Quote:
Originally Posted by Serendipity7000
Young hamsters dozing off in various places isn't unusual really. However I would suggest adding another house as well. Leave the old one where it is. Something like a tissue box is fine for a house  Maybe put a couple of treats inside it and a pile of torn up toilet paper strips next to it. It might do her good to have a new house, and if she likes it, she'll move in and build a nest.
I would keep scattering just a little bit of food each day - not a lot or the cage will end up full of food! So put food out in her dish as usual, but scatter a tiny bit on the substrate so she can forage for it.
For the cardboard house, if you can use the hole from the tissue box at the base (so it's open underneath and she can bury hoards under the nest) and cut a smaller entrance hole in one of the sides. Putting a bendy bridge tunnel over the entrance hole also helps make it darker inside.
The other thing to be aware of is the weather is really quite warm right now - it could be that she is a bit overheated if she's sitting out in the open.
There are various of ways of providing something to help them keep cool. A ceramic mug on its side makes a cool hide. If you have two ceramic mugs available, then keep one in the fridge, then swap them over now and then and put the other one in the fridge. A nice cool place for her to sit. |
Thanks so much. I was concerned for the first one when she started sitting out in the open, but I wasn't sure if that was just part of her personality. I certainly didn't expect her to die.
Sure, I'll get her a new house. I burried the spare house with the first Robo when she died.
So I'll definitely get a new tissue box now.
I think you're right, this one's probably a little overheated because she kept pushing out the bedding from her house and prefers to lie on the bare plastic. I have checked that the weather here is within the recommended range for robos, but I still think you're certainly right given all the signs, so I'll have to look into fixing it for her.
As for the ceramic mug, I'm wondering if the condensation from the chilled mug (after it starts to get warm) will seep into the substrate? Then that area will become damp (and her fur too, if she sits in it).
Should I get her a little fan? I'm not sure how that would work either because I've read that they don't like drafts.
I'll take all of your advice definitely, you've helped so much. I hope she makes it. I'm grateful to you and she'd better be grateful from the depths of her little hamster heart to you if she does. <3