Pickle's Thread

[Coco61]

Charlie was a big hamster too - your speciality Serendipity! Will Pickle fit into a labyrinth house without any modifications or will you have to remove an internal wall or two for him to fit inside comfortably?! Sorry Pickle... you are a very handsome man indeed and I loved your tea party photo on the front page last month.

[Pebbles82]

Thank you Coco. I'll remove the partitions to the little tiny sections at each end - they are a bit small for anything other than a small hamster - I usually end up removing those.

If you look at this photo it is the two small partitions at the back on each side. The space behind them is smaller than it looks. The larger room on the left is where all our Syrians have chosen to nest - it makes sense as it's the darkest area as around two corners so no light gets in. The usual pee in the middle back compartment so I put the litter tray there. Moo was the exception - he chose to pee in the little compartment under the top entrance! Very neat and away from everything else except it meant he landed in his toilet and pee every time he went down the top entrance. But after moving his litter tray a couple of times he now also pees in the middle back compartment

It takes OH and a saw to cut out those two back partitions though but makes a nice big nesting area. It's already a good sized nesting area without the little partitions removed. Much bigger than either of his current house rooms. And as winter is coming on I think he'll appreciate that.

Attachment 51259

[Ria P]

How many grams does Pickle weigh now? Just as a matter of interest.
I've never seen a labyrinth house until recently when i was given a Getzoo one in a donation. I was surprised at how low it is compared to a Ferplast sin house. I suppose they're designed to sit on stilts?

[Pebbles82]

Last time I weighed him the scales said 232g! I am not sure how correct that is so I need to check again. But the previous time he was 225g so it's possibly correct.

The Getzoo lab houses are very low - like the old rodipet ones used to be - I have never understood why because they can't sit up in them. Although stilts would help. The newer Rodipet ones, like the one above - are a good height like a normal house. The one above is 11cm tall - I think the Getzoo and old Rodipet ones were only 8 or 9 cm tall. His current house is actually taller at 12cm but isn't on legs.

But this one will be raised a bit on legs and has a much bigger nesting box compartment.

[cypher]

I had to smile at Pickle doing his own cleaning, very helpful, & popping the roof off his house!
I’ve always thought the all the labyrinth houses were far to low too, I know they are meant to sit on a deep layer of substrate but that doesn’t give them the separate rooms, I’ve tried sawing bit out too as the rooms tend to be small.
I really like the larger getzoo houses which are a bit like the rodipet granite ones for space.

[Pebbles82]

The one above is too low if it's on the base of the cage, but if it's on legs it works very well because it's not nearly as low as some and the rooms are a good size. With Moo's I chopped the legs down a bit so the base of the cage is level with the lip on the rim of the cage (so that supports it at the back). Plenty of room for tunneling under (although he hasn't done that) but not so high that there is a gap under it before substrate level. I really like that house and the hamsters seem too as well. Particularly the double entrance door. But even that is a bit low for a potty and them actually be able to get into it easily so I tend to bury the potty down a little bit.

8 or 9cm is a bit low though even for a labyrinth house - but then they use it differently I suppose. They would definitely need to burrow down to make a nest.

[Pebbles82]

So I thought I'd start a stage by stage set up of Pickle's new cage upgrade to the Plaza cage. The move isn't going to be just yet as haven't got everything ready and will also give him a couple of days adjustment I think before moving him over.

So first pic (not very exciting as there are plenty of photos of this cage!) is the assembled cage. Then the labyrinth house which I have just finished plastikoting. Clear plastikote was out of stock so I decided to go with a blue theme and got Sky Blue. It isn't sky blue though in my eyes - it's turquoise. Never mind. It doesn't look very neat because I'm not painting the top bits (that will be under the roof) - so the roof still comes on and off freely. I'll sand off the bits of paint that got on the top bits. I'm not going to paint the roof part at all so it'll be two tone - it will have hemp mat on top though. I found before that it fits to tight if you paint the roof as well and then difficult to get on and off without scaring the hamster.

Funnily enough it does look more blue on the photos - but in real life it is definitely turquoise!

If anyone is interested the larger room sizes are good for nesting - the large rooms are 17cm long x 13cm wide internal size and the small ones 8cm long x 13 cm wide. I decided not to cut out the partition to the small rooms after all - they're bigger than I remember. And Pickle is quite agile.

All our hamsters have nested in the front left large partition - which is the darkest section inside. The little section behind it is intended for hoarding but most of them just stuff it with paper (or go and hide in it if you take the roof off). The middle back section is for the litter tray usually - but sometimes ends up being a hoarding room - so the litter tray can also go in the large right hand side part. Most of them haven't used the right hand side which is basically a run to the top entrance - although Moo uses that whole section as a toilet area.

It's just a box really, with partitions. When they get old and doddery we cut out the bottom part of the round entrances to make them oval doorways so nothing to step over.

Then a new small shelf which is just a piece of cork bark with a screw fitting.

I haven't decided on shelves etc yet.

Attachment 51269

Attachment 51270

Attachment 51271

Attachment 51272

Attachment 51273

[Pebbles82]

The cork shelf. It's a bird shelf. You can actually make these quite easily though if you have a piece of cork bark - I just stuck a screw and washer into a piece of cork bark for Nugget's cage, as a shelf. But this one was a better size piece of cork bark for a syrian cage. It's a bird perch.

Attachment 51274

[Ria P]

I like colour so really like Pickle's new house.

Where do you buy the plastikote? Online or in a DIY shop?

I'm asking because i was given another wooden house and took the cross from the window out after Luna mentioning a dwarf getting stuck in it. I glued a leaf on with the Elmer's glue you mentioned to close the window and fancy giving the hut a facelift with a bit of colour.

I think your set up will be interesting using colour and i'm looking forward to see it.

There's a photo on this forum somewhere of a lovely set up with the wheel and a house painted yellow or orange, one of cypher's creations i think and i always meant to ask if that paint is also plastikote.

[Pebbles82]

Yes I think Cypher's is plastikote too I get it on Amazon. £4 a pot. It took a whole pot for two coats on that house. I think the coloured ones are very slightly thicker than the clear one - I've always found the clear one very runny and it goes a bit further. But I used to just buy it at our local hardware store (when we lived nearer the hardware store!). I think most diy places sell it. Doesn't smell of anything and makes them wipe clean.

Some people think it voids the idea of wood being natural and breathable but there's still plenty of ventilation through the doors! And partly why I'm not painting the roof as well. Although it will need a hemp mat on top as I had one got water stained from a dripping bottle.

It needs to be the water based pots of enamel paint. Some of the prices seem to have gone up recently though.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plastikote-...S7RBGBF5YKN35R

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plastikote-...FDC322TF3B25T9