The BRODENTS! Rodent Enthusiast Thread!

[w0ah]

Unfortunately, it’s just the same with name-brand pet stores that have their mice/rodents labeled as “fancy”. They only call them that because they have “pretty colors” or whatever. The only real “fancy” mice come from breeders that are experienced, trained, and know their mice’s blood lines and have healthy animals. It’s easier to find rat breeders, but harder to find mice breeders that aren’t sold as feeders, which are also much different. They mainly just bred them for the babies, and their condition or health isn't really worried about.

Although you'd expect the staff at a pet store to know what they are doing, most of the people that work there are just looking for a job and aren't really experienced or trained in the fields of the animals that are there ( although I do know that there are some people that work at pet stores and are more experienced, their higher-ups tell them they can't do anything anyways ). They don't have much interaction with the animals as you would expect, so they don't learn anything. This is probably why the staff weren't telling that little girl to stop banging on the glass.. they probably didn't know it was wrong, or that it was stressing out/scaring the mice inside. For example, there was someone at Petco that didn't know how to properly lift up mice by their tail, which could seriously harm them if not done properly. They were also very violent with lifting them up, and throwing them into a box. They seemed very nonchalant about it, and weren't even trying to be careful. But this is probably because they don't get mice bought to be pets very often, and they weren't trained how to carefully get them into a box.

[meerkat boi.]

so last weekend (sunday) i went to a pet store to have a look at the hamsters and cages n' stuff.
so we go in and look at some rabbits then we go to the area where they keep the hamsters and i didn't see ONE hamster there.
they usually only have dwarf hamsters but last time i went there were three syrians.

anyways i was looking at a few cages and is it just me or does anyone else just not like those plastic cages? you know those colorful plastic cages? yeah i just... don't like them.

- notes; i might be getting a hamster this summer for my birthday because this will be the second year asking for a hamster.

[Keriae]

so last weekend (sunday) i went to a pet store to have a look at the hamsters and cages n' stuff.
so we go in and look at some rabbits then we go to the area where they keep the hamsters and i didn't see ONE hamster there.
they usually only have dwarf hamsters but last time i went there were three syrians.

anyways i was looking at a few cages and is it just me or does anyone else just not like those plastic cages? you know those colorful plastic cages? yeah i just... don't like them.

- notes; i might be getting a hamster this summer for my birthday because this will be the second year asking for a hamster.

Please make sure that you get a cage that is a minimum of 80x50cm if you get a Syrian!
I’ll edit this with some cage suggestions in the morning for you c:

[cornspurrd.]

When rats boggle while boxing
what does it mean?

[MotherMother]

When rats boggle while boxing
what does it mean?

Boggling can mean lots of things, most commonly happiness/content but it can also indicate excitement and distress. If they're doing it while they're boxing, I think it would most likely be from excitement or distress, depending on if they are playing or actually fighting c:

[Kat]

I bought my two boys a kind of hanging hammock-tube-thing. They seem to really love it! c:



And on the subject of breeders vs pet stores: Both of my rats were purchased from a locally-owned pet store with Victor (white blaze) being sold as a "pet" while Edwin (black spot) was grabbed from the feeder bin located behind their counter. Both are equally beautiful and sweet, despite Edwin having been literally half the price that Victor was.

My mouse, Thomas, was also being sold as a "feeder".

[Keriae]

so last weekend (sunday) i went to a pet store to have a look at the hamsters and cages n' stuff.
so we go in and look at some rabbits then we go to the area where they keep the hamsters and i didn't see ONE hamster there.
they usually only have dwarf hamsters but last time i went there were three syrians.

anyways i was looking at a few cages and is it just me or does anyone else just not like those plastic cages? you know those colorful plastic cages? yeah i just... don't like them.

- notes; i might be getting a hamster this summer for my birthday because this will be the second year asking for a hamster.

Please make sure that you get a cage that is a minimum of 80x50cm if you get a Syrian!
I’ll edit this with some cage suggestions in the morning for you c:

Right, here's some cage suggestions!

If you're in the UK, any of the following are amazing cages that meet recommendations!


• The Alexander Small Pet Cage x
  
• The 80cm Mamble Rat/Hamster Cage x
• The 100cm Mamble Rat/Hamster Cage x
• The Alaska Hamster Cage x
• The Savic Hamster Heaven Cage x
• The Barney Small Pet Cage x
• Large coco Hamster/Rat cage x
• Savic Ruffy 2 x
• Zoozone Cage x The lid will need meshing, however!
• Grosvenor Large Hamster/Rat Cage x

If you're in the US, you could use any of the following:


• Prevue Pet Products 528 Universal Small Animal Home x
• Marchioro Goran 82 x
• Marchioro Kevin 82 x
• Savic Mickey 2xl x

Any Ferplast cage such as the Mambles, Ferplast 100, Savic Hamster Heaven and Savic Ruffy 2 are available in the US, as Ferplast as a US company!

If you have an Ikea near you (most countries do!) you can make a cage! You can either make:


• Bin cage Tutorial
• Ikea Detolf Tutorial
• Ikea Billy Tutorial
• Ikea Linnmon Tutorial
• Ikea Kallax Tutorial
Please note that for some of these, you will also need to make a lid!

Alternatively, you can look for tanks - they're often cheap second hand! As long as they meet the floor space requirement of 360 square inches, they're good!

When you get your hamster, please bare in mind that they need big wheels! While all the cages above are suitable for all hamsters (those with bigger bar spacing will need meshing for any dwarfs), syrians need bigger wheels than dwarfs! A syrian must have a wheel that is at least 28cm across, while a dwarf needs one that is at least 20cm across. Ideal wheels are:


• Trixie Small Pet Exercise Wheel x This comes in 20cm and 28cm!
• Wooden Exercise Wheel Speedy x So does this one!
• Trixie Wooden Exercise Wheel x And this one!

As for bedding, paper based such as Carefresh is better than wooden shavings, which can cause splinters and are too dense for hamsters to burrow. It must be deep enough to dig in (at least six inches, but deeper is better!). For their nests, providing tissue paper is cheap! My own hamster, Bella, however, is perfectly happy with just her Carefresh. A sand bath is also an enriching option to provide your hamster with! You can use chinchilla sand or children's play sand, but this must be baked first.

Spot cleaning is best done every couple of days, with the nest cleaned out once a week. The entire cage should be cleaned roughly once a month, and half of the bedding put back in the cage - this is because it carries the hamster's scent, and therefore reduces stress c:

[ryukrem]

When rats boggle while boxing
what does it mean?

My ratties boggle while eating because they are so happy. It's the cutest noise and they are probably exciting and happy to be boxing one another.

I bought my two boys a kind of hanging hammock-tube-thing. They seem to really love it! c:

snip

Your rats are so cute. I love when they look all sleepy and cozy like that <3

[meerkat boi.]

so last weekend (sunday) i went to a pet store to have a look at the hamsters and cages n' stuff.
so we go in and look at some rabbits then we go to the area where they keep the hamsters and i didn't see ONE hamster there.
they usually only have dwarf hamsters but last time i went there were three syrians.

anyways i was looking at a few cages and is it just me or does anyone else just not like those plastic cages? you know those colorful plastic cages? yeah i just... don't like them.

- notes; i might be getting a hamster this summer for my birthday because this will be the second year asking for a hamster.

Please make sure that you get a cage that is a minimum of 80x50cm if you get a Syrian!
I’ll edit this with some cage suggestions in the morning for you c:

Right, here's some cage suggestions!

If you're in the UK, any of the following are amazing cages that meet recommendations!


• The Alexander Small Pet Cage x
  
• The 80cm Mamble Rat/Hamster Cage x
• The 100cm Mamble Rat/Hamster Cage x
• The Alaska Hamster Cage x
• The Savic Hamster Heaven Cage x
• The Barney Small Pet Cage x
• Large coco Hamster/Rat cage x
• Savic Ruffy 2 x
• Zoozone Cage x The lid will need meshing, however!
• Grosvenor Large Hamster/Rat Cage x

If you're in the US, you could use any of the following:


• Prevue Pet Products 528 Universal Small Animal Home x
• Marchioro Goran 82 x
• Marchioro Kevin 82 x
• Savic Mickey 2xl x

Any Ferplast cage such as the Mambles, Ferplast 100, Savic Hamster Heaven and Savic Ruffy 2 are available in the US, as Ferplast as a US company!

If you have an Ikea near you (most countries do!) you can make a cage! You can either make:


• Bin cage Tutorial
• Ikea Detolf Tutorial
• Ikea Billy Tutorial
• Ikea Linnmon Tutorial
• Ikea Kallax Tutorial
Please note that for some of these, you will also need to make a lid!

Alternatively, you can look for tanks - they're often cheap second hand! As long as they meet the floor space requirement of 360 square inches, they're good!

When you get your hamster, please bare in mind that they need big wheels! While all the cages above are suitable for all hamsters (those with bigger bar spacing will need meshing for any dwarfs), syrians need bigger wheels than dwarfs! A syrian must have a wheel that is at least 28cm across, while a dwarf needs one that is at least 20cm across. Ideal wheels are:


• Trixie Small Pet Exercise Wheel x This comes in 20cm and 28cm!
• Wooden Exercise Wheel Speedy x So does this one!
• Trixie Wooden Exercise Wheel x And this one!

As for bedding, paper based such as Carefresh is better than wooden shavings, which can cause splinters and are too dense for hamsters to burrow. It must be deep enough to dig in (at least six inches, but deeper is better!). For their nests, providing tissue paper is cheap! My own hamster, Bella, however, is perfectly happy with just her Carefresh. A sand bath is also an enriching option to provide your hamster with! You can use chinchilla sand or children's play sand, but this must be baked first.

Spot cleaning is best done every couple of days, with the nest cleaned out once a week. The entire cage should be cleaned roughly once a month, and half of the bedding put back in the cage - this is because it carries the hamster's scent, and therefore reduces stress c:

Thank you~ them cages look lovely!
My parents have ever only brought me into one pet store and they have small little cages -.-
Yeah, I really like those 'trixie small pet excersisw wheels'
The only wheels I've seen in pet stores are mesh wheels and those 'saucer' ones as I call them.
Yeah when I get back from my holidays this year in France I'll be sure to show my parents the cages~ I really love the alaska one and the large coco Rat and hamster cage ~

[Keriae]

Thank you~ them cages look lovely!
My parents have ever only brought me into one pet store and they have small little cages -.-
Yeah, I really like those 'trixie small pet excersisw wheels'
The only wheels I've seen in pet stores are mesh wheels and those 'saucer' ones as I call them.
Yeah when I get back from my holidays this year in France I'll be sure to show my parents the cages~ I really love the alaska one and the large coco Rat and hamster cage ~

You're welcome! I have an Alaska for my hamster, and it's great! I also have that Trixie small pet wheel, and she loves it! Stay clear away from mesh wheels and flying saucers; mesh can trap toes and cause bumblefoot, and the saucer ones just simply aren't big enough.
I'd recommend having hammocks in the cage if you get an Alaska or a large Coco, just because they're both quite high and you don't want your hamster falling!