Robo Care?

[NiceCrocs]

Hey guys, so some of you might know that I'm setting up a tank for a Roborovski hamster - I'm hoping to find a rescue that needs a good home

My sister had a 20 gallon long tank that she's retired from her Hermit crabs, and I have a bunch of toys, including a 6.5 inch flying saucer from when my Syrian, Margo, was a pup. She outgrew a lot of them and so I have them in a box, but I didn't want to get rid of them, and I wanted to give a home to a hamster that needed it pretty much all I need to buy is a water bottle, haha.

I'm just wondering if there's anything I need to know about caring for a Robo Hamster that I may not have thought of.

Right now my plan is to use the same diet as my Syrian: mainly oxbow (except a teaspoon of pellets instead of a tablespoon daily, which is what Margo gets) and large pinch of seed mix (Higgins sunburst) every other day, for variety. I'm also gonna try one mealworm a day to start off. Margo won't touch them, hopefully the robo will xD

I also thought I'd try in-cage hand taming to begin, and maybe move to bathtub taming if in-cage doesn't take. Taming is the only part I'm a bit nervous of: Margo was a dream to tame, but I'm aware robos can be a lot antsier.

Am I missing anything obvious, or is there anything else I should keep in mind about roborovski hams? thanks for your help!

[Erin.R]

I can tell you it's a very slow process taming a robo, they are quick little buggers lol. Be very careful if you transport them to try the tub method, they are super quick and can jump really far. I have a coupe robo's two that do not want anything to do with humans and one that is curious and will hop in my hand for a treat but that's it. I have had them for 5 months. It didn't take too long for me to realize that the ones that wanted nothing to do with me probably never would. I don't force myself on them but maybe with age they will calm down a bit

[NiceCrocs]

Thanks for the tips Erin I've already got a run-around ball to use for transport. If they end up being a '"look but don't touch pet" I'm okay with that

[NiceCrocs]

So it looks like I may be picking up a robo tomorrow!

She's being rehomed, because the owner turned out to be allergic. It's a shame, because I've been texting her and she clearly loves her hamster a lot. I've assured her that she'll have a good home, and shared some pictures of Margo's tank to reassure her.

So I'm gonna finish setting up the 20 gal tonight and get a travel cage ready. It's gonna be in the traveler for about two hours on the ride back.

Is it safe for me to put cucumber in there for water? There's a good chance this robo has never had fresh veg and I'd hate for her to develop diarrhea immediately after coming home with me

[DrKMcK]

It wouldn't happen that fast NiceCrocs, so cucumber is fine. It's really just to keep the liquid available to the hammy. Put a piece about the size of your fingernail in there. That should be more than enough for a trip home. 2 hours isn't really long enough to be harmful. I can't wait to see her.

[NiceCrocs]

Thanks DrK ^_^ I'll do just that.

[NiceCrocs]

I'm considering seeing if I can postpone the pickup until Saturday. There's a strong heat wave supposed to hit tomorrow and the air conditioner in my car doesn't work. On Saturday I should be able to borrow my mom's car, which has great a/c.

And a freak storm tonight has prevented me from bringing the tank inside >.< I was gonna wash it with vinegar tonight.

GAH. Will keep this post updated xD

[DrKMcK]

I think that's a good idea. A trip is enough in and of itself for a hammy. Having it be too hot would be too much for it. It's hard to wait, but better safe than sorry. {sigh}

[NiceCrocs]

Alright, here's my tentative setup. The flying saucers a bit dusty and needs a wash, but I stuck it in there for a second for the picture.

I've read that robos prefer less open space, so I tried to get as much stuff in there as I could x_x

You can't really see it in the pic, but the food bowl and water bottle are sitting on a 6 inch kitchen tile. I have a chinchilla chiller coming in the mail to replace it, as well as a proper ceramic water bottle holder to replace this paper one.

Probably a couple of the toys will be replaced before the hamster goes in. I think the owner wanted to send a few with me.

[cypher]

If I was a robo I think I'd be very happy in there!
I'm not sure if robos like to dig & burrow as much as Chinese & hybrids but if they do I'd be inclined to put a deeper layer of substrate in, otherwise it looks great.