Say hello to Pip (Aka Pipkin)

[arnoldshirl]

Hi Pip!!

You may be small Pip, but you take up a big piece of Serendipty's heart!!

[Pebbles82]

Thanks Arnoldshirl Pip waves back with his whiskers

[Pebbles82]

Thinking of ideas for getting Pip out of the cage easily for some playpen/taming sessions. I am sure he wants to come out and comes right up to you at the door, but he is very averse to a hand (or anything) being put in the cage and runs into his house. A while back I tried putting a small hamster ball in the cage with a treat in. That kind of worked as he went in the ball to get the treat. The idea then was I put my hand over the entrance hole and lift him out but he was too fast for me. As soon as he saw my hand entering the cage he shot out before I even got my hand near the ball.

As his cage is so large and with so much bedding it would be nigh on impossible to rummage about and try and scoop him up, so something he can walk into would be better.

I also tried putting the snooze cube in the cage but he runs away from that too (Nugget used to walk into that).

So I've been thinking about these ferplast addon cubes. Two joined together with a tube - then when he goes through the tube to the far one I could put my hand over the entrance to the first one and lift him out in the cubes.

Although that might just be the same issue as the hamster ball - except he'd be further away from the entrance. Not quite sure where I'd put them in the cage though.

There's also this hamster exercise pod thing which might be easier - but that;s quite large to fit. With the centre level removed it's basically a ball with a flat bottom and tube entrances/exits.

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.co.uk

[Ria P]

Those two items are the same as a transport ball just a different shape so a waste of money in my opinion.

When i put my hands in to scoop up Lola she runs into her little corklog so i cover both ends with my hands to take her out.

With Scottie i have to wait till he runs into his glass bon bon jar sandbath and then cover the entrance with the ball that has a treat. Mostly he walks in but if he doesn't then i give up and try another night.

The other night i couldn't catch Scottie so removed a few items which was a mistake and i won't do that again. He's very territorial, got mad and bit my finger!!

When Pip comes to the door and you open the door, does he stay there or run away? I was thinking of placing a tube or the ball on the door for him to get nosey and hopefully walk in. Maybe a Pringle tube with one end closed so you could slightly tip it up when he's in it would be better. Or place the tube inside the cage but close to the door which is probably safer.

Thing is, with a Robo you have to be quick, very quick.

[Pebbles82]

Thanks Ria. He is too Savvy! No nothing for him to walk into works - and if you put anything in the cage like a tube, or even just outside the door of the cage he just goes and hides or goes in his house (ie underground). Occasionally he goes under the shelf or in a large seagrass hide so doesn't go into anything I can lift him out in. Hence I was wondering about the cubes as they are lift-out-able. Agree they are more or less the same thing as a ball - but they do have a
tunnel entrance which gives a bit more time to get your hand over the entrance and a smaller entrance to cover.

But yes they are quick. If I'm cleaning part of the cage I can probably scoop him into the ball (he disappeared last time so no sign of him!) but I can dismantle everything every time I get him out.

Hmm. I think the cubes might work better for time - if they were connected together with a 6" tube and then the first one had another 6" tube going into it, he would be quite a long way from that first entrance tube and I could get my hand over it.

Maybe not - that would be quite an awkward thing to lift out - without it collapsing.

The pod thing though is just like a ball as you say - Two of the tube holes could be blocked off and I could maybe have quite a long tunnel leading to it. So he can't shoot out too quick.

Nope that would be awkward to lift out too.

It worked tempting him into something with a treat/food but he is very wary of avoiding hands.

Until I have him out for some handling I don't think that will improve. If you put your hand near the entrance with a treat on he runs and hides and won't come out again till well after you've closed the cage door.

Sometimes he runs at the door as if he wants to come out - but on his own!

I agree it might be a waste of money. But I was half wishing I had the Ferplast 100 which has a tube connector and could have tubes connected to the cage running down into a playpen so he could get out independently and then have some out of cage time.

Not ideal for a robo as he could probably get down angled tubes, but wouldn't be able to get up them again (which is ok as I would be able to pick him up from the playpen to get him into something to go back in the cage.

I think this is why people start them off in smaller cages for taming!

He seems quite happy in his cage and his routines and lots of places to go, but I'm thinking he must get a bit bored never leaving it - so adding something new might be interesting. I could technically replace the large seagrass hide with the plastic pod thing with a tunnel leading to it.

I saw one person had it as a sand bath - the centre grey bit removed so it's just an enclosed hide, and sand in the bottom.

Anyway not rushing it as have a lot on at the moment.

[Pebbles82]

For now I have just bought one of these. Considering cutting a hole in the savic plaza and attaching this plate (rather than changing his cage). With tubes going down to something like a Ferplast combi one (which is useful as a pet carrier or hospital cage). Which I could then take to the playpen to get him out.

Thinking about it anyway. And it gives him somewhere else to go. External tubes aren't very secure but it can be blanked off and just used occasionally.

FPI 4820 Ferplast U.K. | Ferplast U.K.

[Ria P]

I so totally understand this dilemma. Your mention of the tubes made me think though. Once Jim moves out i want to move Scottie into a Hamster Heaven. I could cut the wire lower down to attach a tube which i could easily block off again. The HH would need to sit on a dolly trolley and the tube could lead into a small bin cage with, i don't know yet what. So, when i try to catch him in the HH he may run into the tube and bin and then i've got him, in theory and wishful thinking.

Trouble is that hamsters have a habit of outwitting us humans, especially Robos.

Hmm, i have the tools and lots of spares from Hamster Heavens i bought so could give it a go.
If it works it could also work with your Plaza.

I can only see two problems here, Pipkin and Scottie....

[Pebbles82]

Lol - yes they do have a habit of outwitting us! I am not keen on external tubes - especially for syrians - as they're an escape route - but maybe for a robo ..............I'm also not keen on cutting a hole in the cage! Hence wondering about putting something in the cage to lift out. But I do like the idea of him being able to go somewhere else and get him from there!

I had been determined to start taming regularly with Pip (after leaving it so long with our last robo). But events took over - I was stuck upstairs for ages unwell! He is now very independent in his cage. And I have good days and bad days so want to keep things as simple as possible.

Nugget was in a smaller cage - 80 x 50 - and I did have to virtually remove everything to get him out. Pip is a bit braver and will come up to the bars to see you, but it's very much "don't stick anything through that door or I'm off".

And it would be a lot to dismantle! I am due to clean halff the cage at some point soon so would probably get him out then, and was trying to prepare for something for next time without needing to dismantle everything.

Seems a bit sneaky having a downhill tube he goes out of and probably can't get back up again (hence I could then disconnect it at the top and have him in something small enough to transport and get him out of).

But if he got wise to that he may just ignore the tube. These connecting tubes etc add up cost wise as well.

I'd actually prefer to buy a new ferplast cage (with the tube connectors) rather than cut the plaza! But the Criceti 100 is out of stock (it would be an excellent upgrade size wise but no front door). And the Criceti 15 would be a bit of a downgrade.

In a way the large front opening door isn't working so well with Pip as he can so easily fall out and runs at it. Nice for some interaction - he will sit half way back on his log and listen to me while I talk to him with the door open.

Having said that. I've always liked the idea of a long tunnel from the cage direct to a playpen - considered it with the barney small front doors and large extendable plastic tube. But it didn't quite fit with too many gaps.

[Pebbles82]

On second thoughts, if he did leave the cage via a tube, it would probably only be at night, when I'm not around. So maybe just wasted money on that cage tube attachment. But it may come in handy some time. So I'll go back to the drawing board with something for inside the cage!

[Ria P]

I'm going to trial this tube idea because i won't need to buy anything, can block it off again and can arrange it so he can go down the tube and back up again.