The BRODENTS! Rodent Enthusiast Thread! V2

[Midnight_Paw]

Username: Midnight_Paw
[b]Favorite type of rodent: My top two are Guinea pigs and Hamsters
[b]Tell us about your pets: you I have 7 pets total. Only two of them are rodents. I have Two hamsters name Blue Bell who is 1year and Nyota. I got Blue Bell from adoption center at pet smart. The pet smart near me works with shelters to help small animals and reptiles find homes. I got my Hamster Nyota from a reputable breeder. Blue bell is a hybrid dwarf while Nyota is a Syrian.
[b]Other: Hi I am Midnight_Paw I go by Midnight or just Mid. I am very passionate about proper hamsters care an been owning hamsters for a long time. I always learning and growing in my care. I hope to one day own Guinea pigs. I am into Natural style hamster set ups. my Dwarf hamster Blue Bell lives in a 900 sq in bin cage while Nyota lives in a 700 sqinch pet store enclosure. He will soon be upgraded to a 900 sqinch pet store enclosure.

[keronya]

I guess it's quite a normal thing to feel but does any of you guys sometimes question your ability
to keep these beautiful critters and you oftentimes question if your rodents are happy? And then
you walk over to their nice cage and they're comfortably napping in their little hammocks and
then you're just like "Yeah, they're happy. C: that's all i needed to see"

I only just have 2 girls they have a decently sized cage, 60cmW x 40cmD x 60cmH they have plenty of
accessories, hammocks, ladders, hides etc. but I feel like it's not enough for them and I then spiral
into thinking I'm a bad rat mum hahaha.

such lovely little things they love hopping up your shoulder to see the world cc:

another question for rat owners, is it a must-do to train your rats tricks? my girls know how
to spin so far but i then again spiral into thinking i'm a bad owner if i am not constantly
mentally stimulating them with tricks. they have foraging toys and such, though and get
free ranged every day.

[miṷ]

I guess it's quite a normal thing to feel but does any of you guys sometimes question your ability
to keep these beautiful critters and you oftentimes question if your rodents are happy? And then
you walk over to their nice cage and they're comfortably napping in their little hammocks and
then you're just like "Yeah, they're happy. C: that's all i needed to see"

I only just have 2 girls they have a decently sized cage, 60cmW x 40cmD x 60cmH they have plenty of
accessories, hammocks, ladders, hides etc. but I feel like it's not enough for them and I then spiral
into thinking I'm a bad rat mum hahaha.

such lovely little things they love hopping up your shoulder to see the world cc:

another question for rat owners, is it a must-do to train your rats tricks? my girls know how
to spin so far but i then again spiral into thinking i'm a bad owner if i am not constantly
mentally stimulating them with tricks. they have foraging toys and such, though and get
free ranged every day.

i think it's only normal to question if you're doing a decent job - if someone is not questioning it even occasionally, i doubt they really are. a lot of parents have this issue too, where their not sure if their doing a good job with their own children.

tricks is a form of mental stimulation. it isn't required at all, for as long as they are given that mental stimulation that they need. if they are bar chewing or doing other boredom behaviours, then i'd definitely look into tricks, larger cages, more foraging supplies, more out of cage time etc.

[keronya]

i think it's only normal to question if you're doing a decent job - if someone is not questioning it even occasionally, i doubt they really are. a lot of parents have this issue too, where their not sure if their doing a good job with their own children.

tricks is a form of mental stimulation. it isn't required at all, for as long as they are given that mental stimulation that they need. if they are bar chewing or doing other boredom behaviours, then i'd definitely look into tricks, larger cages, more foraging supplies, more out of cage time etc.

amazing thank you! just needed that little bit of assurance.
no boredom behaviours so far but good to know what to do if they do start to get stir crazy

want to get a ball rolling here, what rodents do you own miu and how many? what are their names?
what is your favourite thing about thyem? sorry if it's out of the blue, just curious!

[miṷ]

i think it's only normal to question if you're doing a decent job - if someone is not questioning it even occasionally, i doubt they really are. a lot of parents have this issue too, where their not sure if their doing a good job with their own children.

tricks is a form of mental stimulation. it isn't required at all, for as long as they are given that mental stimulation that they need. if they are bar chewing or doing other boredom behaviours, then i'd definitely look into tricks, larger cages, more foraging supplies, more out of cage time etc.

amazing thank you! just needed that little bit of assurance.
no boredom behaviours so far but good to know what to do if they do start to get stir crazy :)

want to get a ball rolling here, what rodents do you own miu and how many? what are their names?
what is your favourite thing about thyem? sorry if it's out of the blue, just curious!

i looked after loads of rodents on my animal management course in college, but i've never had my own. i fostered some guinea pigs recently, but they found their new home just a couple of days ago. i'd love to of kept them, but a 6x2ft cage just wasn't doable for me & they were quite costly little guys.

i'm currently actively looking for a hamster, but there are just NONE in my area apart from pet store chains like pets at home. i don't want to buy from a pet store or from a backyard breeder, but its shocking that i just can't find anyone.

what about you?

[keronya]

That's awesome! Sounds like that was a fun and rewarding course. What does animal management entail? Like rehabilitation or just looking after them in general? <3

Hamsters are great, I was looking into getting one a while back before even considering getting rats but I discovered quickly they are illegal to keep in Australia whoops haha. I really hope that a good opportunity arises for you to get a hamster, and it'll be coming from a good place. The time will come I'm sure of it! And when you get them I'm sure they will be looked after well in your capable hands.

I've wanted rats for a really long time and spent a little while researching and saving up to provide the best possible living situation for rats and I've had these pair of girls for a couple of months!

Every day with them is a new adventure and I love them so much. <333

[miṷ]

That's awesome! Sounds like that was a fun and rewarding course. What does animal management entail? Like rehabilitation or just looking after them in general? <3

Hamsters are great, I was looking into getting one a while back before even considering getting rats but I discovered quickly they are illegal to keep in Australia whoops haha. I really hope that a good opportunity arises for you to get a hamster, and it'll be coming from a good place. The time will come I'm sure of it! And when you get them I'm sure they will be looked after well in your capable hands.

I've wanted rats for a really long time and spent a little while researching and saving up to provide the best possible living situation for rats and I've had these pair of girls for a couple of months!

Every day with them is a new adventure and I love them so much. <333

i did animal management at college, so we used to look after a lot of sick animals from the local zoo, had our own mob of meerkats, etc. we basically just cleaned enclosures everyday, had some lessons of health & nutrition, learnt how to clip birds wings, etc. i ended up leaving part way through because i felt as though the information they taught was outdated and didn't have the animals best interest at heart. for example, clipping a birds wings when it has bumble foot, recommending cats to have dry food only or feeding a hedgehog an entire diet of dried meal worms.

i also had a long-lived obsession for rats. i find so much enjoyment in just tirelessly researching one specific animal only to never get them.

-

i was actually meant to pick up a little hamster today, beautiful little male shorthair syrian that was completely brown. agreed to pick him up & then at 6pm the night before, mind you its an entire train ride to get to him, but she changed her mind and took another offer for £100. just feel quite bad because i know people who've done their research wouldn't offer that much and whoever did did it because the cage was included.

unfortunately, there's like 0 hamsters for adoption in my area. the nearest hamsters that need homes are 80 miles away and i only can transport on a train as of the moment. i contacted all my local pet stores and one branch in particular keeps changing where they source their hamsters from. one time its independent breeders and the next its large scale.

im going to get a cage sorted (the ikea platsa), about 1116 square inches of floor space. at its highest point, i may be able to make the bedding up to 20 inches. im super excited to see little burrowing systems! i've still got to work out how i'm going to attach the acrylic sheet to it, but riveting stuff nonetheless.

[keronya]

Damn thats unfortunate that you had to leave after finding those things out. It was the right thing to do though.

And yeah people go crazy for deals like those, people just want a bargain... was the cage that came with him at least decent for the little guy?

That sounds like an amazing plan, hope it goes well! And they're gonna have a fun time burrowing in there I bet haha

[miṷ]

Damn thats unfortunate that you had to leave after finding those things out. It was the right thing to do though.

And yeah people go crazy for deals like those, people just want a bargain... was the cage that came with him at least decent for the little guy?

That sounds like an amazing plan, hope it goes well! And they're gonna have a fun time burrowing in there I bet haha

it wasn't no. it was similar to one of these:


but it was bright pink with a little level in it. i initially told them i'd pick him up next week, but then she said she was just giving him to whoever would take him fastest so i turned it to "i'll just get him tomorrow". i thought even if he would have to live in that tiny cage for a bit, mine would come by the 1st anyway and at least no one who hasn't researched hamster care would get him. she was offering another hamster with it, i can't remember the species in particular, but it was one of the smaller ones. they both came with cages, so i guess if it was a parent with two kids that's that sorted. i just can't imagine someone spending £100 on two hamsters unless they were planning on keeping them in the cages that they came with. felt so bad about it.

i have found another hamster as i was stalking preloved and that and found an old dead advert. thought i might as well contact them as they were selling multiple hamsters and turns out they have one left. if all goes to plan i might be able to get him next week!

[b.umblebee]

hello everyone i just thought i'd share

i renamed my hamster

his name is now alexander hamsterton

that is all