Blacky's Thread - The Black Spanish Syrian Hamster - Page 21

Thin Lizzy · 02-19-2017, 08:07 PM

When can I move in? lol!
Blacky is so going to love it! He's so lucky to have you as his mom.
Whatever you decide, I know he'll love as you know what he likes and dislikes.
I want plenty updates.

BorisPasha · 02-20-2017, 03:17 AM

Wow that looks really good Hamsterita and I'm sure Blacky will love it, the toys that he made for the rats look really good too. Can't wait to hear more about what you decide to do with layout

Rads · 02-20-2017, 04:29 PM

I like your ideas for Blacky it is very good indeed, he will love it when he gets that for his home....
I know Pip would like a bigger home for sure but she will have to put up with her Alaska,
If I could I would build a hamster home that would fill the whole side board that her Alaska sits on for her, which would be about 1.8m long 600mm wide and I guess at least 500mm tall.
Though Mrs R would have a sense of humour failure if I did that though......

Hamsterita · 02-21-2017, 04:21 AM

Thank you all for your contributions Cypher, CMB, SKB, Rubby, Lizzy and Rads.

I'm taking notes of all your suggestions.

I've found particularly interesting the suggestions about the different measures. I was so focused in standard measures that I didn't realized that he's going to make a special one for me so I can play with the lenghts. Unfortunately the widht of table is less than 50 cm. I talked with my mum and we're going to move a little bit to the left the table so the 100 cm won't be a problem. Surprisingly she has been very kind with the idea of a new cage and she's even helping me to short things out, definitely Blacky has grown in her

. I like the idea of the 30 cm under the doors, maybe 30 it's a little bit too much because I have to stick to the 50 cm maximum high but it's a good idea to add a couple of cms more.

SKB Yes, I have two knuff shelves but I haven't used them yet for several reasons. Obviously they'll make a good addition to the new cage. I was talking about permanent shelves on the tank, like glass shelves or something, but I over think it and I don't like the idea of having something like that permanently there. I can always put wood shelves if I want, as you suggested, and I think that's better.

Rads the Alaska is a great cage too. That's the one that I was going to buy the first time that I upgraded him, but my mom didn't let me do it. I feel you!! Mr H thought that I was a crazy ham lady (well, not only Mr H to be honets, almost everyone

), but now I'm officially the crazy ham lady.

Lizzy yes you can, but you cook

)

----

Today I'm going to contact the guy to tell him that I'm interested and to start the plans to buy the materials and that stuff.

I also thought that I could ask him for a top that can be lifted (like the tanks that have lids that open like a door, I don't know how to explain it), because that way it could be easier to clean. I think that If I have to stick to the sliding doors cleaning it is going to be a pain in the *ss, but If I'm able to open the top it would be like the regular tank, and it's not so hard at all to clean the tank

SKB_Hamsters · 02-21-2017, 04:34 PM

I also thought about putting permanent shelves in my DIY cage, but I decided against having permanent shelves as I didn't like the idea that I couldn't move them and would have to arrange toys around them. Instead I much prefer the knuff shelves.
The removable top sounds like a good idea for making cleaning a easier.

I'm looking forward to hearing the progress of your cage and seeing the finished cage!

Thin Lizzy · 02-21-2017, 08:36 PM

Your mum's fab helping you, Blacky's worked his beauty & charm on her and she's fallen under his spell lol! It's hard not to fall for his charm as I have.

Hamsterita · 02-23-2017, 05:17 AM

[CHAPTER TWELVE- We had bugs again]

Probably you'all are aware that we had a bug problem in Blacky's tank. If not, you can take a look at this post. Bugs in the substrate/wood toys?

It seems that Blacky is settling well on the OVO. He's nervous and his ears are a little bit down, but he is being very brave and explores and burrows and I think he's not suffering too much with the change. I think that he feels protected because the cage isn't very tall. It seems that he loves carefresh. He's burrowing a lot, and it looks that it's easier for him that burrow with the hemp. He also didn't use the toilet paper that I put for him on the cage, he grabbed a couple of pieces but he barely used it, he built his nest with the carefresh instead. I'm not bothering him too much. Yesterday I only opened the door to check on him and to give him two sunflowers seeds and that was all. He came to say hi and grabbed them, and then he roamed a bit, so that's why I think he is okay. It's good to have a door again!.

I talked to the guy that is doing the new cage. At the end I ordered a 100x50x50 cage, with a 25 cm space between the surface and the doors, two sliding doors, and a removable roof. I think that 25 cm is going to be enough, and if it's not I can put a plank or something to be able to put more substrate without it coming out.

He told me that probably he will finish it on monday. I didn't thought it was going to be so soon. So, I'm going to move Blacky directly to the new cage when it's done, but maybe I'll wait a few weeks because I don't know how much time I have to wait til the insecticide that we sprayed on my room yesterday is no longer a threat to him.

I also have to wait til my order from zooplus arrives, because right now I don't have more substrate and I wouldn't want to use pellets, that's all what I can get here.

Talking about the zooplus order, I can't find any chews, Am I looking right? I'm thinking about getting the ugro hemp and maybe more carefresh because it seems that he loves it. I'm not particularly a fan of carefresh, but he's the boss. Wich substrate (from zooplus) would you recommend? It would be ok to give him a mix of them?. I think that I'm also going to buy this set ZubehÃ¶rset Kletterwelt fÃ¼r Kleintiere gÃ¼nstig bei zooplus and this house Eck-Spielhaus gÃ¼nstig bei zooplus. I'm also running out of chinchila sand. I hope JR farm one is ok. So....any suggestions? Do you think it would be nice/necessary to buy him anything else? is there something that you fins specially appealing? I want to buy him more things, but maybe he'll have to wait til next month, because with the new cage, and all these extra expenses I'm on a budget, but I don't want to have an empty cage either.

As you can see I'm going to give another try to wood things, but this time everything is going to be baked/froze before I use it.

cypher · 02-23-2017, 05:33 AM

Glad Blacky is coping ok & seems happy in his temporary home.
The tank size sounds great, if the 25cm isn't high enough which it probably will be it's easy to just use a piece of cardboard across the front, that's what I've done with my big bin cage to stop the substrate falling out.
Zooplus aren't good on chews, they do greenies but not much else, no whimzees.
I would avoid wooden things with bark on if you can, they are the sort of thing most likely to harbour bugs! I have one of those things with the three steps & bells & would have thought they were more dwarf size tbh.
The skyline house would be better but it is very expensive in comparison to the one you linked to. If you're on a budget you could just make a house out of cardboard for now!
You shouldn't have any problems with the Hugro hemp from Zooplus, at least I never have, I'm not sure I'd recommend any other substrates they do though.

Thin Lizzy · 02-23-2017, 06:53 AM

Bless little Blacky in his temporary home. I'm sure he understands you had to.

Hamsterita · 02-23-2017, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cypher

Zooplus aren't good on chews, they do greenies but not much else, no whimzees.
I would avoid wooden things with bark on if you can, they are the sort of thing most likely to harbour bugs! I have one of those things with the three steps & bells & would have thought they were more dwarf size tbh.
The skyline house would be better but it is very expensive in comparison to the one you linked to. If you're on a budget you could just make a house out of cardboard for now!
You shouldn't have any problems with the Hugro hemp from Zooplus, at least I never have, I'm not sure I'd recommend any other substrates they do though.

It's sad that they don't have wooden chews and other chews... Then he will have to wait for them too, I don't think he's going to be bothered, because anyway he never pays attention to them.

I thought that the set was a good deal, because It's like they are giving you the climb thing almost for free (only 1 euro), and I was thinking about getting several bendy bridges anyway.

I can't afford that house right now, and for that price maybe the guy that is making the cage could make a rodipet-alike house too.

So do you think that it would be a bad idea to mix the carefresh and the hemp? As I said I don't like carefresh, but Blacky seems to like it, so I don't know what to do. And what do you think about the hemparade hemp? I don't wanna have problems with cheap things again, and they say that it's untreated, but it's tempting.