Say hello to Pip (Aka Pipkin)

[Ria P]

Did you see Pip today?

[Pebbles82]

Nope. I think he's sensed the change. Two of us downstairs and more talking. He's been awol. However I am finding more and more grungy surprises after leaving OH in charge for a month! He's done a grand job - done all the cooking and fed Pip every night - except - he literally did what I asked - put a spoonful of Pip's food out and changed his water. But didn't empty the food bowl after it got full - just kept adding another spoonful! And after a month - the whole of the top shelf is a carpet of food and the food bowl piled high. And the hemp mat soaking wet - which is strange as it has a tile under the water bowl. Oh well. Had to do a mini clean up on the shelf.

The other surprises were ceramic hob is ruined and a lot of dirt everywhere in the kitchen! Mucky pawprints all over the fridge and the worktops are filthy - ugh. However am quite impressed at OH's creative cucumber carvings. I tend to waste a lot - cut a whole slice and then give Pip a tiny bit of that slice and bin the rest. The cucumber goes manky before it's finished anyway - no-one else eats cucumber. OH hasn't wasted any cucumber - he's carved out little chunks from the top cut piece - looks like artwork lol.

I won't complain - but might ask him to do a bit of a clean up! I'm still not 100%

[Pebbles82]

Actually Pip did come out before I went to bed. Went over to talk to him. He did a kind of victory roll around his cage a couple of times then stopped to look at me as if to say WTF!

I'm not sure if the victory roll was saying he was excited and pleased to see me, or if he was just a bit thrown that the hemp mat on the shelf had been cleaned up a bit. But the WTF look was a good 30 seconds. I am not sure if it was peeved, a telling off or just - what's what then?

[Ria P]

LOL!!! He was pleased to see you or maybe he was fed up with cucumber and was glad that his dinner lady had come out of hibernation.

[Pebbles82]

Well he did get cucumber again, but also a monkey nut and a yippee so he'll have been happy about that. I forgot to tell OH to put the odd treat out as well.

At some point I need to replace or dry out the hemp mat from the shelf. It was absolutely soaked. OH said he wanted to make sure water came out of the bottle and might have left it a bit loose. and the food bowl was already full when I was upstairs and he didn't think to empty it so just kept putting more on top (hence it was all over the place! A month's worth of hamster food. Never mind.

[Ria P]

Well, what can i say, men have a slightly different approach to things.
Would it not be easier to simply replace the hemp mat with a new one and use cardboard in the meantime?

[Pebbles82]

Yes it needs replacing. OH just did the job - didn't realise water had leaked out. He doesn't really know how things are supposed to be in the cage anyway.

But yes he has certainly had his own way of doing things in the kitchen! It's like a grungy bachelor pad And mud everywhere! The minute your out of sight they don't take their shoes off.

I'm just as bad - if I'm left to my own devices I turn into a bacherlorette as well.

Anyway mustn't whinge - he's been cooking my dinner for a month.

[Pebbles82]

Just parking this link here so I don't lose it again How to tame Roborovski hamsters (by a breeder).

With being unwell for so long and various other things relating to that, Pip's taming has gone nowhere. I need to start again with talking to him a lot more and then try to get him out. But he's become quite independent now so just goes back in his house if I put something in to get him to walk into. Anyway - his cage needs sorting out at one end so I may get chance to try some out of cage timing soon, but I don't want to start until I can commit to doing it regularly - so it might have to wait a bit longer.

The Roborovski's Dwarf Hamster

[Ria P]

That taming method works. The Robos become more relaxed around hands after regular handling and slow down. Running around in the playground is their reward here. No different from any other hamster really.

I think sometimes people put their hand in and wait for the Robo to walk onto it. They're in for a long wait. So long that they give up and decide that a Robo is a hamster to watch.

That living in groups or pairs statement is worrying and misleading though. It's simply not true.

[Pebbles82]

Ah yes - I know some breeders do believe robos should live in groups or pairs and there are different opinions on it - I would say it's only something for experienced owners. I think breeders as well have often raised their robos from birth together.