Preparing to Own a Roborovski Dwarf Hamster (Checklist) - Page 2

cypher · 11-05-2015, 11:39 PM

I would avoid plants in the cage too, real or fake, sprouted seeds in a safe unfertilised peat or just grown on kitchen paper are ok for short periods but not left in the cage all the time.
As far as I know pinecones are fine, I've used them with mine, they don't chew them much but seem to enjoy rolling them around & they're great for hiding tiny seeds in for them to hunt out!

velma · 11-06-2015, 12:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cypher

As far as I know pinecones are fine, I've used them with mine, they don't chew them much but seem to enjoy rolling them around & they're great for hiding tiny seeds in for them to hunt out!

Good to know. They look like they'd be lovely in a cage but I had a vague notion I'd read they were harmful to hams if chewed. Turns out I probably mixed that up!

ShanRICK · 11-06-2015, 06:07 AM

Thank you velma and cypher for the helpful advice! I probably won't bother with plants then.

flowerfairy · 11-07-2015, 06:55 AM

I am wanting to adopt a robo too.

Would a barney cage be any good for one or is a tank style better?

A few suitable robo cages wouldmbe helpful please.

velma · 11-07-2015, 11:15 AM

I think a lot depends on your preference for tanks or cages. For a robo, I rate a tank. I don't have experiences with cage so I can't recommend you any but for tanks. The ferplast duna are good & not too heavy. Hector, my robo lives in a duna mini ( about 55cm long) which is a but small but he doesn't like big spaces. They can be a good starter cage as they make taming a bit easier before you put a robo in a big cage/tank with a tonne of room. Then there is the duna multy (which is about 71cm long, I have one and I like it but weird Hector didn't)) or the duna multy maxi (99cm long). I have a kerry terrarium too (currently for my Syrian) which I really like but it's glass so weighs a tonne. There are plenty of other options such as bin cages or detolfs as well as the barred cage options but I don't have experience with any of those to give you any advice.

ShanRICK · 11-13-2015, 09:51 AM

So I'm putting together my final checklist, and I few a few quick questions:

I wanted to get some wooden bendy bridges, (Wicker Bridge for Small Pets at zooplus) and I wanted to check if the small size is best. It says it's 10cmx21cm

Also, what size wheel is best? I'm getting the Wonderland karlie wooden wheel. I've heard the 15cm ones are too small and aren't silent. Is the 20cm diameter one better?

Is this branch suitable? (Trixie Sand-Blasted Branch: Free P&P on orders £29+ at zooplus!) it's the trixie sand-blasted branch.

Thanks

cypher · 11-13-2015, 10:11 AM

I think the size of bendy bridge depends what you want to use it for, they do come in useful for all sorts of things so I usually keep a selection but if it's just for a little hideout the small one should be fine.
I'd go for the 20cm wheel, they turn easily so a robo shouldn't have any problem with that & there's not much worse than a wheel that's too small!
The branch is fine.
Happy shopping

ShanRICK · 11-13-2015, 10:14 AM

Thanks for the quick reply cypher! I think I will go for a variety of sizes too since they seem very useful, but I wanted to check small size was good for a little hideout.

ShanRICK · 11-15-2015, 04:37 PM

So I have almost completed my final checklist of everything I think I will need, and I just need to decide on food, substrate, sand, food bowl, and sand bath container.

Right now I have a couple of questions about bowls/containers. I've decided to go for reptile resin bowls to create a natural look.

For a 'litter tray' filled with sand, does this corner reptile bowl look suitable? ZooMed Repti Rock Corner Bowl Small - Water Bowls - Feeding Equipment - Blue Lizard Reptiles - Reptile Shop
It's called ZooMed Repti Rock Corner Bowl and the small size is 12.2 x 11.9 x 3.8 cm.
I understand it might be quite tall, so I was thinking of pushing the bowl into the substrate a little so it is easier to access.

Also, I was wondering, if I used say an 8th of the tank on one end and put a small layer of sand instead of substrate, and then put the reptile bowl litter tray in the corner and filled that with sand too, would it still use it as a litter tray. I know not all hams can be litter trained, and some will pee in the area they also use as a sand bath. But if I do this, could it possibly encourage them to use the general sand area to bathe in, but pee in the corner bowl? I hope my description actually made sense.

For a food bowl, I, still looking at various reptile bowls on this website (http://www.bluelizardreptiles.co.uk/...ent/waterbowls), but I'm also considering using the smallest size BecoBowl since the wavy sides would give better acces for a small/young robo. I also wanted to know what sort of bowl would be suitable for water. I am buying the the classic bottles too, but I will during if it was worth trying out both at some point to see what my ham would prefer. I know bowls are more risky as they could drown if the water isn't shallow enough, and the water could evaporate if it's hot.

cypher · 11-16-2015, 12:00 AM

I would think that reptile bowl would be ok as a sandbath, you may have to let your ham decide where the litter tray will go, the usual way to do it is to wait & see where they pee (often close to the nest) then put the litter tray there with some soiled substrate on top to encourage them to use it, they often pee in sand bath or sand areas, it's really not a problem as the damp sand clumps up & is easy to scoop out.
The becobowls are really nice & the smallest would be fine for a robo, I have some for my russians & they work well even my old guy can use it with ease, a very small reptile dish would be fine for water if you want to use one, they are usually deep enough & quite heavy so don't get tipped over.