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DreadCthulhu posted:Do you guys know what this thread needs more of? More chinchilla questions! Getting two (or more) guinea pigs would be a much better choice if you aren't going to be home very much. That isn't to say guinea pigs don't need any attention or socialization, because they do, but some guinea pigs I know are happy enough to just be with their buddies and receive food from the giant hands from above.
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Jul 27, 2010 15:06
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Quick change of subject here: What should I name my pet Hedgehog (Not a rodent, but close enough, damnit)?
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Jul 27, 2010 18:43
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whatspeakyou posted:Quick change of subject here: What should I name my pet Hedgehog (Not a rodent, but close enough, damnit)? Sonic, obviously.
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Jul 27, 2010 18:45
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Sirotan posted:Sonic, obviously. I'd prefer not to be like the rest of the hedgehog owners on this planet and attempt to be "clever" like that.
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Jul 27, 2010 18:55
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whatspeakyou posted:Quick change of subject here: What should I name my pet Hedgehog (Not a rodent, but close enough, damnit)? Captain Abernathy.
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Jul 27, 2010 19:16
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whatspeakyou posted:I'd prefer not to be like the rest of the hedgehog owners on this planet and attempt to be "clever" like that. Shadow, then?  Did you actually think I was serious.
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Jul 27, 2010 19:16
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you never know. I was considering Bruce Quillis.
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Jul 27, 2010 20:09
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Pierce
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Jul 27, 2010 21:08
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Mr. Pricklepants  
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Jul 27, 2010 23:36
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DreadCthulhu posted:Do you guys know what this thread needs more of? More chinchilla questions! Alucinor is basically right about all that he said. I happen to think Chinchillas are good pets, but they certainly aren't for everyone. Chinchillas require quite a bit of attention and need daily supervised out of cage time. Luckily for the working person, they sleep during the day and wake up at dusk, and love routines. Like most rodents they find plastic and especially cables to be delicious, so these things cannot be around during their play time, even if you are supervising them closely. And even with supervision they will still manage to destroy the woodwork in your house. They cannot be potty trained, although my chins rarely, though not never, urinate during their playtime anymore. They WILL poop, A LOT, everywhere, but their feces is of the hard rodent pellet variety that are easily swept or vacuumed up and don't really smell. To deter cage boredom, chinchillas love being spoiled with new toys like chews or hay cubes, pumice stones, natural loofahs, and fleece toys. They will also need a very large wheel ("15" diameter which you typically can't find in the pet store), and lots of ledges, hidey places, and tunnels. Initial Set-up and toys will be the most expensive part of owning a chinchilla.. food is very cheap because one $10 bag of pellets can feed them for 1-2 months, and hay also lasts quite a while. From what I understand, there's not a huge difference between male and females, though I have heard some preference for males because they cannot spray urine when they are upset unlike females. I don't advise against getting chinchillas, but please understand the commitment that will be required, their dietary and other special needs  and do lots and lots of research before you decide this is the pet for you.
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Aug 8, 2010 07:31
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The best mouse in the world has passed away  I would like to share her story, because I sure as hell am not going to be able to fall asleep right now.In March 2009 I was browsing the Facebook marketplace because hey, free ugly furniture for broke college kids. I came across this picture in a "free to good home" listing.  Living in a no cats/dogs apartment, I was excited to see an allowed pet up for grabs, supplies included! But what the hell is all over her? I sent a message to the girl listing it (girl also fosters a tripod pit bull, aww, animal nuts) and asked her what the hell. As it turns out, they found the mouse wandering around an apartment parking lot covered in acrylic paint. What the hell is wrong with people? There's a video on Youtube of her and her friend cutting the paint out of her fur, but the squeaking is heartbreaking and I do not want to look for it right now. So of course I took her in, played with her, let her crawl and poop all over me and my things, and fell in love with little Mona (named after the Mona Lisa because of the paint thing, and also I had been calling her Missy waiting to come up with a good name - apparently Mona is vaguely Italian for Miss) Mona was the only roommate I liked for the next year and she was a great stress reliever around finals. She was also a great ambassador for her species: SO many of my friends and family loved watching her and occasionally holding her. She never bit a single person once. I've had hamsters and gerbils, so this was a surprise. My mom referred to her as her "Grandmouse"   Over time I developed questions that I ended up asking at a mouse-centered forum. I was quickly yelled at for keeping a female mouse by herself - she needed at least one buddy to be remotely happy apparently. But that's troublesome to a college kid who's constantly changing leases and (will be) moving cities. If one in a pair dies you need to get another buddy for the living one, and endless cycle not really fit for me, or anyone who would have been able to take her in (Facebook listing was in a college town, honestly she's lucky not to have ended up snake food) I keep kicking myself about keeping her as a single mouse for over a year, but I keep reminding myself that I gave her a really good life compared to her alternatives. Mice live 1-2 years, and I had her for 17 months. She was full grown when I got her, so that's a pretty long life right? She was also treated to the best available foods, treats, chews, and snacks thanks to my constant Googling about mouse care. She even was treated for mites a couple months back, something I daresay not many mouse owners would do.  Click here for the full 720x540 image. All in all, I feel like we had a good run. I learned SO much, and I will probably opt for mice over any other rodent in the future. She will be dearly missed. RIP Missy Mona Mousie.
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Aug 15, 2010 06:58
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drat Bananas posted:Over time I developed questions that I ended up asking at a mouse-centered forum. I was quickly yelled at for keeping a female mouse by herself - she needed at least one buddy to be remotely happy apparently. But that's troublesome to a college kid who's constantly changing leases and (will be) moving cities. If one in a pair dies you need to get another buddy for the living one, and endless cycle not really fit for me, or anyone who would have been able to take her in (Facebook listing was in a college town, honestly she's lucky not to have ended up snake food) There are always people who want to give you hell for keeping your animal differently than they would, so as long as you're doing your best and giving the animal a good life, it's best just to ignore them. Sounds like Mona had a pretty nice life with you, I'm sorry for your loss.
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Aug 15, 2010 15:26
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Serella posted:There are always people who want to give you hell for keeping your animal differently than they would, so as long as you're doing your best and giving the animal a good life, it's best just to ignore them. Sounds like Mona had a pretty nice life with you, I'm sorry for your loss. This. Mouse and rat owners, especially when they group together on mouse and rat forums, can be really short sighted and fanatical and nutty. She certainly had it better than 99.99999% of mice in the world, friend or no friend. You did just fine by her and it looks like she had a great life.
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Aug 15, 2010 15:39
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Superconsndar posted:Pet owners, especially when they group together on pet forums, can be really short sighted and fanatical and nutty. Let's just be honest here. And yes, this does apply to PI sometimes. 
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Aug 15, 2010 16:17
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Serella posted:Let's just be honest here. And yes, this does apply to PI sometimes. It's true, but I have honestly encountered a special level of crazy on rat and mouse forums. It's...it's something that just has to be witnessed to believed. It's like the PI catlady stereotype except fatter, crazier, lonelier, and willing to bankrupt itself to pay for a 2 year old mouse's 10th tumor removal surgery. It's beautiful. :iamafag:
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Aug 15, 2010 16:26
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Yeah I have to agree. Has anyone seen Goosemoose's rat forum? 
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Aug 15, 2010 19:38
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CompactFanny posted:Yeah I have to agree. Has anyone seen Goosemoose's rat forum? I posted there like 5+ years ago. The worst by far has to be the RMCA forum though. They filter out the word "feeder" and ban reptile owners when they "out" them. One of the admins is an animal rights lawyer and is a total nut. This was like 5+ years ago so maybe it's gotten better but somehow I doubt it. 
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Aug 15, 2010 19:42
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Superconsndar posted:I posted there like 5+ years ago. The worst by far has to be the RMCA forum though. They filter out the word "feeder" and ban reptile owners when they "out" them. One of the admins is an animal rights lawyer and is a total nut. This was like 5+ years ago so maybe it's gotten better but somehow I doubt it. Oh, furbaby people!
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Aug 16, 2010 00:25
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Long time lurker seldom poster. I am soon going to be the proud adoptive father of a robo hamster that was the only survivor of a hungry mother. I know they can be fast little fuckers and need to be watched and cared for moreso than other dwarfs due to their speed. So Im going about buying good bedding, a cage, food n toys and the only thing habitat wise that Im worried about is getting a good wheel. Looking around robo websites and youtube, I get the sense that having the wrong wheel can be anywhere from bad to deadly for such a speedy little guy. Are there any wheels that have speed regulators or do any of you have any suggestions for an ok wheel that he wont get hurt on if he decided to pull a Sonic and make a full loop and fall off? Edit: I have some experience handling russian dwarfs and how they react to a new person and taming, how much different is taming a robo compared to a russian? If its just a matter of patience and a daily routine than Im just over worrying. Gaj fucked around with this message at 09:50 on Aug 17, 2010 |
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Aug 17, 2010 09:41
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Gaj posted:...the only thing habitat wise that Im worried about is getting a good wheel. Looking around robo websites and youtube, I get the sense that having the wrong wheel can be anywhere from bad to deadly for such a speedy little guy. Are there any wheels that have speed regulators or do any of you have any suggestions for an ok wheel that he wont get hurt on if he decided to pull a Sonic and make a full loop and fall off? I like this website for wheel info: http://thefunmouse.com/info/wheels.cfm Ignore the parts about tails, obviously. I think as long as he doesn't have his foot caught, getting thrown out of the wheel wouldn't hurt him much. If you're really worried, try spinning the wheels at the store and see which one is a little more resistant to turning?
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Aug 17, 2010 17:21
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drat Bananas posted:The best mouse in the world has passed away  I had a solitary rat for three years and while people might think that he did not have a fulfilling life, I like to think that I was his buddy rat. I loved that little dude so much.
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Aug 18, 2010 03:42
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Today I took my gerbils to the beach, which I started doing a few days ago, its a tiny little secluded beach. It attaches to a canal, not the actual ocean. The gerbils normally just run around in the sand and dig and explore and it is the most adorable thing in the world  Today though when I took them, Shadow ran through the water (it only laps at the sand, so his feet were barely in a centimeter of water) and then stopped, cause he was surprised that he got wet, he then started running back and forth and splashing and having a great time. He also sat up on his hind legs and just let the water wash over his feet. His tummy and legs and arms got a bit wet and since they bathe in sand and I've never heard of anyone getting them wet I was wondering if there is the possibility of him getting sick or something? Should I let him continue to do this? Also, has anyone else taken their gerbils on little field trips like this?
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Aug 18, 2010 21:55
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I tried to skim through this thread but I'm sorry if I missed any mice discussion - most of the posts I skimmed seemed to be about guinea pigs/chins/hamsters. Can anyone tell me about their experiences keeping pet mice? I'm moving into a new flat in September and am thinking about getting either mice or rats - I've owned rats before but never had mice. The reason I'm leaning towards mice at the moment is because my flatmates aren't very keen on the idea of rats and I feel like if I had mice they'd be more likely to be handled/paid attention to if I was ever away for a night or two. Obviously I wouldn't be getting rats if I felt my flatmates wouldn't look after them if I had to be away, I just think they'd be less keen to pay them as much attention as itsy bitsy cutey mice. The reason I wanted rats in the first place is because having owned them before I'm aware of how social and friendly and fun they are. I'd love to hear how mice are in comparison! I've been reading about them today and the general consensus seems to be that they are quite bright and social but I'd love to hear some stories/opinions from you guys. Also they do seem very sweet and I'm quite into the idea of compromising on this and getting some smaller rodents!
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Aug 19, 2010 16:59
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Chakattack! posted:The reason I'm leaning towards mice at the moment is because my flatmates aren't very keen on the idea of rats and I feel like if I had mice they'd be more likely to be handled/paid attention to if I was ever away for a night or two. I've met a bunch of people that keep rats in shared housing, and their housemates were uncomfortable with them initially because rats have an obvious stigma around them.. but when they actually got to see the rats and interact with them completely changed their minds. Obviously you can't assume your flatmates would do the same but you never know. 
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Aug 19, 2010 18:39
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I saw your posts in the Rat Megathread - I'm really jealous of the gorgeous ratties you found! I'm also in the UK and have had real trouble finding a rat breeder here in Scotland. It's something I'm still looking into, as I think I would find rats more fulfilling, but I want to find out about mice too in case they'd work out better in my situation. I e-mailed the 3 mouse breeders I could find here and will look into ratteries again before the move in September, to see what my options are. :]
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Aug 20, 2010 01:07
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I had a look on fancy-rats.co.uk and found out that there's a scottish rat club where you can find a (somewhat short) list of breeders, so maybe one will be close enough to you - http://www.scottishratclub.co.uk/links.html (assuming you decide on rats!)
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Aug 20, 2010 01:30
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Gaj posted:Long time lurker seldom poster. Hi Gaj, my girlfriend and I have been caring for four robo hamsters (three now that one passed away - RIP Noodles) for about three years now. Yes, robos are fast, energetic and flighty. Don't be upset if it doesn't want to hang out with you at first. Be patient and bribe it with healthy treats and it'll eventually tolerate you enough to feed out of your hand. Robos love to run on their wheels - ours even like to sleep next to them! I'd go withe the silent spinner wheel listed on this page: http://thefunmouse.com/info/wheels.cfm The description is pretty much dead on. I like them because they're safe for small rodents like Robo's (no gaps where they can get their feet stuck) and are fairly quiet compared to other types. Don't worry about your robo running so fast it falls and gets flung off the wheel. It happens to our hamsters all the time and they are none the worse for it. Just make sure the wheel isn't facing something hard that might injure them if they plop out. We also like to add extra bedding in front of the wheel for softer landings. There are some brands of semi-enclosed wheels out there that you might try if you're still concerned. Oh, bedding: if you haven't tried it already check out carefresh. It works really well with our hamsters - safe, keeps odor down, the hamsters love it and isn't too expensive. Toys: We tried some of the plastic toys early on but we had a chewing problem with them so we traded them out for egg cartons and spent toilet paper and paper towel tubes. They love them and we have no worries about the hamsters chewing on them. You can actually build pretty elaborately with them. Oh, check out this website: http://roborovskihamsters.webs.com/
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Aug 31, 2010 20:14
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So my pair of female gerbils like to hump the hell out of each other on occasion. Is this something that I should be worried about? At first it was the bigger one humping the smaller one, now the smaller one has started to do it too. They will chase the other around the cage, and then mount and start humping... In my reading up on gerbils I hadn't seen this listed anywhere as a normal sort of thing to expect.
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Sep 1, 2010 19:57
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Its okay. You have lesbian gerbils.
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Sep 1, 2010 23:10
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I'm considering buying a chinchilla for my boyfriend this Christmas (+ cage and hay and whatnot). I've read up on them, nearly everyone in my family has kept a rodent of some description, and I've taken care of my aunts chinchilla for a fortnight. Other than JESUS CHRIST DON'T GET THEM WET, regular playtime and feeding them hay, is there any other things I should know about or that I'm wrong about? Also, when it is two years old, it may have to make a four hour trip because we might move. Will that be a big deal or will it be okay?
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Sep 2, 2010 04:56
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Don't get a live animal for anyone without their knowledge, if you were planning on making it a surprise. If you want, get him a gift card to Petco and a little information book on Chinchillas in one gift box and have him decide on it and pick it out himself. Can't help you on their care, the only chinchilla I've ever even heard stories about was when my boyfriend let his grandma take care of his chin for a while and she put kitty litter in its food bowl until it died. Don't do that 
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Sep 2, 2010 05:57
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drat Bananas posted:Don't get a live animal for anyone without their knowledge, if you were planning on making it a surprise. If you want, get him a gift card to Petco and a little information book on Chinchillas in one gift box and have him decide on it and pick it out himself. Would definitely recommend not buying from Petsmart or Petco, I've talked to plenty of breeders who use big chains like those to get rid of their stock they won't breed anymore because the lines are throwing serious health issues like self mutilation or tooth problems.
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Sep 2, 2010 23:21
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Has anyone ever bought the sand for Syrian Hamsters? I was reading that some like it, just like chinchillas, but I was curious.
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Sep 3, 2010 16:55
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Wootcannon posted:I'm considering buying a chinchilla for my boyfriend this Christmas (+ cage and hay and whatnot). I've read up on them, nearly everyone in my family has kept a rodent of some description, and I've taken care of my aunts chinchilla for a fortnight. Other than JESUS CHRIST DON'T GET THEM WET, regular playtime and feeding them hay, is there any other things I should know about or that I'm wrong about? Also, when it is two years old, it may have to make a four hour trip because we might move. Will that be a big deal or will it be okay? Why not just buy him the cage + toys (remember, this is gonna be expensive as hell and may not be great for apartment living because chins need a HUUUUGE amount of space) and put a big bow on it for Christmas? Then, the next day or a few days later, you can take him to a shelter or a reputable breeder to pick out a baby. Please, don't give animals as 'surprise!' gifts. We're not real fond of that around here. It'd be much better for everyone involved if he got to pick out his own pet. ETA: Also, try to avoid pet stores as a place to purchase a live animal. Even the 'nice Mom n Pop one around the corner'. They tend to sell milled animals, and that's just sad and often means unhealthy pets. Captain Foxy fucked around with this message at 17:17 on Sep 3, 2010 |
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Sep 3, 2010 17:14
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 My Chinchilla escaped in our new apartment last night and has yet to emerge. I'm 99% certain he got through a hole in the bathroom wall and now he's inside the walls. I haven't heard him moving in there but I live in a 16 unit apartment building and I'm terrified that he's going to fall down a story or get stuck or eat some insulation or something...
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Sep 5, 2010 20:42
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Put out a shallow dish of water, a pile of hay and pellets, and some raisins. Dust the floors around these things with a liberal dusting of flour. You'll see little feet prints if he's still there and comes out for them, even if you don't see the chin himself.
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Sep 6, 2010 01:00
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alucinor posted:Put out a shallow dish of water, a pile of hay and pellets, and some raisins. Dust the floors around these things with a liberal dusting of flour. You'll see little feet prints if he's still there and comes out for them, even if you don't see the chin himself. Thanks, I'll give that a try, I've been worried sick about the little guy Edit: We found him! He just showed up in the livingroom all of a sudden! Moist von Lipwig fucked around with this message at 10:22 on Sep 6, 2010 |
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Sep 6, 2010 02:13
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Moist von Lipwig posted:Thanks, I'll give that a try, I've been worried sick about the little guy I wish my piggies had half the lust for freedom your chin displayed. All they do during floor time is standing next to the cage waiting to get back in.
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Sep 6, 2010 23:05
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You could always get a gerbil. Those things spend their lives trying to escape. I have a question. I've been buying hamster food at a local pet store, in these large bins, similar to those coffee bean things. Anyways, I'm not sure if it is a different mix, or what, but this time I bought it and it looks a bit different. I mean there are still sunflowers and other stuff, but this also has full peanuts with shells included. The hamster doesn't mind the peanuts, in fact it might like to break open the shells, but there are also larger chunks of whatever the hell it is, I have no idea. Is it bad? I'm thinking it might be rat food. I can take a picture if necessary. TLG James fucked around with this message at 17:50 on Sep 8, 2010 |
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Sep 8, 2010 17:21
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 This is my good pal hippo. He is my girlfriend's pig. For some reason he won't eat anything but his pellets and his hay... We've tried a bunch of different kinds of fruits and vegetables, but he just wont budge. Is this normal, or even healthy for him? Also, my girlfriend has used the 'starter cage' from petsmart and uses pine bedding (assuming it's pine). His cage ends up turning into mountains of turds within a week. I've seen a lot of pig owners use a large towel or sheet for the bottom of the cage. Is there any real difference? I'm assuming it's easier to clean, but i'd just like to know because I'm the one that ends up cleaning it. Helppppp........
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Sep 9, 2010 01:01
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