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Ah, that is not bad. I feared it might be much longer. They do not seem to have any issue looking at me at all as long as they are in their cover, they often watch me from it.
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Nov 1, 2010 17:30
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Reason posted:I recently acquired a little robo hamster. I love the little guy, we've had him for a couple weeks now and I figured by now he'd start settling in and not being as scared of me, but it hasn't been working out. He still won't take treats from my hand, just sniffs at my hand and then runs away. I've read robo's tend to be a bit shyer than most hamsters, but I didn't expect it to be this shy. I'm glad we got a "quieter" wheel for him though than our mice because man he runs on that thing way, way more than they do. I keep his cage right next to me whenever I'm home to get him used to my presence, and usually once a day I'll put food or a treat in my hand and hold it in his cage to see if he'll eat from it and nothing yet. Does anyone have any advice? Robo's for the most part are not the cuddle in your hand type hamsters. It'll take them some time for them to trust you enough to sit in your hand and eat. Some tips: - be very patient. Robo's are not the type of hamster to just chill with you. - get some toilet paper and wear it next to your body for a day or two and then put it in their cage. this will help them get used to you scent - place your hand in their cage floor and let them run around it etc. without trying to grab them. Keep doing this on a regular basis. - they love meal worms. put one in your palm and just let them come for it. Overall, most Robo's will only sit and eat in your hand while there's food there and if they're in the mood for it. They're sneaky and fast - they will take the first chance they see to run away if you take them out their cage and try to handle them like a Syrian or teddy bear hamster.
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Nov 2, 2010 22:03
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I was worried that since I could not get the pigs to eat when I took them out, i'd never be able to get them to calm down. Without food as an incentive, it would be a lot more difficult. My pigs still run for cover when they see me or hear me moving, but I just got both of them to eat out of my hand  I've been taking them out on a towel daily and placed them on a towel between my legs 1 at a time. They like parsley but before I could not get them to eat any or even move a bit when I took them out.I waited longer than previous days and tried offering them very small pieces. When I offered tiny bites, they ate! One did not move around all that much but ate all I offered. The other one took longer to eat but once he did, he was running all over the place trying to get some of it. Diogines fucked around with this message at 12:23 on Nov 3, 2010 |
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Nov 3, 2010 00:53
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Good show. All it takes is time with pigs, once they get used to you you won't have any problems. The first time you have to clip toenails, they're going to act so traumatized you're going to worry you're back to square one, but they'll get over it and from here it's all downhill.
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Nov 3, 2010 06:49
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Anyone help explain guinea pig psychology to me? The alpha and beta pig are apparent. One has a few bites on it's ear and is clearly the beta, though it had them before I got it, poor thing. My 2 pigs refuse to be separated. If I take the beta away from the alpha the beta freaks the hell out and really cries though it calms down as soon as I reunite them, so I have no choice but to handle them both at the same time. Whenever I pass by their enclosure they dive for cover, but when they are finally out, the alpha is pretty calm and not afraid of me at all. Why is running around on a towel in between my legs as I tower over it somehow less frightening then walking by it in it's cage, crouched at eye level?
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Nov 4, 2010 01:23
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I used to own a hamster who lived to the age of three years, he was  But looking back, I remember that he has absolutely huge bollocks for an animal his size. They were the size of marrowfat peas. After he died, I didn't get a new one, so I'm wondering: Are all hamsters/rodents in general, so well endowed? Or was my hamster just a mega rodent stud?
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Nov 4, 2010 01:35
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Experto Crede posted:I used to own a hamster who lived to the age of three years, he was My gerbils have huge balls, but even they pale in comparison to some rats.
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Nov 4, 2010 01:52
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Diogines posted:Anyone help explain guinea pig psychology to me? I'd say the separation anxiety is probably due to the short time they've been with you. The beta was the first one, right? So you take her from her family, put her in a strange place where she's by herself for a few days, then bring her a friend, which she desperately wanted. Every time you take her friend out of the cage, she has no idea if the alpha's coming back. Eventually, they should figure it out. Can you handle the alpha near the cage, so the beta can see that she's not alone? That might help her get the idea. As for handling, it's weird. Basically, once they click on the cage as home, they really, really don't want to be taken out of it. I've only had one guinea pig who didn't regularly go into full-tilt freakout mode when I tried to pick her up from the cage, and while they eventually get less panicky about it, they rarely grow to like the process. I think it's because the act of reaching in to pick them up triggers some primal condor instinct and they think they're about to be lunch. Once the condor has them, though, they almost always calm down. Once they realize, oh, it's just the big thing without fur that brings me veggies sometimes, it's just not that big of a deal anymore. They realize you're not going to eat them, and eventually they'll get to go back home. (Home is a powerful thing in the guinea pig mind. I remember a time when I let my girls out for floor time and got caught up cooking; I came back to the living room in a panic, expecting to see they'd burrowed into the wall or something, but instead I found them lined up underneath the cage, looking at it expectantly, and not a one even fidgeted when I picked them up to return them.) The mind of a guinea pig can be a strange place. I'm just waiting for one of your girls to turn out to be a chirper, that always freaks people right the gently caress out. 
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Nov 4, 2010 05:34
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The alpha or beta behavior within the pack doesn't always carry over to how they interact with you either. I have three boars and while the hierarchy doesn't seem as strict as it with a pack of females, the largest pig who you would consider alpha is big baby about being picked up and separated from the others. The other two slightly submissive pigs are much more brave.
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Nov 4, 2010 11:00
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Interjecting Non-rodent Hedgehogs in to this thread again. sorry I'm Considering getting a hedgehog and looking for pro and con arguments and where better to find animal minded (extremely opinionated) people than here. I have been reading the internet about hedgehog and know all about care and such and. But very little about how they are as a pet(beyond just prickly to pick up). I have over the years had hamster, guinea pigs, flying squirrels etc. But I would like to know if any one can qualify their intelligence level and please provide personal opinions and experiences to help me determine if this is something worth doing.
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Nov 4, 2010 18:20
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Tervuren posted:Interjecting Non-rodent Hedgehogs in to this thread again. sorry I'd be interested in hearing how you think they should be cared for, as the internet is a shady place for information, as a rule. Intelligent? Very. Mine can count and knows the difference between 4 mealworms and 5 very well. Hedgehogs can be a good pet for someone who is calm with a quiet environment. Just like people, no two hedgehogs are alike. I've had some that wanted affection, some that wanted to play, some that wanted to be left alone.
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Nov 4, 2010 20:22
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Sources include Hedgehog central, hedgehog international as well as some of the associated breeder sites from there.
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Nov 4, 2010 21:42
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Do guinea pigs ever chase each other in play, or only to assert dominance?
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Nov 5, 2010 03:07
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Guinea pigs can play. You can usually tell the difference, because chasing for dominance usually involves someone getting nipped on the butt or humped and they're usually pretty vocal about how upset they are with the treatment. It can also be hormonal; if the chaser is running low to the ground and occasionally stopping, making a weird rumbling/chuttering noise and wagging her butt, it's because she's in heat. Sometimes guinea pigs just tear around the cage for no real reason other than to have fun, which is why you shouldn't keep it cluttered with too much in the way of furniture, or at least try to make a lane around the outside to encourage exercise. One of my favorite playtime memories: I had my five girls out in the living room, and I had all the hallway doors shut but I didn't block it off. So there was about 15 feet of dark hallway leading to nothing that they could explore. When guinea pigs explore new territory, they tend to form a single-file line; that way if a condor swoops down and takes the leader, the next pig in line can pick a new direction and run everyone to safety. The girls lined up and decided to explore this new area they'd never seen before. Parvati, my alpha, took the lead, with the other girls falling in nose to rump, and she began to venture down the dark hallway. She got about three feet before she got spooked and bolted, leading the other pigs to scatter in every direction and run back to the living room. About two minutes later, they formed up again. This time she made it four feet before freaking out. And so on, I spent the afternoon watching the girls explore the big scary dark hallway a foot at a time. I think they were vaguely disappointed when they got to the end and there wasn't treasure. kazmeyer fucked around with this message at 03:42 on Nov 5, 2010 |
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Nov 5, 2010 03:37
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Tervuren posted:Sources include Hedgehog central, hedgehog international as well as some of the associated breeder sites from there. HHCentral and the IHA are good sources. I'm not sure exactly what your question about intelligence is after, though. What are you looking to know?
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Nov 5, 2010 15:32
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I've expanded my area for my guinea pigs. Originally I had a piece of plywood as the base and a 2 by 2 cube grid. I had a strong piece of plastic which ran underneath the cube and around it, to catch any liquid or anything stray thrown out. The ventilation was still good, the inside smelled fine. I just expanded it to a 2 by 3 and made the chloroplast and cube which everyone uses, though I made mine a fair bit bigger than the cube itself, to help catch stuff thrown out. I had extra chloroplast and so I put up little walls around the edges on the sides to help catch anything thrown up, but as a side effect the vision of the little piggies is obstructed from my desk, where I spend most of my time in my house. Is this good? They seem to move around quite a bit more now. Is it bad? Will them not always having a line of sight on me make it harder to help familiarize them with me? Should I remove the extra walls so they can see me, or perhaps on two sides so they still have security in hiding behind the other 2 walls? Diogines fucked around with this message at 00:57 on Nov 6, 2010 |
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Nov 6, 2010 00:54
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Eh, it's an either-or kind of thing. Eventually, most pigs seem to become comfortable with the idea that if they see you through the cubes, you're far enough away/obstructed so you can't "get" them, but if they see you looming over the top of the cage, you're within grabbing distance so RUN! Leaving the blinds up for a bit won't hurt anything, and might help them get used to the new place, but eventually I'd take it down and let them get used to your presence. The more they see you, and the more they realize that seeing you in the room doesn't mean instant condor attack, the quicker they'll stop freaking out.
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Nov 6, 2010 01:32
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My little Syrian Hamster sure loves my shepa lined hoodie
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Nov 6, 2010 15:30
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Pic!
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Nov 6, 2010 22:15
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My syrian hamster escaped today. Now either I opened her cage and forgot to close it (most likely, but I've not been in all day, and honestly cannot remember opening her cage), or she's learned how to open the door (Which doesn't seem loose). It's one of those plastic bottom, metal wire main bit cages. We got her back in the cage without too much hassle (she was in the first place we thought she would be, running around behind the sofa, which is where she always goes when she's out in her ball), but what concerns me is that she seems to have somehow urinated all over herself (fur looks like it's wet, but has dried in that position and it certainly smells a lot like piss). Why would she do this? I can't find anything about it by googling. I'm assuming it's some stress response/territory thing. I'm hoping she'll have cleaned herself off by tomorrow, otherwise I'm going to have to clean her off (which, logistically, I can't see as being easy to do, plus I don't want to freak her out) EDIT: She'd washed herself off within an hour or so of being back in her cage thankfully. dweebgal fucked around with this message at 11:22 on Nov 8, 2010 |
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Nov 7, 2010 22:27
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Excuse the double posting, but I've just found out (due to her clambering all over everything) that hamster paws work on capacitve touchscreens (specifically my iPhone)
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Nov 8, 2010 21:58
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"Get the giant food monster to bring me treats? There is an app for that!" Things continue to go well with my 2 new piggies. They still run like hell when they see me, but the "alpha" of the pair is pretty calm when I pick her up and both are fairly calm when I take them out, she also seems content to sit in my lap for an extended period of time.
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Nov 9, 2010 00:04
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Help! One of my pigs is starting to chew on the edges of the plastic containers I put in their enclosure for hides. I do not know if they are eating it or not. They have plenty of food and have a good appetite. What should I do? Keep them in there? Remove them? Panic? I cannot tell if they are trying to widen the opening, gnawing on the plastic for their teeth or actually eating it. The pigs have plenty of timothy hay and seem to like it.
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Nov 9, 2010 03:20
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Diogines posted:Help! Take them out and replace them with cardboard, or preferably wood toys and houses. They are going to chew on everything within reach so make sure none of it is harmful to them.
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Nov 9, 2010 04:10
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Done. They really loved the plastic hides I put in there and preferred them over the cardboard ones. Oh well. I removed them. I'll make some wooden ones tomorrow. Any particular dangers I am not thinking of to put together a few pieces of wood to make some wooden piggy houses? Screws on top and put in deep, so they could not gnaw on them. Edit: It did not take 3 minutes after I put in a new cardboard box cut down to be a good hide and the same guinea pig is chewing on it. Is this something to worry about? Diogines fucked around with this message at 04:21 on Nov 9, 2010 |
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Nov 9, 2010 04:19
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Diogines posted:Done. Be sure the wood is not treated in any way because they will chew on it. I buy these cardboard tubes for my pigs that they love and they chew them down to the point where I replace them every 3-4 weeks. So yes its normal. Also remember corrugated cardboard is going to have glue in it so I'd really recommend some sort of house made from untreated wood to something that is cardboard, unless you can get something you know was made with non-toxic materials. The mediums are perfect for pig size, just toss the nesting material that comes with it: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=6067+18349+14596&pcatid=14596 And while you're there you might as well get some food since they have great flat-rate shipping. This is about the best: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=16630 vvvvv You should assume they will chew on everything, because they will chew on everything. Sirotan fucked around with this message at 04:30 on Nov 9, 2010 |
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Nov 9, 2010 04:21
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I had some small, I don't know what you call them, paint buckets? I had 2 of them in in the enclosure as hides, a pigloo and a strangely shaped piece of cardboard which they liked, but they loved the upturned bucket shaped things best though they used them all. The plastic in them is a lot softer than the pigloo, which she does not chew on. Would they chew on a PVC pipe? Where do you buy the cardboard tubes? Should I put in pieces of cardboard just for them to chew on? Diogines fucked around with this message at 04:51 on Nov 9, 2010 |
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Nov 9, 2010 04:28
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  R.I.P. Sproles His little heart stopped yesterday 
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Nov 9, 2010 06:26
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Squarette posted:
RIP Sproles Dwarf solidarity 
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Nov 9, 2010 10:41
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Diogines posted:I had some small, I don't know what you call them, paint buckets? I had 2 of them in in the enclosure as hides, a pigloo and a strangely shaped piece of cardboard which they liked, but they loved the upturned bucket shaped things best though they used them all. The plastic in them is a lot softer than the pigloo, which she does not chew on. Would they chew on a PVC pipe? Maybe you just need to give them more food with some chewing resistance? My pigs doesn't chew the PVC pipes they use for hides, nor the pillows, fleece or anything else inedible. They will "taste" everything you put in front of them, but that's just exploring with their mouths.
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Nov 9, 2010 11:36
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I put in a cloth bag and tied up one of the handles to the side of the cage so it has a clear opening. They seem to really like it.
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Nov 10, 2010 01:20
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Only one problem with using anything cloth: they WILL pee in it, and they WILL sit in it. What's worse is when they poop, pee on it, and then sit in the pile. Although guinea pigs do get a terribly amusing offended look on their face when you have them in the sink washing their nether regions, it's not something you want to have to do often. As for chewing: how much hay are you giving them, and what kind? I buy 25# of bluegrass hay at a time from a farm in Idaho and basically shovel it into the cage willy-nilly; the constant barrage of tasty green stuff distracts my girls from chewing on anything else for the most part. (Although hay-stuffed toilet paper rolls are nice, too, if you get a brand where the paper isn't permanently glued to the tube.)
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Nov 10, 2010 07:18
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They get plenty of hay and eat it up, they were going for the plastic even when the hay was in there though.
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Nov 10, 2010 13:22
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Just making sure. Unfortunately, sometimes pigs just decide to be contrary, no matter what you do.
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Nov 10, 2010 17:55
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I hand feed my piggies their daily vegetables during lap time, is there any issue with that or any reason I should not do that? They get unlimited pellets/timothy hay in their enclosure.
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Nov 11, 2010 02:20
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Nah, no reason. Hand-feeding pigs helps them get used to you. Although once you've got them comfortable enough taking food from your hand during lap time, try getting them to take it from your hand in the cage. That can go a long way towards breaking down the terror of "the claw", if occasionally it reaches into the cage to offer a baby carrot or something else tasty.
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Nov 11, 2010 07:40
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So it's about the one year anniversary of getting my two pigs, and I was wondering what do do for them. I came across this recipe, and thought it would be incredibly cute to make them tiny little cookies. I'm not sure about the oat flour however. (Yes I do know nearly all the do's/don'ts' like no beans, rhubarb, processed animal products/by products, etc). But the oat flour is one I haven't heard of or really seen anywhere. 1 cup oat flour (I'd just blend this from regular oats) 1 cup cavy or rabbit pellets 2/3 cup vegetable broth or water 6 tablespoons olive or other vegetable oil 2 tablespoons honey Sorta-rescued them from a pet store, they were destined for the animal shelter I'd say. Story is some family came in, bought them, and some of the kids ended up being allergic to them. By the time they were returned to the pet store, they were too old to be re-sold or something (I don't follow that part of the story myself, but whatever), and were being kept in a too-small temporary cage at one of the employees houses. My friend that worked at the petcetera knew I'd been trolling craigslist and the nearby spca's for pigs, but there hadn't been any for months, and asked if I'd take them since they had no home and couldn't be sold.  Knispel (closest to camera)and Wittmann (inside green house) Recently moved and I keep them inside my bedroom, but I let the roommates cat wander in if I'm here to supervise, otherwise I put a painting across the doorway and let the pigs wander around. They love their turtle house though, if I get distracted and don't put them back in fast enough they'll jump the edges to get back inside. If I had a bigger place, someone dumped one of those mini-pond pools in the alley last week, would have loved to get that for them. But as of now there was no possible way to fit it inside this place, but I'll upgrade again once we move to a larger house. VolatileSky fucked around with this message at 04:58 on Nov 12, 2010 |
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Nov 12, 2010 03:58
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VolatileSky posted:1 cup oat flour (I'd just blend this from regular oats) I dunno, this is very high calorie, high fat, and high starch. I'm always hesitant to feed anything that may upset their GI flora as much as this could. Piggies never fail to be impressed with a treat of fresh greens, even if they get them all the time. Splurge on herbs that they don't normally get - dill, basil, etc - and make them a nice birthday salad. I did that for one of my bunnies on his 8th birthday:  Maybe also get some exceptional grass hay of a type that they don't usually get - orchardgrass or bluegrass. Have you ever tried Kleenmama's stuff? If not, this is a perfect excuse!
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Nov 12, 2010 15:49
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Ham Health question. My dwarf russian today started coughing all the time when hes active. He makes cough noises the more he moves around and on his back, and get agitated if I do so. This just started today. Im assuming this is an breathing problem, yet I havent done anything super stupid. Bedding is carefresh and he eats a good mixed diet. Edit: as I finish typing this post hs stoped coughing and is fine. Should I still rush him to a vet or wait to see if this comes back?
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Nov 12, 2010 17:57
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alucinor posted:Maybe also get some exceptional grass hay of a type that they don't usually get - orchardgrass or bluegrass. Have you ever tried Kleenmama's stuff? If not, this is a perfect excuse! Kleenmama's hay is FREAKING AWESOME. I'll talk her stuff up every chance I get. I originally tried out her bluegrass hay because I turned out to be ridiculously allergic to timothy; every time I'd open a bale, if I didn't get the hell out of the room I'd have an asthma attack within minutes. The bluegrass was non-allergenic for me, and what's even better, the pigs absolutely adore it. KM sources from some amazing farms, she's incredibly picky about the hay (she started out as a guinea pig owner just like the rest of us) and she absolutely won't sell any hay that isn't up to her standards. (That can occasionally mean that supplies run low, as she'd rather run out of the stuff than sell inferior product.) If all you've ever fed is that crappy Kaytee stuff that comes in the green bags, do yourself a favor and order a nine-pound box from KM to try it out. She does timothy and alfalfa, but if you can get the bluegrass it's amazingly good.
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Nov 12, 2010 18:39
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