Mocha's thread - Page 5

VOESSY · 03-11-2020, 01:25 PM

I am now going to start to deconstruct a piece of furniture, a massive one at that, into Mochas permanent habitat. He is now in his little one which is about 620 sq inches, and his upgrade will come to something between 3000-3200 sq inches of floor space. Once done I am really excited to decorate it to its full potential, with semi-naturalistic decors. I am beyond excited to get on with this, I will post some 'making of' progress pictures for those interested.

VOESSY · 03-12-2020, 02:53 AM

So, he's also an escape artist.

I woke up at 7 AM from something touching my foot. It took me a moment to understand that I wasn't dreaming. When I gently moved to turn the light on, he had strolled up to right beside my pillow and was sitting there casually looking at me. It made me laugh, how bold he was. Not bothered by either me or noise, I got up to fetch his terracotta taxi, which he casually went into to and while transferring him back to his enclosure we had a little chat and snuggle. I'm genuinely surprised he managed to get out. I believe he shoved up some of the bedding high in the corner of the enclosure during the night and discovered a little wooden block to step on and then pop out the front above the glass. Luckily, I had some soft things laying around beneath, must be why I didn't hear him. Anyway, he seems happy as can be so no harm done, but I'm now convinced the bigger enclosure will be right on time, as I don't want this to become a habit.

I also just recieved a package with a few items, such a nice feeling.

Ria P · 03-12-2020, 02:07 PM

Fancy waking up to a hamster sitting on your pillow!!

How did he get out?! Do you not have a meshed lid on top of his tank?

Can't wait to see photos of the making of his new and huge habitat. I'm pretty sure that with your skills and imagination it will be something fabulous we haven't seen before.

AmityvilleHams · 03-12-2020, 04:12 PM

Waking up to a hamster in your bed is definitely a strange experience! I had that happen with my Syrian after learning the hard way that lids are not optional. Actually looking back I'm pretty sure she had another escape in which she escaped my room - luckily with no harm done beyond some stress, a bit of a faster heartbeat, and minor jumpiness.

A 100% escape proof enclosure is definitely a must though, whether DIY or bought. Lids, doors, etc all must be completely hamster proof. There are endless dangers for hamsters in our homes even for those without other pets!

VOESSY · 03-13-2020, 01:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ria P

Fancy waking up to a hamster sitting on your pillow!!

How did he get out?! Do you not have a meshed lid on top of his tank?

Can't wait to see photos of the making of his new and huge habitat. I'm pretty sure that with your skills and imagination it will be something fabulous we haven't seen before.

I do have a mesh lid, he managed to get up to a level where there is a small slit between the wood and the glass. Since I was intending his current enclosure to be for a short period of time, I didn't close that gap. Seeing now, I should have. But, lesson learnt.

And for the new habitat making, that is a big compliment to me, thank you!

VOESSY · 03-13-2020, 02:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

Waking up to a hamster in your bed is definitely a strange experience! I had that happen with my Syrian after learning the hard way that lids are not optional. Actually looking back I'm pretty sure she had another escape in which she escaped my room - luckily with no harm done beyond some stress, a bit of a faster heartbeat, and minor jumpiness.

A 100% escape proof enclosure is definitely a must though, whether DIY or bought. Lids, doors, etc all must be completely hamster proof. There are endless dangers for hamsters in our homes even for those without other pets!

I agree on the must for the lid and other securities, I will have a pretty heavy one with a lock on his new enclosure.

VOESSY · 03-15-2020, 12:59 PM

The hard work is done!

Mochas enclosure ended up being just a little over 2000 sq inches of floor space. I decided to keep a piece of it to store all of his toys, bedding, and food in.

Tomorrow I will finish the lid, make some final touches, like take off the little plastic hooks that are still there and make sure the whole inside is clean and tidy. Then the fun part begins, DECORATING!

I'm hoping to be done tomorrow evening, so he can have a 30-minute play session while I transfer some things like old bedding, wheel, hides and toys from the other enclosure, and then move into his new mansion. Looking forward!

Ria P · 03-15-2020, 02:56 PM

Oh wow!! Can't wait to see Mocha's Mansion when its furnished!

VOESSY · 03-17-2020, 03:50 PM

Here's a first look at the under-construction-set-up for Mocha.

I'm experimenting a lot.

The stones are holding places to remind me to find nice, big smooth ones.
I have another beautiful wood piece I'd like to put in, but I'll wait to disturb him for a while to let him settle in. He did immediately move into his new, bigger multi-chamber house, and I'm hoping he already burrowed down to find some lovely sturdy cardboard tunnels at the bottom of the enclosure. There's also a big PVC pipe with dual exits hidden, along with a few other tunnels throughout.

I'm working on some hides/level items which should be ready in the next couple of days to furnish the wheel and sand areas, which right now are under construction. I want to make prettier and higher dividers to replace the current temporary one and add bridges so I'll be able to fill up some more bedding on that side. Under his house, he has approximately 30 cm of depth.

I'm missing some sprays for an additional natural look, but that'll be sorted later.

Mocha seems very content so far, I'm happy to see him explore.
It is a lot of fun to play with the layout and I come up with new ideas everytime I look at it. But in due time I'll find a good balance with it all.

cypher · 03-18-2020, 01:21 AM

That looks great VOESSY Mocha must be loving it!