The BRODENTS! Rodent Enthusiast Thread! V2

[oelo]

Ahhhhh I have a dilemma.
At the store I was showing my mother the bin I wanted to get for Phoenix, and talking about how I would make ventilation holes and zip-tie mesh on. She said, ''Well ____, he's going to suffocate! With all the bin 'smells' he'll surely die. And, it's plastic. He'll chew it, and its poison to him!''
1st of all, Phoenix is NOT a big chewer.
2nd, is I don't really know where her knowledge of cages came from.
3rd, I'd add plenty of air holes for ventilation. And if I add none at the bottom, there'd be none to chew.
She thinks that a crittertrail would be okay, as long as I let him out daily. "I'm not that ignorant about hamsters'' She says.
I don't know how to explain 'hamster care' to my mother, but I can't just leave Phoenix with a ''standard'' cage.
If you guys have any idea of how I can explain this to my mother, it'd be greatly appreciated.

supposing phoenix is a hamster (aha, i'm new around here, so i don't know much about this phoenix), bins are honestly perfect. hamsters don't urinate enough to create dangerous levels of ammonia. they also tend to have a certain area where they urinate, so you can shovel that out when it gets soiled & the cage won't even smell. Some people like to cut some sides out of the bin and replace it with mesh, allowing airflow. This is fine if your hamster isn't messy, and the substrate isn't too high (note: aim for about 6 inches throughout the bin for a happy hamster, but the more the merrier. hamsters feel safe when their burrowed under thick substrate. bit of a personal opinion here, but i'd go for 10 inches if your bin allows it). something a lot easier to do though is arrange the items in the cage so their a little more centred. you can then leave the lid completely off (note; only if the hamster can't climb out. that's why you centre your objects and level the substrate appropriately.).

plastic really isn't something hamsters cling too. hamsters bite the wires of cages when its too small for the most part (some hamsters just do it for attention, too.). if you provide adequate space for the hamster (at least 450sq inch), it really shouldn't be a problem.

have you considered an aquarium? maybe if your mom is against bins, she wont be against aquariums.

[Dumezil]

I got my first pinkies from my fawn pied doe last night! It is my first litter since starting my projects. She came to me pregnant, so I'm not sure what these guys are, but she will be paired with my chocolate fox manx in the future as she has an absolutely lovely temperament I hope to breed into my lines.

[Agent Maine(Meta)]

Very nice and adorable little pink beans. And a lovely Dam you have as well!

For some of you rat parents out there, i'm wondering if any of you have gotten rat harnesses? And if so, what kind would you recommend? As i'm looking to get a couple so i can take mine outside without much fear of some of my more skittish ones accidently running off and getting lost because a leaf (yes a leaf its happened before and it was hours of stress on both me and the ratto) spooked them.

[oelo]

more of a personal opinion here, but i'd say to avoid taking out the more skittish rats. it only takes a small slip up and they've ran off or gotten them self into trouble. if you want some outdoor time, have you considered an enclosed play-pen?
regardless of my opinion, if you are dead set on taking your rats outside, make sure their recall is strong. typically, heavily bonded and trained rats are the only rats you really want to take out.

[drift.]

I wouldn't recommend harnesses, though I know a lot of people can make them work. My rats are a healthy weight and have slipped out of every harness I've tried; DIY and store-bought.
So I built a wire box with a hatch, much like a diy chicken run, put some toys in their, planted some herbs and let them go crazy :)

[The Mad Girl]

I used to be a member of the old thread but have been very inactive on CS, so I haven't really interacted in a very long time, I really want to come back though, here is my form so I can join again:

Username:The Mad Girl
Favorite type of rodent: Hamster ♥
Tell us about your pets: I currently have a syrian hamster, called Lucifer, he is a pedigree hamster and is about to complete 1 year of age very soon, two neutered and bonded rabbits called Loki and Mazikeen, I rescued and adopted them from neglectful owners, they are around 2 years and a half old, the male is just a few months older than the female, and last, but not least, a beautiful 9 years old black cat, called Slash I adopted 7 years ago.
Other:

I have 20 years of experience with hamsters and I believe I can be helpful if someone has questions about them

[drift.]

welcome ^^

[oelo]

ugghhh :"")

had to separate my girls, and i think permanently this time. one keeps attacking the other for absolutely no reason. epIC

is the other one aggressive? if not, you'd need to find her a companion.
and for the aggressive one, have you ruled out cage size causing problems?

[mierose]

I just finished making Roo's Halloween costume! Here it is, pictures of him in it to follow when Halloween day rolls around. My goodness it was hard to find a good hamster costume, so making my own little cape was the way to go. I'm honestly way too excited, but gosh he's cute. I'm very ready to see my lil dino boy in action.

[Agent Maine(Meta)]

oh my lord thats so cute.