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Old 11-01-2018, 05:39 AM  
ykirobo
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: London, UK
Posts: 24
Default Re: new owner here and I need help.

Quote:
Originally Posted by cypher View Post
Welcome to HC & congrats on getting little Yuki

The most important thing is not to clean the cage except for spot cleaning pee (& you may be lucky to even find that with a robo!) for at least a few weeks, it's important as they really need to scent mark the cage to feel at home, safe & secure, they also find their way around mainly by scent.
When you do clean you only do what needs doing & depending on the size of her cage just do at most a third or half of the cage at any one time always mixing a little of the old substrate in with the new.
Avoid cleaning the nest unless it's been peed in & even then only remove what you really have to.
Leave the hoard, if it has any fresh food like veg in it you can remove it & put some fresh mix in it's place but otherwise leave it be, they tend to eat from the hoard & replace it themselves.

I would gradually switch her to a dwarf specific mix like Burgess dwarf hamster harvest which gives a good balanced nutrition but can get a little boring for them, the Bunny Dwarf HamsterDream Expert from Zooplus is a better mix really. Tiny hams need small seeds rather than the larger chunky bits you get in Harry Hamster.

On no account use scented wood shavings or anything scented like cleaners, disinfectant etc in the cage, they have very sensitive little noses!

The cage you have should be fine as a starter cage but it is small so you may want to think about a larger cage once she gains confidence but see how she goes for now.

Flying saucer type wheels are ok but better really as a second wheel for out of cage time, an upright wheel gives them a better running position & takes up much less room in the cage which you can then use for other things.

She will need a sand bath with chinchilla sand (not dust) the tiny friends farm brand is about the best, you can use any kind of container for it as long as it's big enough for her to dig & roll about in. Robos love their sand & it's important for keeping their coat in good condition.

Hope that helps a bit, if you have any more questions just ask.

ETA I forgot the bit about dog biscuits & dentastixs, with a good diet they don't actually need extra chews but most do enjoy whimzee dog chews, the small toothbrush would be ok for a robo, I wouldn't recommend using any other dog chews. Many dog biscuits are unsuitable & really aren't necessary although Pedigree Biscrok are ok in moderation, I do give my dwarf hams some occasionally no more than half a one every 3 or 4 weeks though.
For treats or extras try to go for natural things like millet sprays, flax seeds, sunflower & pumpkin seeds in the shell, a monkey nut once in a while & millet sprays are all good.
Hello!!

I followed your advice and I got her the tiny friends chinchilla bathing sand and she loves it. I saw some poop and food on it though this morning so I don't know what she is using it for.

I will probably rearrange her cage in a couple of weeks to give her more space and toys to use and ran around.

I will be switching her nutrition to what you recommended and I also bought her Woodlands Twig Mix and the Vegetable Patch Mix.

One more question. Shall I give her a bit of food everyday or just fill her bowl and change it every 2 to 3 days? I have seen posts about people doing it daily or some every 3 days and Im a bit confused.

Thank you so much for your help!!
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