I've had a slight change in Newt's cage - it's a semi retirement bungalow now, in preparation for him getting older. He will be 2 in about six and a half weeks. And has had some issues recently with his higher shelf and the steep ramp to it, plus climbing out of the sputnik down to his cork log. He can get up ok but seemed not to want to try getting down. Also he toppled over trying to get out of the little front door from his shelf (he stretches across to the door from the shelf).
So I think he is ready to have things lowered and a bit easier. He is fit and active and runs all over the living room. But he is not young any more so climbing is a bit of an issue. He can climb down the front of the sofa to the floor no problem because he clings on with his claws.
I've been weaning him off that high shelf and the sputnik recently by putting his extras at floor level instead of up there, so hopefully he won't miss the higher levels too much.
So - he was due a substrate change so I made the changes at the same time and he spent the afternoon in the Skyline Ted.
Rather than lower things I've got just about everything at ground level, except his Barney shelf which I've lowered a bit and put a less steep bendy bridge ramp up to which is extended by his savic rat tube, to the roof of his house. So a gentle slope right across the cage from his house roof to his Barney shelf.
The higher shelf I've moved right up to roof level - so it just provides overhead cover - and added another one at roof level in the opposite corner - so he doesn't feel too exposed.
The middle of the cage did seem quite open above without the sputniks so I've hung a large hammock over the middle, high up - just to give overhead cover.
The right hand end is exactly the same - but the left hand end I've turned his house round to accommodate the ramp and tube changes - and removed the legs from the house so it's a semi subterranean one again and he can't burrow under it. This needed doing anyway as before he was pushing a lot of substrate out of the side and accidentally blocking his wheel.
So he pouched all the treats in the Skyline Ted and that sat at the front bars waiting to come out.
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After a while he realised he wasn't coming out of it just yet and had a go on the wheel. Eventually he went in the house and slept.
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He then had a good run around the living room and a few treats before I put him back in his cage. It's quite a big change for him as I haven't changed much in his cage for a long time. But he seemed to like it and had a good explore all over and enjoyed finding all the food and treats I'd left. Checked everything out thoroughly.
He was a little confused when on top of the house, trying to work out the new orientation, and likewise when he went up the savic tube he stopped at the far end and seemed a bit confused as normally there'd be a sputnik or shelf at the end and it was different. But he seemed to enjoy it all and approve and then busied himself going up and down the hole on top of his house depouching food and taking bedding down there.
Just to prove to me he isn't actually geriatric yet, he ignored the rainbow bridge ramp up to his house roof and climbed up there easily.
And then surprised me as I saw him hanging like a gymnast, by his front paws from the edge of the hammock! He had tried to climb up to it from the top of the cork log - so will need to do some tweaking with that so he can't reach it.
So here is his new set up - the photos aren't that great to see due to the silver bars reflecting the light.
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