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cypher · 09-16-2020, 11:33 PM

It can take them anything up to a couple of weeks to adjust to a new cage so you will need to give him time.
It is quite a big cage & fairly tall so I would think about putting some small shelves or ledges in to make it safer & seem less empty, you can buy ones that bolt onto the bars, degu shelves from amazon, lava ledges available in pet shops & online, ranch house cages on ebay do some good shelves too.
I would put more substrate in, as much as the base will hold or even more with some cardboard around the inside to stop it from falling out.
If you do that he should be able to reach the shelf from the substrate easily, I would ditch the plastic ramp & replace it with a bendy bridge or two, Russian hams do tend to peer over the edge of shelves & jump or fall so you do need to make that safer.
You can use hemp mat in the cage but I doubt it would work on a ramp, it might be an idea to put some on the plastic shelf though so it’s more comfortable for him & would also slightly cushion falls if he bar climbs, they are goo at climbing up but not down so tend to let go & fall.
I would fill up more of the space with hides like cork tunnels or coconut hides, even things like egg boxes with a couple of holes cut into them to make him feel safer & make it more fun for him.
Does he have a house for sleeping in? YOu could put a large wooden house with a lid that lifts off at the opposite end to the shelf, the rodipet labyrinth houses or granite houses are good, they do need a good size house with no base on deep substrate to dig down & nest in, a bendy bridge over the door helps to make it darker inside too & works well. You can then use the house as a shelf too for other toys, water, food bowls, hides etc.
Have a look at the lets see your cages thread for more ideas.
Let's see your cages - New thread - July 2017

edit sorry I only just thought, you're in the US so some of the shelves & houses I mentioned won't be available but you should be able to get some thing similar.
For a house you can even use a shoebox with the base cut out.

09-16-2020, 11:33 PM
cypher Dwarf whisperer Join Date: May 2014 Location: Wales UK Posts: 24,789	Re: scared in new cage It can take them anything up to a couple of weeks to adjust to a new cage so you will need to give him time. It is quite a big cage & fairly tall so I would think about putting some small shelves or ledges in to make it safer & seem less empty, you can buy ones that bolt onto the bars, degu shelves from amazon, lava ledges available in pet shops & online, ranch house cages on ebay do some good shelves too. I would put more substrate in, as much as the base will hold or even more with some cardboard around the inside to stop it from falling out. If you do that he should be able to reach the shelf from the substrate easily, I would ditch the plastic ramp & replace it with a bendy bridge or two, Russian hams do tend to peer over the edge of shelves & jump or fall so you do need to make that safer. You can use hemp mat in the cage but I doubt it would work on a ramp, it might be an idea to put some on the plastic shelf though so it’s more comfortable for him & would also slightly cushion falls if he bar climbs, they are goo at climbing up but not down so tend to let go & fall. I would fill up more of the space with hides like cork tunnels or coconut hides, even things like egg boxes with a couple of holes cut into them to make him feel safer & make it more fun for him. Does he have a house for sleeping in? YOu could put a large wooden house with a lid that lifts off at the opposite end to the shelf, the rodipet labyrinth houses or granite houses are good, they do need a good size house with no base on deep substrate to dig down & nest in, a bendy bridge over the door helps to make it darker inside too & works well. You can then use the house as a shelf too for other toys, water, food bowls, hides etc. Have a look at the lets see your cages thread for more ideas. Let's see your cages - New thread - July 2017 edit sorry I only just thought, you're in the US so some of the shelves & houses I mentioned won't be available but you should be able to get some thing similar. For a house you can even use a shoebox with the base cut out. __________________ Slave to Zak. Always loved, never forgotten, forever in my heart T'ycor, Ziggy, Zephyr, Flynt, Mickle, Little Whisp, Zen, Zeki, Tinwë, Zylvan, Míriel, Calyanwë, Gusto & Meri ❤️ Last edited by cypher; 09-16-2020 at 11:47 PM.