Advice pls: Is it safe to move 3.5 week old babies (& Mu

As most of you already know, Bruce my robo surprised me with a litter 3.5 weeks ago. All 4 babies are doing fabulously well (what a relief!) but I'd really like to move them to a bigger cage (Gabber).

As is obvious from the name, I thought I'd bought a male (rather than an already pregnant female) so Bruce was originally living with Arnie and Sylvester (who also turned out to be a pregnant female - but that's another thread!) but I had to remove Bruce at 2am one night due to fighting. I put Bruce in my "emergency bin" (as my back-up Rody was already taken as I'd just bought Poppy, my gorgeous WW).

Anyway, to cut a long story short, when I went to move Bruce out of the emergency bin to a newly bought cage the next day, that was when I discovered the babies. So, they've been living in the tiny bin for the last 3.5 weeks and to say its getting crowded is an understatement.

I really, really want to move them into one of the new Gabbers that I have and I'd rather do it now if you think its safe enough? The "emergency bin" is just so tiny that it worries me that it might be hampering their development. The babies turn 4 weeks old this Sat so I'll be separating the males out then anyway but I'd like to move everyone into the bigger cage now - and then separate into an additional cage at the weekend (I think I have 3 boys and 1 girl so the boys will stay in the Gabber and Mum & daughter will move to another Rody/Gabber).

This is a photo of the current tiny bin (see what I mean?)

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii88 ... Apr005.jpg

So...I really need your advice please guys! What do I do for the best? Leave them until the weekend or move them tonight?

[Tammy22]

Hi ELC,

So sorry i havent replied to you pm, it completely went out of my mind once i had read it , it has been very hectic here, sorry!!

It really should be fine to move them now as they are over three weeks old, as baby Robos can be removed from the mother at 3 weeks if they need to be, so i dont think you will have any trouble

Maybe you could still place part of the old nest in the gabber? Just to be on the safe side.

Good Luck

Tammy x

[Spuds Mum]

Mmm I see what you mean - there's not much room for growing boys and girls to zip about is there?

I'm no expert on this though, but I would have thought, if you keep certain items to move over to the new cage you should be alright - maybe keep the nesting material the same - dont change the sand bath or wash the wheels - hopefully Tammy22 will be on soon and give some better advice.

[Spuds Mum]

oh and she was already there! sorry I must have been very slow typing my reply then

Much better to talk to someone who understands robos as well as Tammy22 does

That's a relief! Thanks Tammy and Spud's Mum. I'm filling shavings in the Gabber as I write this. Do you think its okay to put the shelf in??? I don't want tiny robo feet getting stuck - although saying that, the babies are almost as big as Bruce now (she's such a tiny little girl herself).

[Tammy22]

I have never housed Roborovskis in Gabbers so i'm not sure about how they are with the shelves, but i'm sure that if you or anyone else has had success with adult robos and the shelf, then these nearly adult robos should cope fine with it

Tammy x

[I_am_plankton]

Good luck, just a note on the shelf in the gabber: by robo has never had problems with getting stuck *touch wood* so hopefully they'll be fine

[Tammy22]

I have a Winter White / Campbell Hybrid (i think) which i brought from a pet shop about a year and half ago, who was pregnant when i got her , of course i didnt know at the time and only found out when she gave birth two days after bringing her home.

She only had one baby which died so i took it away from her and she chewed out of a platic cage in one night to try and find the baby woke up the next morning to find her staring up at me in the middle of the floor - it was heartbreaking to see

She was absolutely timy when i got her and she didnt grow very much at all after giving birth so young, i think it stunted her growth , maybe bruce will be similar after giving birth so young?

My Lilly is still a wonderful pet and very loving too, she licks everyone who holds her and falls asleep in everyones hands, i dont think she ever got over losing the baby, i know it sounds silly, but i really do think it affected her emotionally, as she was so young .

She is wonderfully tame - i will try to take some pics, although she is a little strange looking, lol! as she seems to have a crooked dorsal stripe - still very cute though

Tammy x

Oh Tammy, she sounds like a real little sweetie! I think you're right - Bruce will probably stay sized as a cute little dot. At least she's settling down a bit now - I got her to take some chicken from my fingers earlier. Quite an achievement. She's still much less tame than her babies (and I suspect she's passing her nervousness on a little to them) but she's improving a lot.

I kept the shelf in (thank for the reasurrance IN). (My big robo boy Arnie and his 4 little P@H adoptee buddies all live together in a Gabber and they seem to manage fine with the shelf.) I put an extra water bottle in on the "lower level" just in case the babies couldn't get up the shelf but they've already been up there so everything's looking good. I think they've all just gone for a sleep after the excitement!

So now I can concentrate on worrying about Sylvester's "nutlets" instead. They've just opened their eyes tonight so its all very exciting!! I'm hoping to get some pics soon but every time a baby escapes, Sylvester has started dragging them back in quicker than I can get my camera!

[Tammy22]

Glad everything is going ok, it will be a very entertaining house you have, lol, with a colony of Robos in each cage!!

They are so much more entertaining when there is more than one in each cage, i love to watch them interact - you wont need the television soon!!

Tammy x