The BRODENTS! Rodent Enthusiast Thread!

[Keriae]

hello! i changed my username hah, i was formerly resonatings/.mochi


my birthday is coming up in june and i’m really hoping to get a hamster aaaa !! i had mentioned reasons why my parents don’t want me getting one which were: the short lifespan, the inability to take them on vacation, and my mom is worried that they might smell or carry disease..

i’ve thought of plans as to where they would go if we went on vacation; my cousin is our first option, and the second is one of my best friends who has two hamsters (i would most likely have my cousin come to my house, and i could provide a back-up bin cage for going to my friend’s house.)

i’m also prepared for the short lifespan.. i’ve always thought about when my dogs will eventually grow old, as well as any pet i get. i’m hoping to be a vet, so i’ll eventually have to understand this.

as for the odor, i know that in most cases, it’s the tank/cage that smells, so i plan to spot clean daily and deep clean weekly. when cleaning, i’ll obviously wear gloves (i’ve seen people do it without them) as i know there are diseases that hamsters carry, but most i found don’t affect humans.


any other suggestions/tips would be appreciated!!

I wouldn't recommend cleaning every week! You'll be stressing your hammy out and that can cause them to overmark = more smell. Invest in a good substrate, like Carefresh, and spot clean daily. I clean Bella's house out once a week, but I only do a full clean once a month. She doesn't smell at all c:

[gamorasass]

I adopted an elderly rat from my local shelter. She's been a lone rat her hole life, so I am not getting her a female friend as a result. She's used to her life now and I'm afraid she won't take to it or she is too weak to handle a young one.

She was in an animal hoarding situation, covered in mites, and had horrible breathing. They believed it to be a URI, as the shelter is not adapt in caring for rats, they did their best, which I appreciate. They treated her using Baytril, but it had no effect. They also treated her for mites and she is now mite free, but has so many sore and itchy scabs on her skin. I adopted her on Friday and noticed how labored her breathing was and made an appointment right away for the next day.

Turns out, she does not have a URI. She had lung scarring/COPD from the living conditions she was in the first two years of her life. Likely the ammonia build up from her cage, and the other twelve guinea pigs she was with, destroyed her lungs. She is on steroids in hopes that it helps her breathing, but so far it has had no effect. She has it prescribed for seven days, so I'm hoping within the next few that she will be breathing better.

She has a few more doses of Revolution to treat the mites to ensure they don't come back. She's also skin and bones and I am working on getting her weight up. She doesn't take to vegetables very much so I don't think she has ever seen one in her life, but thankfully she seems to be enjoying her oxbow and is drinking well. I also feed her about two tablespoons of meat baby food every night and she's been loving that!!

I didn't plan to get another rat, let alone a female since I have 3 unaltered boys, but I am blessed to have her in my life now. She will live the rest of her senior life in a healthy and happy environment.

[.ｃｈｅｒｒｙ ｂｌｏｓｓｏｍ.]

hello! i changed my username hah, i was formerly resonatings/.mochi


my birthday is coming up in june and i’m really hoping to get a hamster aaaa !! i had mentioned reasons why my parents don’t want me getting one which were: the short lifespan, the inability to take them on vacation, and my mom is worried that they might smell or carry disease..

i’ve thought of plans as to where they would go if we went on vacation; my cousin is our first option, and the second is one of my best friends who has two hamsters (i would most likely have my cousin come to my house, and i could provide a back-up bin cage for going to my friend’s house.)

i’m also prepared for the short lifespan.. i’ve always thought about when my dogs will eventually grow old, as well as any pet i get. i’m hoping to be a vet, so i’ll eventually have to understand this.

as for the odor, i know that in most cases, it’s the tank/cage that smells, so i plan to spot clean daily and deep clean weekly. when cleaning, i’ll obviously wear gloves (i’ve seen people do it without them) as i know there are diseases that hamsters carry, but most i found don’t affect humans.


any other suggestions/tips would be appreciated!!

first off guys, sorry about the really embarrassing post about the hamsters a while back, my little cousin got into my account. she desperately wants to breed, and so I had a talk with her yesterday. I explained to her that hamster breeding wasn't to be taken lightly ect. anyway, sorry total tangent there, the spot clean schedule is perfect. i would recommend not deep cleaning until at leads two weeks after you initially get your hamster, it helps reduce stress in a already new environment. after the two weeks, or when you hamster has settled in, a deep clean at least four times a month will do. diseases aren't honestly a big concern, if you get a hamster from a good breeder, and possibly just get a quick checkup by a vet, then you should be fine. pregnant women and young children are at the largest risk, and none of the diseases are truly life-threatening to a healthy person. anyway, you seem that you've planned out getting your hamster very carefully, well done. it's good that one thinks about every problem a hamster could arise, you seem to have done that. other tips i have:
• use absorbent bedding- will help you so much. really keeps the stink out. i would recommend care fresh bedding, safe for you hamster, good quality, and very absorbent.
• you may know this already, but get a hamster wheel! so important! make sure it's large enough, 10-12 inches should be fine, but if yup hamper is large and their back bends quite a bit when they run, definitely upgrade.
• get a large cage, please please please do not get a Critter Trail cage! they are tiny and cruel to you hamster! i use 20+ gallon aquariums or large wire cages.
• adopt don't shop! this is so important, do not buy from petco or pet smart unless you have to! first, try a local rescue. if there are no hamsters in rescues, try Craigslist or Fijiji, if you live in canada. Craigslist is great, because you can see both the mom and dad, and where the hamster grew up. check ads there first. if you do, make sure the person seems knowledgable, the parents and littermates are healthy, and the cage is large. if the breeder does not let you see these things, or does not provide pictures at the least, don't buy. but alas, if you can't find any hamsters anywhere except petco or petsmart, just go ahead and buy there, though really try hard to pick the healthiest animal.
• buy chews. they provide both mental and physical health benefits, they reduce boredom, as well as keep your hamsters teeth in good shape. they're definitely a must-have.

if you have any questions, just post here
hope this helps!

[Kisiel]

I adopted an elderly rat from my local shelter. She's been a lone rat her hole life, so I am not getting her a female friend as a result. She's used to her life now and I'm afraid she won't take to it or she is too weak to handle a young one.

She was in an animal hoarding situation, covered in mites, and had horrible breathing. They believed it to be a URI, as the shelter is not adapt in caring for rats, they did their best, which I appreciate. They treated her using Baytril, but it had no effect. They also treated her for mites and she is now mite free, but has so many sore and itchy scabs on her skin. I adopted her on Friday and noticed how labored her breathing was and made an appointment right away for the next day.

Turns out, she does not have a URI. She had lung scarring/COPD from the living conditions she was in the first two years of her life. Likely the ammonia build up from her cage, and the other twelve guinea pigs she was with, destroyed her lungs. She is on steroids in hopes that it helps her breathing, but so far it has had no effect. She has it prescribed for seven days, so I'm hoping within the next few that she will be breathing better.

She has a few more doses of Revolution to treat the mites to ensure they don't come back. She's also skin and bones and I am working on getting her weight up. She doesn't take to vegetables very much so I don't think she has ever seen one in her life, but thankfully she seems to be enjoying her oxbow and is drinking well. I also feed her about two tablespoons of meat baby food every night and she's been loving that!!

I didn't plan to get another rat, let alone a female since I have 3 unaltered boys, but I am blessed to have her in my life now. She will live the rest of her senior life in a healthy and happy environment.

Poor girl, she looks old and unwell. Steroids and a Baytril + doxy combo might help her but if she really does have scarring then there isn’t much that can be done. I would recommend introducing a pair of kittens to her via the carrier method instead of another older female - that way when she passes the new rat(s) won’t be left alone, and kittens tend to be easier to introduce too. So pleased to hear she’s in a better situation now.

[ghostmaker]

just a little excited tidbit, hehe.

one of my best friends owns two hamsters, and she's super quiet abt them (doesn't show us pictures, etc.). she sent me photos of their cages on snapchat, and yep... they were crittertrails. i'm the animal nerd in my friend group, so i was happy to give her some pointers on hamster care!! i suggested building bin cages (29 gallons each) for them, and she's planning on doing that. i'm so happy my immense knowledge of this was able to help not only her, but her hamsters as well!! <3 it's also cheaper than buying a crittertrail, from what she said.


@keriae

oh, alright! :0 thank you aa !!

@the enchantress

thank you for all of the tips !! i do plan on getting a detolf for the cage, and i've had some hamsters at the animal shelter i volunteer at, so i'll check that out! carefresh has been on my shopping list for quite a while now, and i've been looking at wheels.

chews are something i plan on having, but i'll make sure to have a TON :>

[jade,]

My hamster is still missing. It has been over 2 weeks, and I'm losing hope of finding her. My dad said she was alive, because he saw her, but she was too fast and escaped from his hands. Like, seriously, I only had bought her for less than a week xc Any tips?

[mediocre mackerel]

can someone explain to me how fleece bedding/fleece cage liners work? (for guinea pigs) i understand it's more convenient than bedding since it's easier to see the poop and easier to clean the poop, but what about pee? like, wouldn't the fleece absorb the pee since it's a cloth then the pee would dry and it would smell and crust and all that nastiness? i'm just so confused :'L

[Keriae]

just a little excited tidbit, hehe.

one of my best friends owns two hamsters, and she's super quiet abt them (doesn't show us pictures, etc.). she sent me photos of their cages on snapchat, and yep... they were crittertrails. i'm the animal nerd in my friend group, so i was happy to give her some pointers on hamster care!! i suggested building bin cages (29 gallons each) for them, and she's planning on doing that. i'm so happy my immense knowledge of this was able to help not only her, but her hamsters as well!! <3 it's also cheaper than buying a crittertrail, from what she said.


@keriae

oh, alright! :0 thank you aa !!

@the enchantress

thank you for all of the tips !! i do plan on getting a detolf for the cage, and i've had some hamsters at the animal shelter i volunteer at, so i'll check that out! carefresh has been on my shopping list for quite a while now, and i've been looking at wheels.

chews are something i plan on having, but i'll make sure to have a TON :>

I have a list of links here, for all your hamster needs c:

[gamorasass]

Poor girl, she looks old and unwell. Steroids and a Baytril + doxy combo might help her but if she really does have scarring then there isn’t much that can be done. I would recommend introducing a pair of kittens to her via the carrier method instead of another older female - that way when she passes the new rat(s) won’t be left alone, and kittens tend to be easier to introduce too. So pleased to hear she’s in a better situation now.

I'm hesitant to even put others with her because she just seems so fragile. Plus, she's been alone her entire life. The baytril and steroids have not been helping so I phoned my vet and waiting to hear back from him regarding what he wants to do. I really hope there is something we can find to help her lungs as it pains me to watch her labored breathing. She's one happy rat now tho!

can someone explain to me how fleece bedding/fleece cage liners work? (for guinea pigs) i understand it's more convenient than bedding since it's easier to see the poop and easier to clean the poop, but what about pee? like, wouldn't the fleece absorb the pee since it's a cloth then the pee would dry and it would smell and crust and all that nastiness? i'm just so confused :'L

It is recommended that the fleece is changed every second or third day to avoid ammonia build up. If you keep on top of it, it won't smell or crust. You just have to make sure you clean it properly.

This is a video to one of my favorite and most recommended Guinea Pig YouTubers. She uses fleece and shows how she works with it.

[Kainé]

I got a new guinea pig friend for my sow, and they're currently in a divided cage and they're able to see and sniff each other. They have chattered and nipped a little bit, but neither has really tried to dominate the other.

Both piggies have lived solo for an extended period of time, and are about a year old. Should I introduce them more slowly so the bonding goes better? I've bonded rabbits, but not guinea pigs so I'm still new to this. Any advice?