Scottie

[cloudy]

As im used to Orko it surprises me to hear some robos could have a temper. I hope you dont get bitten!

[Ria P]

Originally Posted by cloudy

As im used to Orko it surprises me to hear some robos could have a temper. I hope you dont get bitten!

He bit me once before but my timing was off. It may be wiser to get him out in the morning when he's naturally awake. See what he says.
I checked Clive's wheel this morning and had to move his cage a little. I immediately got squawked at from the depth of the substrate.
I need to work on my timing, lol.

I was a link in a hamster rescue chain today. All 3 dwarf hamsters are in a rescue now and staying in Hamster Heavens. Definitely made my day to watch them explore.

[cloudy]

Lol, it does seem you need to work on your timing!

Oh how lovely, that is wonderful. I hope they all find loving homes.

[Ria P]

I took Scottie out for a health check and trimmed a couple of nails while i had him out. His teeth are fine and in good shape. Couldn't see or feel any lumps and his fur looks ok. Maybe a touch thin on his belly but he's always had yellow belly because he scents a lot. He doesn't have a fluffy, white underside like a female Robo has. He feels light but he's a small Robo and i've never managed to weigh him so can't compare. I know that i should weigh him from time to time.
These observations may sound a bit odd but they are my own and i'm no expert on Robos.
Bad timing again but Scottie was very tolerant and only squeaked at me and nipped me once.

I checked his HH and everything appears to be as it should be.

After losing so many dwarfs i've become worried about not being able to reckognize signs of ailments early enough.

I feel more confident with my care of the Syrians because they are big, easy to handle and check over, i handle them a lot and they have routines and almost predictable behaviours. Anything unusual or abnormal i would probably notice early on.

[cloudy]

I totally understand how loosing your dwarf hamsters has made you more worried about Scottie. It sounds like the health check went well and he is physically okay.

[Stanza]

Originally Posted by Ria P

He bit me once before but my timing was off. It may be wiser to get him out in the morning when he's naturally awake. See what he says.
I checked Clive's wheel this morning and had to move his cage a little. I immediately got squawked at from the depth of the substrate.
I need to work on my timing, lol.

I was a link in a hamster rescue chain today. All 3 dwarf hamsters are in a rescue now and staying in Hamster Heavens. Definitely made my day to watch them explore.

Good news to hear Scotties health check and cage check went well and that all is ok. Also good he was tolerant towards you doing this with no biting.

Great also to hear the hamsters are now in a rescue home, fantastic!

[Ria P]

I am annoyed with myself and wished i'd take on board and act on everything i've learned.

After cleaning, disinfecting and thouroughly drying all of dear Gertie's reusable furniture, i decided to give Scottie one of her corner shelves.

I replaced a degu shelf with a slightly bigger shelf, took the small bendy tube off as it was no longer needed (mistake no 1), added a cute roof (mistake no 2), replaced the unbalanced water spoon with a tiny reptile dish (mistake no 3), put the food dish next to the water bowl (mistake no 4) and to top it all off, i relocated the spiral stairs and added another cork log (mistake no 5).

Result:
Scottie went on hungerstrike and wouldn't eat his fresh veg. His food bowl looked untouched.

Scottie refused to come out to play but became very interactive with me, for Robo standards that is.

Scottie nibbled the cork log then looked at me.
Scottie nibbled the spiral stairs, put his paws on it then looked at me.

Scottie wouldn't go on the new shelf and drunk from his bottle on the other side while i was watching.

I finally got the message and put everything back the way it was but left the shelf.
Scottie sat on the shelf opposite, watching, while i did that and didn't run away with my hands in his cage and fiddling about!

Once finished, he pouched seeds from the bowl and went to bed. This morning all his fresh food had gone.

Scottie, i am so sorry that you have to put up with a human who is an idiot.

[cloudy]

I think you are being so hard on yourself! You made some changes to make Scottie happy. You thought he would like them and did it out of love. You are not an idiot, you are a kind and caring person who cares deeply for your hamsters.

It is wonderful the way Scottie was able to communicate and express his dislike to you. He even watched you making the changes rather then hiding. It shows so much trust in his 'idiot human'.

[Stanza]

Oh Ria, it was worth a try and you never know he may have really liked it and then you’d have been thinking yes, success! I think it’s adorable he sat whilst you put everything back apart from the larger shelf, shows how much he trusts and loves you back for all your caring ways, knowing you’d return everything back if he was displeased. You have such an amazing bond with all your hamsters.

[Ria P]

Glad to report that Scottie is "talking" to me again after i've put his world back in order.

With his tube, water spoon and spiral stairs back in place, he came running this morning when he heard me to receive his morning snack.