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Is it safe to give my hamsters baths? Like, a scrubbing down with a damp washcloth. I assume so, and obviously I'd dry them afterward, but is it too stressful, or is there a natural alternative like what Robos have with dust? For some reason, for whatever reason, they loving stink. I need to clean their cages, but normally my hamsters never stink like this regardless. The mom flat-out smells like she's dead and I don't know why.
Captain Invictus fucked around with this message at 02:42 on Oct 3, 2012 |
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Oct 3, 2012 02:40
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Out of curiosity, how high can gerbils fall from and not get hurt? I assume they shouldn't be falling from any hight, but my gerbil jumped out of his aquarium onto the carpet, which was about a 5"2 feet fall. Is there also any way I can teach my gerbil not to be dumb and jump from a high place? I can't really put the aquarium anywhere else due to my parents not letting me put them anywhere but my room, and it's really the only place in my room to put it. I can not station it on the floor due to having too many curious cats that could probably open the lid if they wanted to. Do you guys think it's probably fine where it is? I forgot to mention, but my gerbil seems to be fine. He is acting basically just like how he would any other day.
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Oct 7, 2012 08:21
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Zetsubou posted:Out of curiosity, how high can gerbils fall from and not get hurt? I assume they shouldn't be falling from any hight, but my gerbil jumped out of his aquarium onto the carpet, which was about a 5"2 feet fall. Is there also any way I can teach my gerbil not to be dumb and jump from a high place? I can't really put the aquarium anywhere else due to my parents not letting me put them anywhere but my room, and it's really the only place in my room to put it. I can not station it on the floor due to having too many curious cats that could probably open the lid if they wanted to. Do you guys think it's probably fine where it is? You can make a roof for the aquarium pretty easily, just put together a wooden frame and slap some wire mesh on that. Something like that:  And yea, gerbils shouldn't be allowed to fall much. They're retarded and easily hurt their teeth since falling down face first is a pretty good idea.
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Oct 7, 2012 10:17
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alucinor posted:Couple articles on chincare say 10 in the wild, 15-20 not uncommon. Oldest documented individual in captivity was apparently 28 at death.  I got my chinchillas about 11 years ago. I can only assume that they weren't that common or well researched back then because my "Big Book all about Chinchilla Care!" or whatever the hell it was called that I bought from the pet store said to expect them to live 7-9 years. Mine are nearing their 12th birthdays and still kicking around like they're 2 years old. Maybe a little more mellow than back then. Good to know that I can reasonably expect them to be around a few years more.
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Oct 7, 2012 13:31
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Caught Cubs Posting
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I uploaded a bunch more pictures of the hamsters when they were babies and right after their eyes opened. I'll get some bigger albums of them up sometime this week hopefully. http://imgur.com/a/7IU4q edit: my fingernails look all hosed up because of the rare disease I have, Alopecia Universalis. Captain Invictus fucked around with this message at 00:24 on Oct 8, 2012 |
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Oct 8, 2012 00:22
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Oh you're an alpaca? =P Thank you for uploading those pictures. That is just too much cute!
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Oct 8, 2012 00:51
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My girlfriend just adopted a (we believe) Campbell's Dwarf Hamster. She's little, feisty, and likes to bite so we named her Arya.  She also likes to sit in her food bowl.
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Oct 8, 2012 01:26
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Does anyone know how cold can a gerbil get before it starts to hibernate...? We have our gerbils in a side room (to keep them away from the ever curious cats), but the problem is it tends to be on the cool side in that room. In the summer it was great, but now with winter approaching, I'm worried It'll trigger some sort of hibernation instinct if gets too cold... :S Edit: I'm currently trying to figure out a more long term, warmer solution, but I'm currently running a space heater in there a few times a day to try and prevent it from being too cool all the time. Unfortunately, the space heater is an energy vampire, so it's definitely a very, very short term solution... Niemat fucked around with this message at 01:49 on Oct 8, 2012 |
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Oct 8, 2012 01:46
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So I joined the ranks of guinea pig ownership this weekend. Found a bonded pair on Craigslist. The ad was basically along the lines of, "come get these before I give them away for snake food." Now I have two male piggers. I was told they are 3.5, but who knows how accurate that is. One definitely came from the shallow end of the gene pool though. He is blind, and only has one bottom front incisor (poor thing was severely over grown, but the vet was able to dremel it down without sedation). The vet stated that the molars looked surprisingly good, and that the other tooth issue was more than likely a genetic defect. Is this something that's common? When researching I never saw mention of anything like that. We also learned how to clean out a pigger's private bits. Now that was an education is gross. Considering the previous owner thought they were female, I'm guessing it had never been done. 
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Oct 8, 2012 17:01
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Russian Dollies posted:Considering the previous owner thought they were female One of the reasons I generally only keep female pigs is because male pig balls and huge and kinda gross. Unless you are blind I honestly don't know how you can mistake guinea pig gender in adults. Holy crap. Congrats on the pig rescue operation, it sounds like they are in need of some TLC.
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Oct 8, 2012 17:05
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Sirotan posted:One of the reasons I generally only keep female pigs is because male pig balls and huge and kinda gross. Unless you are blind I honestly don't know how you can mistake guinea pig gender in adults. Holy crap. They were pretty clueless. They had these guys in a 2x2 cage, no pigloo, very little hay, and mostly pellets. I honestly don't know if they'd ever seen a veggie until we brought them home. One of the first things I did was give them some romaine, cilantro, carrot, and zucchini. They looked so drat happy munching that down. Totally worth it. 
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Oct 8, 2012 17:11
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Russian Dollies posted:So I joined the ranks of guinea pig ownership this weekend. Found a bonded pair on Craigslist. The ad was basically along the lines of, "come get these before I give them away for snake food." Now I have two male piggers. I was told they are 3.5, but who knows how accurate that is. Did the original guy mention if the pig had always just had one tooth (probably didn't notice, I guess). There's a slight chance that his tooth may have just recently broken off and will grow back. (Especially given that they likely have mild scurvy from their poo poo diet). Genetically happening, it isn't THAT common, but I've seen it a couple of times. Oftentimes they can lose them permanently due to blunt trauma (like being dropped), and that seems much more common. Thanks for saving these guys. 
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Oct 8, 2012 17:26
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Is the blind, toothless one all white? If so, that's a thing - lethal white. Lethals tend to have a reduced lifespan but I've known a few to live to 5 years or so. Search on Guinea Lynx for more info on them. And echoing: great job saving these guys and doing such good for them.
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Oct 8, 2012 17:59
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alucinor posted:Is the blind, toothless one all white? If so, that's a thing - lethal white. Lethals tend to have a reduced lifespan but I've known a few to live to 5 years or so. Search on Guinea Lynx for more info on them. Yeah, he is all white. After looking at that link, I'd say the definition fits him well. Poor thing must be a fairly hardy lethal since I doubt he'd seen a vet before today. He's eating pretty well since his tooth was fixed up this morning, but I'll have to keep a closer eye on his intake. When weighed in this morning he was about half the size of his cage mate. Didn't think too much of it until now. :/ I think we finally agreed on names though. Doc Brown and Marty. I need to get some pics soon before they explode.
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Oct 8, 2012 18:17
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Russian Dollies posted:Yeah, he is all white. After looking at that link, I'd say the definition fits him well. Poor thing must be a fairly hardy lethal since I doubt he'd seen a vet before today. He's eating pretty well since his tooth was fixed up this morning, but I'll have to keep a closer eye on his intake. When weighed in this morning he was about half the size of his cage mate. Didn't think too much of it until now. :/ It's not unheard of, I pulled one out of a shelter in VA that was 3-4 years old, completely blind, deaf, jacked up teeth, the works. She was fat and sassy until she died a couple of years later and generally seemed pretty happy. (Also was louder than a airhorn because she couldn't hear herself wheek -- you could seriously hear her outside the house).
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Oct 8, 2012 21:19
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What do I do with a cold, rainy Monday holiday? Build a fort for my gerbils Miso & Soy, of course!  I wanted to give them some deeper substrate to dig in without constantly burying their wheel, so I took the flexible wooden arch I bought, cut up an Amazon box, and built a retaining wall. They're having a ball tunneling in/around the cardboard (I cut arches in the bottom and buried them, and buried their wooden house in the bottom right corner of the tank, and used another box to built a big tunnel to it. You can't really see it in either picture, but I put their dust bowl above their wood house and built another wall around that so they don't sump a ton of substrate into it 30 minutes after I put it in the tank. So far they've been so occupied with it that they've barely touched their wheel today.
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Oct 8, 2012 22:07
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So the shelters in my state (MD) and closeby states (basically NoVA) refuse to let people adopt who live more than an hour away. Uh...anyone else see this before?
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Oct 10, 2012 21:04
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Saint Darwin posted:So the shelters in my state (MD) and closeby states (basically NoVA) refuse to let people adopt who live more than an hour away. As a matter of fact, yes. Only it was a guinea pig rescue outside of Chicago and I live in Michigan. Couldn't find any reputable places near me, or people only had male pigs, and was totally willing to make the 4 hour drive to Chicago to pick up this bonded pair but was told they don't allow people from out of state to adopt.
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Oct 10, 2012 22:10
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Saint Darwin posted:So the shelters in my state (MD) and closeby states (basically NoVA) refuse to let people adopt who live more than an hour away. Where in MD are you looking? I see a TON of pigs in MD on petfinder, most in shelters rather than with rescues (county shelters usually don't give a poo poo as much as privately run rescues do). http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/MD247.html has a ton of adults right now. http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/MD205.html has two very cute girls, but also a male; make sure they've been through a 72 day pregnancy watch.
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Oct 10, 2012 22:24
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alucinor posted:Where in MD are you looking? I see a TON of pigs in MD on petfinder, most in shelters rather than with rescues (county shelters usually don't give a poo poo as much as privately run rescues do). Alright, that's a bit better and in range, thanks.
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Oct 11, 2012 01:05
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Saint Darwin posted:So the shelters in my state (MD) and closeby states (basically NoVA) refuse to let people adopt who live more than an hour away. Did you check out these guys? I adopted a guinea pig from them years ago and they were good to work with. A little pricey, but they take good care of their pigs and spay and neuter all of them before they get adopted out.
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Oct 11, 2012 01:35
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:Did you check out these guys? I adopted a guinea pig from them years ago and they were good to work with. A little pricey, but they take good care of their pigs and spay and neuter all of them before they get adopted out. Actually, I think this is the place I looked before; the descriptions seem really familiar. The thing is, I want two and all the bonded pairs are over 2+. I have a real phobia of adoption from a shelter again because the cat I got from one turned out to have severe, expensive medical needs that cost me a hell of a lot of money and they still couldn't save him; it was the kind of thing they SHOULD HAVE checked and caught, even though they claimed he had just been to a vet. But yeh, I will see if I can stop by and see if the younger ones take to me, though I wish they had a younger bonded pair.
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Oct 11, 2012 02:00
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I picked up some coroplast for a C & C cage today, and ordered some grids online that should be here tomorrow. So Thursday night or Friday I will be making a 2x4 grid cage for the piggies. I've seen the basic instructions on guineapigcages.com, but was wondering if anyone here has tips that might not be mentioned? Any preference on how to secure the corners? I'm doing this by myself, so any suggestions that make the process easier are welcome.
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Oct 11, 2012 02:12
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You could probably email them and tell them you're looking for a young bonded pair and ask if they could let you know when/if they get one. The lady who runs it (assuming it's the same lady from years ago) is really nice and accommodating. You could possibly also look at two young separate ones and see if they'll become a bonded pair, they helped us pick out a pig that would get along well with our current pig at the time and they were instant BFFs.
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Oct 11, 2012 02:16
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Russian Dollies posted:I picked up some coroplast for a C & C cage today, and ordered some grids online that should be here tomorrow. So Thursday night or Friday I will be making a 2x4 grid cage for the piggies. I've seen the basic instructions on guineapigcages.com, but was wondering if anyone here has tips that might not be mentioned? Any preference on how to secure the corners? I'm doing this by myself, so any suggestions that make the process easier are welcome. I use a hot glue gun to secure the corners, works really well.
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Oct 11, 2012 02:37
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Sirotan posted:I use a hot glue gun to secure the corners, works really well. I use clips. The pigs tried to chew on them roughly every 5 minutes before remembering they were made of metal and not very good.
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Oct 11, 2012 03:00
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Saint Darwin posted:Actually, I think this is the place I looked before; the descriptions seem really familiar. http://www.mgpr.org/ is the best choice if you want to drive. I know these folks - they're good people. Their site says only local adoptions, but they'll let you drive to them to adopt if you talk to them by email and have an approved application first. If you want a guaranteed bonded pair with vet checks prior to adoption - and guarantee no pregnancy - do these folks instead of a county shelter. Tell 'em you've been instructed in husbandry by AllCreatures from GuineaLynx if you want to name drop. Going to a county shelter does save pigs that may not otherwise go to as good a home. But they may be pregnant, they may not be the age advertised, they may have illnesses, etc. And honestly a 2 year old pair bonded pair is a fine choice - average lifespan is now 7+ with good husbandry, and more likely than not they're younger than being estimated, they're already tame and friendly, and you don't have to deal with them being dicks at puberty.
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Oct 11, 2012 14:00
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Got a new bottom tray for the cage and a new litter box in today. Because chinchillas are assholes that chew on everything. See you again in 9-12 months, ferret.com!  e: New litter box has a clip in the back and they freakin' hate that they can't pull it to the middle and spill the litter everywhere now Devo fucked around with this message at 20:30 on Oct 11, 2012 |
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Oct 11, 2012 20:26
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I'll have to dig around and see if I can find the link, but there is a company that will make custom metal pans for Ferret Nations. They're not ultra cheap (like $25/each, I think?) but maybe worth the money if your twerps are eating them.
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Oct 11, 2012 21:52
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Random rodent question: is it okay to put robo hamsters in those balls they run around the floor on? Also, what's the suggested brand and size if so? I've been wanting to give my hamster some freedom while I clean his cage. And I was originally petsitting him for a few months but it looks like he's just going to be mine, so I'm trying to make him be as comfy as possible. 
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Oct 11, 2012 23:13
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Rodent Mortician posted:I'll have to dig around and see if I can find the link, but there is a company that will make custom metal pans for Ferret Nations. They're not ultra cheap (like $25/each, I think?) but maybe worth the money if your twerps are eating them. That's funny if it's true since the plastic ones I buy are $20+ also. Not a huge deal though, just a once a year expense or so.
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Oct 11, 2012 23:21
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What's the best way to weigh a chinchilla? I was giving Dex a belly rub the other day and he felt kinda tubby but I have no earthly clue how to make them sit on a scale for long enough to get an accurate reading. Weighing guinea pigs was so much easier, just plop them down on the scale and they'll sit there for as long as you like.
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Oct 11, 2012 23:27
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At the vets when I got my rats weighed, he put their carry case (with no rats in) on the scale and then added a rat.
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Oct 11, 2012 23:32
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:What's the best way to weigh a chinchilla? I was giving Dex a belly rub the other day and he felt kinda tubby but I have no earthly clue how to make them sit on a scale for long enough to get an accurate reading. Weighing guinea pigs was so much easier, just plop them down on the scale and they'll sit there for as long as you like. Yea, like Fraction said, I put a small carrier on a gram scale, weigh it, then put a chinchilla inside with a rosehip or something (so they'll be still). Then just do the math. But honestly, I wouldn't worry about a chin being too tubby. Edit: Devo posted:That's funny if it's true since the plastic ones I buy are $20+ also. Not a huge deal though, just a once a year expense or so. The metal pans for the Ferret Nation are from Bass Equipment: http://www.bassequipment.com/. I use one, and it's holding up well, but I put a fleece liner on top. If I were you, I wouldn't let the chins chew on the plastic at all- it can cause intestinal blockages. You could also just make fleece sleeves and use that around the tray you already have. They are easy to launder.
Ishkibibble_Fish fucked around with this message at 01:22 on Oct 12, 2012 |
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Oct 12, 2012 01:18
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If they don't have to be weighed that often I think I'll just take him to a vet if I notice a significant weight gain or loss. I had guinea pigs for so long that some times I'm still in the guinea pig mindset when caring for the little fuzzy ones. I was just at Petsmart buying a new bag of chinchilla food, and the cashier was telling me about someone who comes in with their chinchilla riding on their shoulder all the time. I can imagine so many ways that could go completely, horribly wrong. I wouldn't even dream of taking Dex or Smokey out of the house in anything but a securely closed pet carrier (although I have to admit I've always wished I could walk around my house with Dexter chilling on my shoulder like a parrot).
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Oct 12, 2012 01:36
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Ishkibibble_Fish posted:
I'll have to check that out and I'll look into getting a fleece liner for now. I've got plenty in there for them to chew on, but as mentioned before they're little assholes.
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Oct 12, 2012 02:23
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:If they don't have to be weighed that often I think I'll just take him to a vet if I notice a significant weight gain or loss. I had guinea pigs for so long that some times I'm still in the guinea pig mindset when caring for the little fuzzy ones. Oh, I would weigh them regularly (at least every other month) to make sure they are maintaining. If you establish a record of normal fluctuations, it will be really apparent if there is a sharp weight loss, and you'll be able to catch an illness much sooner. I also would never take my chinchilla out in public...loose. I have seen pictures of people letting them loose in their yards. It just boggles the mind. Chins are fast as hell! And what about birds and dogs?
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Oct 12, 2012 02:56
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I'm curious to know, based on a wander through some of the chincare links and whatnot, do any of you with Chinchillas actually let them watch TV as a distraction? Also every single picture in this thread is adorable and makes me miss my old guinea pigs. Best little lawnmowers I ever had.
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Oct 12, 2012 03:57
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I've heard lots of chinchillas like tv. They also like to people-watch. I don't see how it could hurt anything.
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Oct 12, 2012 04:19
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Dex and Smokey love watching TV with us. Dex likes action movies the best, I guess because there's lots of noise and motion to watch. The more color and stuff moving around, the better. I would rather have him staring at the TV than at me, which can be unsettling sometimes. I had an ex who hated Dexter because of the constant staring.
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Oct 12, 2012 20:52
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