing I've seen in some German cages, is they cut a strip of hessian mat and put it over the top of the log ends of the bendy fences, so it's not so hard to land on if they fall from higher up.

flowerfairy · 02-02-2016, 07:27 AM

Thanks for the ideas. I like the extra shelf one. I tried a rat spitnik but he wasnt at all interested. I will look at creating another level and make more hiding places. Its such fun customising their homes!

CMB · 02-02-2016, 07:58 AM

How about a digging box/area.

flowerfairy · 02-02-2016, 01:43 PM

He seems very uninterested in digging. His substrate is deep (as deep as the barney base) and he never digs in it. Perhaps a deeper area could tempt him. Will give it a gol. Thanks.

CMB · 02-03-2016, 11:45 AM

I like the idea of having a tunnel under the substrate, but they may nest in it.

flowerfairy · 02-04-2016, 08:28 AM

Woodstock, my white fluffy syrian has nested deepmin his substrate as have both my roborovskis so one more wouldmbe ok! Rather like the underground tunel cmb.

CMB · 02-04-2016, 08:42 AM

The idea is that it's a play tunnel. Not a nest as it would be a bit small. Although my nieces Chinese hamster has her nest in her tunnel.

Pebbles82 · 02-04-2016, 01:12 PM

Forget that cork tunnel I linked earlier FF it is massive! I got this one instead and it's just right. It goes under the Barney shelf partly, so he can climb up it to get on the shelf instead of having the ladder, and he can go through the tunnel as well.

https://www.rodipet.de/shop/system/?...ll&artnr=20253