Gerald new cage! 💜

[Gerald]

48349

48350

Gerald in his new cage. He loves it already. Could I add more stuff?

[Pebbles82]

Is that his new Barney cage? It looks very nice and he looks happy :-). A couple of suggestions/comments if you don't mind.

1) His wheel is super tiny! He needs a bigger wheel or he'll get back pain.
2) It looks like you've got fluffy bedding or kapok in there which is dangerous stuff so best removed. The safest nesting material, and they like it, is sheets of plain white toilet paper torn into strips.
3) The shredded paper would be best replaced with standard substrate. They can get paper cuts and also the ink isn't good for them.

A nice big house might be a good thing to add so he can build a big nest with the strips of toilet paper. A shoebox house would be fine if you don't want to buy one. You cut the base out of the shoebox (so it's open underneath and sat on the substrate), cut a hole in one of the long sides at one end (so the other end is dark). And use the lid as a lift-off roof so you can check inside without needing to take the house out, so his nest doesn't fall apart.

The roof can also double up as another level for a food bowl eg. If put a bendy stick bridge over the door it adds a tunnel entrance, makes it dark inside and is also a ramp up to the roof :-)

[mazzypan]

So adorable :D

[Gerald]

Is that his new Barney cage? It looks very nice and he looks happy :-). A couple of suggestions/comments if you don't mind.

1) His wheel is super tiny! He needs a bigger wheel or he'll get back pain.
2) It looks like you've got fluffy bedding or kapok in there which is dangerous stuff so best removed. The safest nesting material, and they like it, is sheets of plain white toilet paper torn into strips.
3) The shredded paper would be best replaced with standard substrate. They can get paper cuts and also the ink isn't good for them.

A nice big house might be a good thing to add so he can build a big nest with the strips of toilet paper. A shoebox house would be fine if you don't want to buy one. You cut the base out of the shoebox (so it's open underneath and sat on the substrate), cut a hole in one of the long sides at one end (so the other end is dark). And use the lid as a lift-off roof so you can check inside without needing to take the house out, so his nest doesn't fall apart.

The roof can also double up as another level for a food bowl eg. If put a bendy stick bridge over the door it adds a tunnel entrance, makes it dark inside and is also a ramp up to the roof :-)


Hi. That fluffy stuff says it's perfectly safe for small animals.

What size wheel would be ok?

Ill try a house but he does love his guttering lol.

[alpacassei]

Hi. That fluffy stuff says it's perfectly safe for small animals.

What size wheel would be ok?

Ill try a house but he does love his guttering lol.

Unfortunately even though they say it’s safe, its not. They say its safe since its made with natural cotton or kapok fibre but the material its made from is the least of its issues.

Fluffy bedding can get caught around claws and teeth, sometimes even causing amputations! It can also get stuck in their pouches and cause internal blockages if swallowed. Its also not very pleasant for them to pouch - imagine stuff your mouth with wads of cotton balls.

You’ll need a 28cm wheel so thst Gerald can run with his back completely straight. The Trixie wheels on Zooplus are cheap and good quality. If you want a silent wheel, the Silent Runner (not Spinner) and Wodent Wheels are good options but more expensive. Theres also wooden wheels which are good choices as well but with need varnishing with Plastikote so they’re easier to clean.

[flowerfairy]

Fluffy bedding isnt safe. Cages are much too small as are wheels. The pet industry is looking for profit not animal welfare.