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Zetsubou posted:Anyone know if it matters if the aquarium I buy for my gerbils was used to host fish in prior? It doesn't. Bonus points if it doesn't hold water any more since then it's cheap.
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Feb 4, 2013 13:01
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Cleaned out the rodent cages this afternoon. Went with a food theme for the hamster this time: I got him that mini casserole dish dust bath at goodwill this past weekend. 
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Feb 6, 2013 23:34
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Saint Darwin posted:My pigs flip the gently caress out if you try to pick them up and run behind and under things, but once you actually grab them they just sit there quietly squeaking to you. Good to know because that's pretty much what's happening now - they won't approach unless they're getting food in the cage, and they will run anywhere that'll get them away from you if you try to pick them up. But once you have them you can hold them and stroke and apart from the occasional 'stop stroking my head like that, I don't like it' they're fine, though they're still really really quiet, there'll be little noises every now and then but they won't make any noise if they're out, unless they're actually being held. Wish I could make them feel happier  I'm also struggling to find decent hay online in the UK - if anyone has any suggestions, that'd be great.
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Feb 9, 2013 21:27
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any tips to taming a Robo? I've had him for about two months so I think he's pretty comfortable in his environment. I've tried hand feeding him or letting my hand rest in his aquarium to let him sniff it but he hides in his burrow. He likes running in a ball-- my usual method to get him in that is to set it in his cage, he'll go in it and wait, and i'll let him run. I've been putting him in a separate cardboard box from the ball with a few comfort items (food bowl, some bedding, wheel) that he likes and trying the same thing to no avail. He'll eat food held in my fingers, but if he catches one whiff of my hand he'll run to the nearest possible cover. I've even gone to the point of trying to make my hands as neutral smelling as possible by using plain, no perfume soap. The big thing is he'll get close, I can see he recognizes my hand, he'll sniff, and then bolt. I've had robo's before as well as gerbils and never had this problem. Could it be that I just have a squirrley one that won't take to recognizing me? I can accept that if so, I just figured he'd come around eventually.
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Feb 10, 2013 08:19
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Is it normal for some aspen to be super dusty? I bought and just used Living World "Aspen Shavings" and it was pretty dusty. I ended up having brown dust speckled snot from putting it in the aquarium even though I tried to keep my face away from it. Also my silvery gerbil now has a brownish dust tint to him. I don't think that is what shavings is suppose to do. I wish I could use some other bedding but I don't have any and it's in the middle of the night. I just hope they don't end up dying a really dusty death.
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Feb 10, 2013 13:05
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Definitely, I once got aspen bedding from Tractor Supply that was super dusty compared to Petco's brand and the texture of the stuff was awful. Reminded me of sandpaper. Switched back to Planet Petco aspen and I definitely prefer it. It also doesn't cling to clothing/the inside of your nostrils as much as some brands. You could always use shredded paper in the meantime, I always have a bundle around (because I get soy ink sales papers once a week so I figured I'd make it into something useful). Hopefully your gerbil will be alright, my hamsters sneezed a bunch with that awful aspen I got but were fine when I switched it a few days later. I don't really know why the TS brand was so awful, maybe has to do with the way they're both processed or treated?
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Feb 10, 2013 15:58
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I dunno about aspen, but I hate opening a bag of aubiose/hemcore and sorting it into my containers. Even though it *never* makes my animals sneeze, I cough and sneeze and die every time.
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Feb 10, 2013 16:39
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Zetsubou posted:Is it normal for some aspen to be super dusty? I bought and just used Living World "Aspen Shavings" and it was pretty dusty. I ended up having brown dust speckled snot from putting it in the aquarium even though I tried to keep my face away from it. Also my silvery gerbil now has a brownish dust tint to him. I don't think that is what shavings is suppose to do. I wish I could use some other bedding but I don't have any and it's in the middle of the night. I just hope they don't end up dying a really dusty death. I've noticed it happens on and off. One bag will be fine and the next explodes with dust when I open it. I usually just re-tape and return super dusty bags for ones that are better off so I don't half die cleaning tanks.
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Feb 10, 2013 16:47
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Pew! Pew! posted:Definitely, I once got aspen bedding from Tractor Supply that was super dusty compared to Petco's brand and the texture of the stuff was awful. Reminded me of sandpaper. Switched back to Planet Petco aspen and I definitely prefer it. It also doesn't cling to clothing/the inside of your nostrils as much as some brands. You could always use shredded paper in the meantime, I always have a bundle around (because I get soy ink sales papers once a week so I figured I'd make it into something useful). Hopefully your gerbil will be alright, my hamsters sneezed a bunch with that awful aspen I got but were fine when I switched it a few days later. Yeah, I like the Planet Petco stuff for how relatively not dusty it is. Opening a new bag still irritates me, but I think it's more to do with the smell and less to do with the dust, because once that weird aspeny smell wears off I have no issue with it, even when cleaning. Milkshake seems to like it a lot since she builds tunnels in it constantly:  I've started putting toilet paper tubes under the bedding for her, which she also loves. Here's some more random photos just because:   
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Feb 10, 2013 17:39
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Kluliss posted:Good to know because that's pretty much what's happening now - they won't approach unless they're getting food in the cage, and they will run anywhere that'll get them away from you if you try to pick them up. But once you have them you can hold them and stroke and apart from the occasional 'stop stroking my head like that, I don't like it' they're fine, though they're still really really quiet, there'll be little noises every now and then but they won't make any noise if they're out, unless they're actually being held. Wish I could make them feel happier I'm in the UK and I recently tried this Timothy hay from Amazon. My guinea pigs just can't get enough of the stuff, although it's sadly not cheap! Also a picture, because everybody loves pictures:  King Boo, Mario and Luigi, from left to right. Sadly Luigi passed away last summer The other two seem happy as ever again now.All girls' names, obviously.
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Feb 13, 2013 13:39
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My condolences about Luigi. It's nice to see another guinea pig named Boo, though. This is mine:  In retrospect I should've named my other girl Shy Guy. (Shy Girl?)
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Feb 13, 2013 14:03
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Octopuppets posted:I'm in the UK and I recently tried this Timothy hay from Amazon. My guinea pigs just can't get enough of the stuff, although it's sadly not cheap! Thanks for the link, it's not terribly expensive at the moment given it'll last a while and is cheaper when you subscribe... You have adorable pigs :3 (and sorry to hear about Luigi )Pew! Pew! posted:My condolences about Luigi. ...you have an exact replica of our Ozzy...who is currently being renamed to stupid* (by me) for walking into the hay and ending up with a bit in his eye, which then got infected. Vets are useful >.< With the fact that Guinea Pigs like to do dumb things like get sore eyes, is there a cheaper way to fix them (say, by rinsing their eyes) before they get infected? Is saline solution ok or is there a type of drop (available in the UK for under the vet's fee of £35) for humans that I could use to rinse their eyes out with? *no I'm not allowed to name things any more... Kluliss fucked around with this message at 01:08 on Feb 14, 2013 |
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Feb 14, 2013 01:04
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Kluliss posted:...you have an exact replica of our Ozzy...who is currently being renamed to stupid* (by me) for walking into the hay and ending up with a bit in his eye, which then got infected. Vets are useful >.< One of mine almost chocked on a long strand of grass that got caught between his incisors. Good thing I was watching when it happened... If what you eat can kill you and what you eat is grass, I think it's safe to say that you're not exactly top of the food chain.
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Feb 14, 2013 21:55
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I just picked up a trio of Chilean Degus today. No pics yet, as they're just getting settled in to their cage and I don't want to startle them with a camera flash. They seem very cool though, extremely curious and highly active. My enclosure is definitely in need of upgrading though. Like a fool, and against my better judgment I trusted the word of my local pet store employee in choosing my enclosure and got the biggest rat cage they had. 24x16x24, with a pair of 1/4 cage size levels higher up connected by ramps. Just not big enough to house three Degus. Next weekend I'm going to construct my own enclosure, 36x24x72 with three full sized connected levels. Very psyched on these little guys.
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Feb 17, 2013 00:28
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Is their a reason why my gerbils want to eat my face? They don't bite any of my other body parts anymore but as soon as my face comes in contact they like to scratch and nibble on my chin/cheek/nose. It kinda hurts.
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Feb 19, 2013 04:28
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Apparently Dexter is so intimidating that my 40 pound dog is terrified of him, and considers any toy that goes in the vicinity of his cage as a lost cause  Dexter has no fear, he'll punch the dogs in the nose through his cage bars. The dogs no longer even sniff the chinchilla cages because they know they'll get punched with tiny fists of fury. 
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Feb 19, 2013 04:50
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Zetsubou posted:Is their a reason why my gerbils want to eat my face? They don't bite any of my other body parts anymore but as soon as my face comes in contact they like to scratch and nibble on my chin/cheek/nose. It kinda hurts. Have you, for any reason whatsoever, rubbed food into your face lately? (also if yes, why?)
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Feb 19, 2013 06:36
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:Apparently Dexter is so intimidating that my 40 pound dog is terrified of him, and considers any toy that goes in the vicinity of his cage as a lost cause Considering Dexter looks like this Maybe your dog's on to something. Pretty sure that's a face of fuzzy evil right there. That said though, the idea of a chinchilla bopping a dog at least five times his size with tiny fists is kinda awesome and adorable.
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Feb 19, 2013 10:05
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Sometimes after cleaning his cage Wulfstan goes to sleep on his wheel and doesn't make his bed. He also piles up a massive pile of woodshavings on top of his food bowl. I got them some nibble toy things, hopefully I will not wake up on the morning to Guthrum nibbling on the metal hoops on part of a wooden climbing frame I bought the pair of them before I had to split them up.
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Feb 19, 2013 11:33
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Hamsters will make as much noise as they possibly can with anything they are able. It's just what they do. I had to jury-rig a setup to hang the water bottles from the center of the cage top so that they couldn't just bang them against the glass for literally hours on end in the middle of the night.
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Feb 19, 2013 19:25
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My guinea pigs do the same thing, when they drink its rattlerattlerattle on the side of the cage, which is annoying in of itself, but sometimes they'll grab the nozzle in their mouths and pull back and forth like they're trying to rip it off the side.
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Feb 19, 2013 19:34
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I think I was a bit silly...the collective noun for Guinea-Pigs is a 'Panic' isn't it? The pigs needed a bath due to being annoying mounty boys after we changed the cage layout (also any tips for getting dried goo out short of shaving them because I made this face when I discovered crustiness and it still isn't gone completely despite the bath  ), so me, thinking to myself 'well they're sort of herd animals so maybe it'd be less stressful if I bath them together.'...I was so wrong...for a little while it was fine, Ozzy was accepting bean-sprouts as bribes...then Dio decided he wanted out of the sink, which set Ozzy off and suddenly I had a sink full of furious Guinea-Pig which honestly, if I hadn't been worried they'd get out and fall, I'd have been laughing my arse off. However, they're now happy in their cage after some good run-around floor time, and they've munched their way through some Excel Herbage, thank you Octopuppets for the link  It smells amazing, they love it, and honestly, £12 for 3kg isn't too bad given that it's not poo poo and I want my piggies happy and well-fed, and am lucky enough to be able to afford it for them. It may get interspersed with slightly less amazing hay if they go through it too quickly, and I really need a hay rack because I can't monitor how much they're eating versus the stuff they're smooshing into their bedding, but I really do recommend it if you can afford it.I am finding that now that we're giving them floor time and basically bullying them with cuddling, grooming and food, they're getting a little less skittish. The do love to rearrange their cages though  I leave you with a picture of freshly washed and dried monsters, see how fierce they are after shaking and fluffing themselves up as much as possible :3 (dio on the left, ozzy on the right) 
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Feb 19, 2013 23:43
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Saint Darwin posted:My guinea pigs do the same thing, when they drink its rattlerattlerattle on the side of the cage, which is annoying in of itself, but sometimes they'll grab the nozzle in their mouths and pull back and forth like they're trying to rip it off the side. No I mean my hamsters, all of them, will take the bottle in both paws, stand up, and just bang it against the glass for hours on end, even if there's something else for them to do. Basically, what I'm saying is they're the equivalent of a prisoner raking his metal mug against the bars.
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Feb 20, 2013 01:37
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Kluliss posted:I think I was a bit silly...the collective noun for Guinea-Pigs is a 'Panic' isn't it? Now this is just eerie. Your pair of guinea pigs look almost exactly like mine did. The only difference is the black pig had a white stripe down his nose and a spot at the top of his head, and the brown one didn't have the white patch on his cheek. Though I've never seen guinea pigs get outright angry about being bathed, even when done together. Usually there's indignant wheeking in the sink and it generally ends with a pair of wet pigs giving a "why did you do this to me?  " look as I dried them off.
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Feb 20, 2013 03:44
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Captain Invictus posted:No I mean my hamsters, all of them, will take the bottle in both paws, stand up, and just bang it against the glass for hours on end, even if there's something else for them to do. Ah, I never had hamsters, only guinea pigs and gerbils, and they mostly just seem to not give a poo poo about making a ton of noise versus going out of their way to do it.
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Feb 20, 2013 03:46
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So my fiancé just got orders to Okinawa. We can take the dogs just fine, but the chinchillas are a whole different story. I am assuming that they do not travel on airplanes well at all, and would be better with temporary foster parents while we're gone?
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Feb 23, 2013 04:43
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Captain Invictus posted:No I mean my hamsters, all of them, will take the bottle in both paws, stand up, and just bang it against the glass for hours on end, even if there's something else for them to do. One of mine does this too. She has toys, she has all sorts of hidey holes, even her food bowl is a chew toy, so she can't be bored, but she just likes to whack her bottle against the glass.
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Feb 25, 2013 08:18
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Devo posted:Alright my chinchillas are destroying corner litter pans at a ridiculous pace lately. Anyone have any suggestions for a ceramic or glass litter pan? That would be heavier too so the little assholes can't drag it out of the corner. We use stainless steel pans we got from Amazon. Amazingly easy to clean: Like this but smaller and square: http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-I...stainless+steel
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Feb 25, 2013 23:39
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Cordyceps Headache posted:Greetings, Rodengoons. About 6 months ago I got a Chinchilla, and things are going pretty well. I'm just curious about a couple of behaviours I've noticed that I don't understand, and I'm wondering if people can explain them. I don't have male chinchillas... but it kind of sounds like he is dominance humping your arm.  The second one, he's grooming you. He must make sure your fur is clean and nice.
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Feb 25, 2013 23:45
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Your chinchilla thinks you got a purdy mouth
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Feb 26, 2013 00:15
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We've got the cutest pig at work and I dont even like pigs. I love this thing.  Can anyone tell me what breed she is? All Ive got so far is... long hair. But..peruvian? Sheltie? I dont know. Shes black...but it has a very weird sheen to it (unlike black dogs/cats where they might look brownish in the light), shes very silky and it seems more grey/washed out in the light. Very satin coated. Shes so soft!!!!!!!!
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Feb 28, 2013 01:43
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It's a Lavos Spawn.
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Feb 28, 2013 01:47
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Captain Invictus posted:It's a Lavos Spawn.  Malalol posted:We've got the cutest pig at work and I dont even like pigs. I love this thing. It's a cutie pig. That's a fact.  That is not a fact.
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Feb 28, 2013 03:15
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Within the next week or so, I'll be getting a guinea pig (either full out rescue or fostering...not sure which yet). I've had experience with rats, hamsters, spiney mice, degus, rabbits and chinchillas (either from owning them or from when I worked at an animal shelter for a couple years) but I'm still nervous about it. How different are guinea pigs from other rodents? What things should I know that are species specific? I've done a lot of research and reading both in this thread and elsewhere. Does this thread count/work like a mega thread where I can bring my thousands of worries and questions?
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Mar 12, 2013 18:13
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Captain Invictus posted:It's a Lavos Spawn. Hehe. Chrono Trigger would have been a very different game if the Lavos Spawns were that adorable. I can't save the world! Just look at that puffy little face. 
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Mar 12, 2013 18:25
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cuntvalet posted:Within the next week or so, I'll be getting a guinea pig (either full out rescue or fostering...not sure which yet). Bring it all! I can only comment against my experience with gerbils but * Guinea pigs don't HAVE to obsessively chew things, but if they get bored they will. Mine chew the coroplast sides of their cage even though there's a ton of cardboard boxes and tubes in the cage they play with and even though they really can't damage it. One of them will absently chew things in front of her when held, which is fine if it's my shirt, but if she's run up to my shoulder, it tends to be my neck. * At least with the ones I've had and have, there's 2 modes: "oh hey whats up pal" and "HOLY poo poo HOLY poo poo HOLY poo poo." The cage is on a table next to my computer, so when I'm sitting there using it, they will come out and walk around and sometimes stare at me like "sup human". If I try to pick them up it's HOLY poo poo OH MY GOD NOOOO mode. When I finally catch one (they're fast, so I have to be faster) and get her into my arms they go into "what's up pal just chillin" mode and chill out. * They are loud loving creatures. They wheek and squeal and run around as a matter of course. Once they learn the "crinkle sound = food" reaction, any time that sound happens they will come running and squealing, even if you just fed them, often even if they were in the middle of eating (note: I am the worst owner and crinkle bags when I'm bored just to have them run out and perch on their food trough). Sometimes they will do it for NO GOOD REASON; when my roommate walks in the room, even though he has never fed them in his life, he is not associated with feeding them at all, and he has pet them maybe 3 times since I've gotten them, they sometimes decide its squeal and run around time. * You will get hay and bedding EVERYWHERE in their room. Part of their "OH poo poo" reaction is to sprint for cover, which throw anything in their cage right into the air. I've stood up from the computer too fast before and gotten a load of bedding and poop in my drink a good 4 feet away 
Adult Sword Owner fucked around with this message at 20:30 on Mar 12, 2013 |
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Mar 12, 2013 18:39
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cuntvalet posted:How different are guinea pigs from other rodents? What things should I know that are species specific? So, to me, they're not like other rodents at all. Pretty much everything suitable for rats, mice, hamsters, etc, food and toy-wise are inappropriate for guinea pigs. They're much closer to rabbits, or very small horses, in their dietary and habitat needs. Have you checked out GuineaLynx? They've got a great site with tons of info. One of the few ways they are like rats is that they like to have buddies.
Rodent Mortician fucked around with this message at 19:22 on Mar 12, 2013 |
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Mar 12, 2013 18:57
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cuntvalet posted:Within the next week or so, I'll be getting a guinea pig (either full out rescue or fostering...not sure which yet). Are you going to be getting more than one? They really need to live in groups of two or more which may or may not be a departure from your previous pets.
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Mar 12, 2013 20:11
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cuntvalet posted:How different are guinea pigs from other rodents? What things should I know that are species specific? I currently have two guinea pigs and had hamsters when I was little, and besides echoing that guinea pigs very much like buddies (if possible, you should adopt at least two from the same litter, since sometimes personalities can clash), I think the biggest difference is that guinea pigs are a lot more expressive than other rodents. Well, at least hamsters. They have different squeaks from when they're happy and when they're upset (although, as Saint Darwin pointed out, an overwhelming majority of the time you're just going to hear the FEED ME squeak). They don't like being picked up but they love being petted and cuddled. When they're extremely happy they'll kind of run and jump and buck like a little pony. Oh, and don't waste your money on the giant hamster balls some pet stores sell. Guineas have fragile backs and could injure themselves running in a hamster ball.
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Mar 12, 2013 21:12
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Saint Darwin posted:Bring it all! In terms of bedding, I know that they need timothy hay, which is good enough, but instead of wood chips or what have you, is something like a fleece pet blanket okay for flooring instead of traditional bedding? When I was watching one of my university professor's rabbits while he was away on vacation, that's what he used for his rabbit, and it seemed like a simple, neat solution. They had the blanket on the floor of the cage, then a tray of timothy hay and paper bedding for a sort of litter box. Would that set up work for a guinea pig? Rodent Mortician posted:So, to me, they're not like other rodents at all. Pretty much everything suitable for rats, mice, hamsters, etc, food and toy-wise are inappropriate for guinea pigs. They're much closer to rabbits, or very small horses, in their dietary and habitat needs. Have you checked out GuineaLynx? They've got a great site with tons of info. Sirotan posted:Are you going to be getting more than one? They really need to live in groups of two or more which may or may not be a departure from your previous pets. I was definitely curious about this. Normally, with any pet I would ideally want to start with one and go from there. Can they survive like that? I read that they can end up stressed/depressed alone because they're group animals. If it is okay to have just one (at least to start out) what are some ways to reduce the stress and depression possibilities? Also I will totally be checking out the GuineaLynx link. bettsta posted:I currently have two guinea pigs and had hamsters when I was little, and besides echoing that guinea pigs very much like buddies (if possible, you should adopt at least two from the same litter, since sometimes personalities can clash), I think the biggest difference is that guinea pigs are a lot more expressive than other rodents. Well, at least hamsters. They have different squeaks from when they're happy and when they're upset (although, as Saint Darwin pointed out, an overwhelming majority of the time you're just going to hear the FEED ME squeak). They don't like being picked up but they love being petted and cuddled. When they're extremely happy they'll kind of run and jump and buck like a little pony. I'm guessing/hoping the sounds will eventually be easier to tell apart as I get to know the pig(s) on an individual basis? I was going to forego the hamster ball and just sort of have a lot of supervised floor time. My place is pretty big floor space wise, and the only stairs have lockable doors so i figure if I put something over the vents/danger zones, floor time shouldn't really need a rolly ball. Also, in terms of floor time, what sorts of things 'cause issues other than air vents? I'm thinking hiding spaces could be an issue, what else should I be mindful of in that regard? Thanks for the advice so far guys. I really want to do this the right way, so I'm trying to learn everything I can.
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Mar 12, 2013 22:11
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