Newt's thread - Page 73

pinkpixie · 02-12-2019, 03:45 AM

He's a gorgeous looking ham!

Pebbles82 · 02-12-2019, 03:55 AM

Thank you M&M and pinkpixie

Yes really must block up those holes. It's not as bad as it looks as it's dry lining on top of a solid wall so he couldn't really go anywhere. Lots of work needs doing as the plumbing was done after the plastering, hence the holes in the wall! But I shall probably shut the door between those rooms in future.

Newt seems to have settled into his cage change well as this morning I found a huge pile of Fitch on top of his house and partly over his veg dish. No idea where it has come from as not much seems to have changed in the cage, but I suspect he has dragged lots of Fitch into his end room and stuffed up the top entrance hole and it all got pushed out of the top.

cypher · 02-12-2019, 04:59 AM

lol! @ him finding his way to the muckiest place, must have been some fascinating farm smells there!

Love that photo of him climbing down from the chair, very sweet Valentine photos too

Good to hear he's happy with the cage changes, sounds like he's been having fun with the fitch, I often wonder where it all comes from too when I see those great piles!

Pebbles82 · 02-12-2019, 08:22 AM

Thank you Cypher

I see it as a good sign that he is busying and back to normal as he was quite quiet and not out much for a few days. It must be very confusing to find the tube that used to beup there is now down here and goes somewhere else. But I'm happy he has a safe set up now - he falls over too easily when climbing.

Yes it seemed to be OH's boots that fascinated him the most! Not just mucky but smelling of OH maybe. The other mucky place he seems to head for is the coal bucket so I've had to block that off - don't want him nibbling coal.

Coco61 · 02-12-2019, 01:43 PM

Great photos of Newt there. His rear end as he headed off down the sofa early made me chuckle. Lovely view of him! Free roaming is obviously fun for him and love him among the footwear!
Glad he is settling into the new set up in the cage. Rearranging fitch is a very good sign.
Retirement bungalow is being approved!

Pebbles82 · 02-12-2019, 01:47 PM

Thank you Coco. He's been getting lots of treats and extras during his settling in period

Pebbles82 · 02-13-2019, 04:44 AM

Newt was so funny last night. He came out of his house when he heard it was feeding time and climbed on his house roof - and looked a bit "who put that there?!!!" when he saw the pile of Fitch on top of his house. It had spilled over onto his large dish but I had pushed it to one side a bit to put his food on. At least it is on top of his house now rather than blocking up his wheel! I thing he packs the end room with Fitch to stop draughts coming down the entrance hole and the more he packs it full the more spills out of the top entrance hole - so he didn't realise he had done it.

When his house was the other way round the pile of Fitch regularly jammed up his wheel. So it's better now - house further away from wheel.

Unfortunately I have gone down with yet another cold - yesterday! So he won't be coming out for a while until I'm rid of it. Total pain as it's half term this week-end. Stepson started with one so probably caught his. School bugs are always the worst!

Ruth Edwards · 02-14-2019, 06:20 PM

Newt had a little adventure then. i can't believe its nearly 2 years since he first appeared on HC. time sure flies

Pebbles82 · 02-15-2019, 04:17 AM

I know, scary isn't it. Well Newt seems to have adjusted to his new set up and is confident in his cage, wanting to be out last night. A bit tricky as I have a cold. But he hasn't been out for a week so I scrubbed up with antibacterial soap, let him walk into his snooze cube, plonked it on the floor in the living room and let him run around while keeping my distance. And guess what he found. I had left the Ted cage on the floor in the corner (he had been in it when I adjusted his cage) which had a very full bowl of food next to it that I had taken out and forgot to take away. He pouched about a third of the bowl and his pouches were huge! Then hopped back in his snooze cube and I carried it back to the cage.

He has now got the hang of the new ramp next to his usual exit door so doesn't fall over trying to reach from his shelf to the door - much better but it didn confuse him at first.

Pebbles82 · 02-17-2019, 02:10 PM

I have felt a bit guilty that Newt can no longer dig under his house since the cage change, but it is having a good effect. He is about and about much more in the cage and seems to be enjoying it. Whether it is helping with toiletting going well is another matter! I had a peek in the top of his house today intending to empty the potty, only to find there is no sand left in it and it is full of nuts. Hmm. So the potty has become the nut house. I wonder where he is peeing.

I shall check tomorrow. Maybe the pee substrate will get pushed out of the top hole this time, like the other pile of substrate recently.

Previously when the house had little legs, Newt wasn't really digging under the house as such, but had an underground "septic tank" area. He dug next to the potty under the house and peed down there, then would push the wet substrate outside the house/underneath the house and drag some clean in. It was very tidy of him, but the stink substrate that got pushed out would then block up the wheel each day so he couldn't use the wheel - turning the house round means thatcan't happen anyway as it's further away from the wheel now, even if he could dig under the house. The legs got completely pee soaked and were going a bit icky. So another reason for removing them.

He is a busy little beaver, likes to be in control and do things his own way and is adorably active at the moment. He was scratching at the cage door to come out again last night so again scrubbed up and let him hop into his snooze cube and he scampered all over the living room and snuck into the kitchen - but kept an eye on him in there in case he tried to go under cupboards.

The snooze cube is very handy for getting himin and out of the cage and he hops back in it again when he's ready to go back.

I wouldn't normally let him out at all if I had a cold, but we have all had them one at a time for about 6 weeks now, and he was desperate to get out after twice being left a couple of weeks until we were clear and then not clear again. So just took precautions and was careful.