Thread: New cage??
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Old 12-28-2016, 02:02 AM  
Pebbles82
Hamster Antics
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
Default Re: New cage??

I would let it air for a day or two after disinfecting to help lose any cleaning smells. Put loads of new substrate in the "duna" and add a couple of toys or hidey places or set up any new items/levels/things you intend to put in it, and let her have a play/explore as CMB suggested. If she starts looking a bit frantic then take her out again and pop her back in the old cage. Then another play time in it a day or two later. Having a play/explore in it a couple of times will help her adjust easier when she moves. On the day of the move, leave the new substrate in (it will smell a bit familiar after her exploration trips), but put all her old substrate on top of it. Don't be tempted to clean anything before moving her, just move everything across - old substrate spread out on top of the new (which will make the depth about right possibly if you had plenty of new in) and try and have the layout similar - eg wheel in same position, house in same position and so on. Get it all set up before you move her in so you don't need to move or tweak things for the first couple of weeks while she's settling in.

You could also scatter some food around after setting it up and when you move her in - this will be a bit of a distraction from the change too and she can start nesting and hoarding straight away. Try and salvage her nest and hoard - or most of it - and put it in the place/house you want her to nest, then put a big pile of torn up strips of plain white toilet paper somewhere in the cage - not far from the house maybe, so she can pouch some and rebuild her nest properly.

Sounds like it might be a Zoozone 2 Do you have a photo?
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