Hi all, I'm Zanne and I'm the proud 'mama' of a Winter White named Tinkerbell. Photos to come when I can get a good one. She's a fast little sucker
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And drive me insane it does too. She's stopped for now it seems. Hope it stays that way.
Yes, she only nips inside the cage. Now when I got her, she was the only one in her little pen at Petsmart. Idk how long she had been solo, but could that have affected it? I'm wondering if it's because she's not quite awake when I feed her, and she nips me in self-defense automatically. She's not as bad at nipping when I get her out of the cage for cleaning, unless I'm having trouble catching her, then she'll start nipping like she's frustrated almost. I usually try to lure her up and out of the cage with a treat then scoop her into her ball for cleaning.
They don't need food bowls really? Wow I learned something new today. The food bowl does help me though. I'm ADD and it helps remind me to feed her. I've also got this Critter Care thing that reminds me daily for that too.
I had a Siberian Dwarfie that did the exact same thing. She would nip my hand if I stuck it in her cage. I chalked it up to being territorial. When I wanted to pick her up I used a plastic toy shovel and then tipped her into my hand and she would be fine. And yes, unfortunately, hamsters chew bars.
Get her a bigger cage, she's probably very bored in there! Finding a large cage with small bar spacing can be tricky but they're easier to find in the form of bird cages! I personally wouldn't house anything in a crittertrail. My WW had an entire 2'x2' table to herself with a 2 level cages and a bunch of toys and tunnels and such. She LOVED it. Even so, if she was able to escape she would happily make the entire house her home so there's not limit-the bigger the better though!
Rao was territorial also. She nipped pretty badly if we invaded her home. What I did was get her used to coming out in a toilet paper tube. At first she would just be exploring and WOOP-I lifted her into my hand. But eventually she would actually rush in there and sit still in the middle if she was eager to come out. Very smart girl!
Do they make birdcages with a lot of floor space? Only ones I've seen are tall and narrow. And I'm so scared to get her a 2 level cage, in case she falls. I'm a protective mama lol.
Critter trail's worked well for me so far. This cage has about had it and will need replacing soon I know. I've had it for about 4-5 years now, and it's starting to show wear and tear. Any suggestions for a new cage?
The toilet paper tube worked wonders btw! My fingers thank you tons. She's started getting used to me reaching in to feed or offer a treat, and the nipping has died down tons for me. My sometimes-here roommate tried giving her a treat yesterday and got nipped. Think it's because TB's not used to roomie's scent?
Yep! I have one as a rat carrier/emergency cage. It's 24"x16" or so and 16" high. They also have bigger ones. I think they're used for canaries, finches, budgies, and other tiny parrots mostly. I think the bars might be a little smaller than 1/2" actually on most of them, which is a plus.
I don't like critter-trails cause of the size, ventilation, difficulty to clean, and plastic is easily chewed through. Plus they're ugly to me :P Maybe as a part of a playground or setup like I had for the variety, but not as a sole living space.
On my 2 level cage I set up a hammock made out of a dish cloth and 4 paper clips and that helps a ton! Eventually I made the entire floor out of coroplast and there was no way she could drop straight from the top to the bottom, or even close to that.
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Yes, she only nips inside the cage. Now when I got her, she was the only one in her little pen at Petsmart. Idk how long she had been solo, but could that have affected it? I'm wondering if it's because she's not quite awake when I feed her, and she nips me in self-defense automatically. She's not as bad at nipping when I get her out of the cage for cleaning, unless I'm having trouble catching her, then she'll start nipping like she's frustrated almost. I usually try to lure her up and out of the cage with a treat then scoop her into her ball for cleaning.
They don't need food bowls really? Wow I learned something new today. The food bowl does help me though. I'm ADD and it helps remind me to feed her. I've also got this Critter Care thing that reminds me daily for that too.
Reply
And yes, unfortunately, hamsters chew bars.
Reply
Rao was territorial also. She nipped pretty badly if we invaded her home. What I did was get her used to coming out in a toilet paper tube. At first she would just be exploring and WOOP-I lifted her into my hand. But eventually she would actually rush in there and sit still in the middle if she was eager to come out. Very smart girl!
Reply
Critter trail's worked well for me so far. This cage has about had it and will need replacing soon I know. I've had it for about 4-5 years now, and it's starting to show wear and tear. Any suggestions for a new cage?
The toilet paper tube worked wonders btw! My fingers thank you tons. She's started getting used to me reaching in to feed or offer a treat, and the nipping has died down tons for me. My sometimes-here roommate tried giving her a treat yesterday and got nipped. Think it's because TB's not used to roomie's scent?
Reply
I don't like critter-trails cause of the size, ventilation, difficulty to clean, and plastic is easily chewed through. Plus they're ugly to me :P Maybe as a part of a playground or setup like I had for the variety, but not as a sole living space.
On my 2 level cage I set up a hammock made out of a dish cloth and 4 paper clips and that helps a ton! Eventually I made the entire floor out of coroplast and there was no way she could drop straight from the top to the bottom, or even close to that.
Reply
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