Possibly 2 new robo males

[dwarfessy]

Hi

As I mentioned on a previous thread, there is a possibility of me getting a poor little male robo from gumtree. Well everything all seems to come along at once as I am also probably taking on another little boy. Since both will be coming from separate locations in london possibly within the same week, is there anything I should do to not stress them out by the presence of other hamsters (I already have a russian), i.e. should I put them all in separate rooms until they are more used to my flat, then putting them into their new cages, and then start to introduce them into the same room (I wasn't planning on introducing the male robos at all unless in the significant future their temperaments allowed me) ?


Is there anything I should worry about? I am new to robos but have read as much as I can on here and other websites.


I am in my flat almost 24/7 for the next 3 weeks as well to keep an eye on the little guys. Would never normally take on 2 so quickly but they are both so sweet looking and looking for good homes which I hope I can provide!

[kyrilliondaemon]

We put new arrivals in our living room so that they're away from our current hams for the first week - just so that we can be sure of their health before we risk them going too close to the rest.
Apart from that you should be mostly ok I think, they'll get used to each other being around soon enough :)

[racinghamster]

Hi dwarfessy. Gumtree can be a good place to find hamsters to rehome because some are desperate, while other`s are not. I definately wouldn`t put the males together at any stage. They are lone robos and probably adults now, so it can be a big risk to them as well as the added stress it would cause them. It`s much better to give them both a decent size cage. The Zoozone 1 tank is a good size for one roborovski. :) I imagine your boys are coming with their cages? If they are, you can always decide where to go from there once you see whether they need more space or not.

Robos are great little hamsters and although very fast, they have bold little characters. Some stay quite aloof while other`s do tame down more.

They shouldn`t be phased by the presence of your other hamsters although it`s wise to keep cages a good foot or so away from each other or more. Wash your hands between cages just as a precaution.

Good luck and I hope you get them. :)

[dwarfessy]

Thanks, I don't have any relatives staying for the next few weeks so I will probably make use of the guest room and living room, they are quieter in there than elsewhere in the flat at the moment.

I am more worried about one of the guys (he looks truly quite miserable on gumtree) adjusting than the other. Will make sure to post some pictures once they have begun to settle.

[dwarfessy]

They both come with cages (although one is a ferplast kora, I want to get that guy out of there asap, but from what the current owners of him have said is he can be quite skittish so I want to give him lots of time to settle), but I can now make 2 more big bin cages (I have all the basic stuff here, just need to get more stuff for more hidey places :)-my local tool shop is amazing for hidey places, ceramic pots, wooden boxes etc, even sells plastikote! The guys in there have seemed quite bemused by me as I recently made essy a big bin cage too. ) .
Both boys are about 6 months old, one is agouti and the other possibly has recessive pied gene but I would need to get a proper look at him to figure that out/put photos on HC!

[racinghamster]

Sounds good. :) The Kora cage isn`t a `bad` cage, but making something more suitable for your boys will be better, I`ve no doubt! Keep things simple. A good wheel for a robo is a 6.5" inch flying saucer. Upright wheels are fine too and if they already have upright wheels that are suitable, then I would just stick with them. Look at what substrate they are on. If it`s a brand of shavings (the Pets At Home own brand are fine and low odour) and you feel the shavings are not causing them any ills, then again, just go with that. If you really feel they need a change, then there are other alternatives, although I would give Carefresh a miss as it can be dusty and smelly. I would rather use shavings!

Look at what they are being fed on. Again, decide if their diet is okay or if it can be bettered and slowly changed over gradually. The wee lad you have concerns over may just need a better life or a simple change. But once you have more information about him, things might be obvious.

Keep us posted. :) Robos are naturally fast and scatty, but that is their normal behaviour, so go with it and enjoy their antics!

[dwarfessy]

I think the boy in the Kora has no wheel or flying saucer or anything at the moment. Sorry I keep asking loads of questions, but should I wait to put in a flying saucer (I have a spare one and I was going to get another one this weekend) or should I put it in when he gets here?

Sorry I am asking so many questions, my brain is completely sapped of all power as I have 12 hours left until my dissertation deadline for my MSc! Once it is over I can focus 100% on getting ready for the boys, although obviously I am much more interested in them than my dissertation at the moment!!

[kyrilliondaemon]

I'd hand it over when he arrives to be honest :)

[dwarfessy]

Hehehe I can now. Now to just contact to pick up :)

[kyrilliondaemon]

Good luck then :)

[racinghamster]

I would add that whatever wheel these boys have had or used, I would try and stick to what that was, or find out if they ever had a wheel. I say this because upright wheels do see to be a better option. I switched to using a flying saucer from an upright wheel and although my last robo used a flying saucer wheel with no issues, my recent older robo took a bit of a dizzy turn last night after using one of these wheel for a day after he arrived with me from a previous home where his wheel was stuck and he couldn`t use it, so it has been taken away and an upright wheel put in it`s place. Chances are my lad just wasn`t used to the angle of a flying saucer wheel, but just be aware that some robos might suffer circling issues if they have (a) never used a flying saucer wheel and only an upright wheel, or (b) have never used a wheel at all.

Personally, I would stick with upright hanging wheels as they allow the hamster to run upright and not at an angle.

[Pompompoms]

To be honest, I have all my boys in one room, and all my girls in another, same sex robos don't seems to be in the least bit bothered with neighbors, they can get a little agitated when there are females about hence the separate rooms, but you should be totally fine with your boys :).

Wheels and flying saucers are both fine, if they have only had one, they soon learn to use and get used to the other should that be how you chose to set them up. Mine tend to have both and use both equally. The only note is, and this may be where RH's Fred showed an obvious reaction to his saucer, older robos do start to struggle with the saucers a little as they require more energy to get going. Also being at an angle balance needs adjusting which for an older ham is more difficult and will take much longer so wheels tend to be the preferred choice, and I often take out the saucers for my over twos as they don't really use them any more.

[dwarfessy]

I think one of the boys hasn't got a wheel currently at all (at least not from what I can tell on the gumtree image), but I am putting in an order for some silent spinners (my russian's upright that came with the original cage was so flimsy that it got stuck really easily, she is now in a bigger bin cage so there is plenty of room for one).

Just worried at the moment because the current owner of that same boy hasn't replied recently but has reposted the same ad on gumtree....not sure whether to reply to that one to as the terms haven't changed and I can meet them at their place of work on saturday morning. This is the one in particular that I was worried about, so I would really like to rehome him to give him a better life and some love!

Sorry for another question, but this will be the first time I have a second hamster. Can hamsters reuse "accessories" used by previous hamsters so long as cleaned and disinfected properly? And if so, does this extend to things like the bendy wooden things that people often make bridges or hideys out of?

[racinghamster]

I always re-use wooden items as long as the previous hamster hasn`t soiled it too badly or had an illness that made me feel uneasy about re using it. Sometimes soaking wooden items and then drying them outside for a week in the sun works well. High temperatures kill bugs and bacteria and some people actually put things in the oven! But you need to watch for them burning.

Does the owner of the robo you are concerned about know that you want him or did they just reply and say yes, he`s still available? If you want to secure him, I would send the owner a message and give them a meeting time and place and exchange details or he may end up gone.

And thanks Pom for explaining the age related robo issues with flying saucer wheels. I knew this was what had occurred with Fred and he`s been fine since using an upright wheel. x

[dwarfessy]

Yes they are very aware that I want him, with saturday penned in a pick up date from Canary Wharf, but exact time were left until closer as they wanted to rehome him asap(and I was away from london for last weekend), but them having reposted their ad I am slightly confused, I contacted them yesterday again to confirm but no reply. Ah well, guess I will just wait and see.

[dwarfessy]

One of the boys is coming home with me tonight :D *Crazy hyper happiness here*. This will be the beautiful loved one, so I will upload photos as soon as he settled in. The journey back is less than 20 min (by bus but at that time I can always get a spare seat), with total of 20 metres walking so hopefully it shouldn't be too stressful for the little boy :) :D

[dwarfessy]

Soooo, the boy wasn't a robo but a russian...but an amazingly beautiful one so came home with me all the same!! Pretty certain he is a hybrid but is absolutely beautiful, really calm. Just giving him space now. He came in a ferplast combi, which is good as it already has a wheel and I also have another ferplast combi so can get him used to larger areas by connecting the other one before moving him up to the bin cage (which is like a palace in comparison). So happy :) Got some odd looks on the bus! I was sat opposite a woman from the battersea cats and dogs home taking home a tiny tiny puppy who needed to put on some weight and some love, looked slightly crazy together on the bus!

[racinghamster]

Aw congratulations. :) What a surprise to find he was a Russian and not a wee robo! But I hope you manage to get the robo soon as well. He does sound desperate, poor lad. I read your other post about being concerned about his claws being long? You can ask a vet to do this if you don`t want to do it yourself. It can be a two person job sometimes and only the tips need removing anyway, but they can be so wriggly it`s better to have help.

Battersea do such a wonderful job don`t they? :)