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Saint Darwin posted:I bring you...  Excellent! Now stuff one of those boxes FULL of hay, it's crying out to be a bed & breakfast fort.Protip: is that a hopper feeder of pellets? Ditch it. Remember, no more than 1/4c per pig per day, and they are much less likely to have bladder stone or tooth problems. Sorry I can't stop dispensing advice. Not sorry
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Dec 6, 2012 16:07
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| # ? May 14, 2024 02:44 |
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Pretty much 2 minutes after I took that picture they went to work and turned my beautiful fortress into a shantytown. Still can't find the ties.Fewd posted:Won't pigs eat those (the zip ties)? Or are they actually less retarded than gerbils? They'll try, but pigs don't make headway into plastic and seem to not enjoy trying, especially when there's cardboard/wood nearby. alucinor posted:
When the fortress was in progress I did fill one of the boxes with cilantro, lettuce, some carrot, and celery. It's not nearly full, it's a pretty deep dispenser. They actually don't even eat that much of the pellets at this point, but I'll keep that in mind.
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Dec 6, 2012 17:06
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The other day someone dropped off 2 hamsters at Petco. Our local store policy is that we'll take back any animal species we sell (with only a few limitations) and the two hamsters we couldn't sell back due to age. Instead they were up at the front for a small adoption fee. There was this nice hamster cage on clearance for $7, and to make a long story short I have another hamster. I think he's a teddy bear hamster but I honestly don't know. He's really chill and seems to be okay with being held but can get impatient if he's held too long.  When he first got here he was very thirsty (shaky video, sorry). Very active, seems pretty healthy, but I'll be taking him to the vet tomorrow for a checkup. His teeth are a little overgrown, though. Looks like he just "lost his charm" for whoever was keeping him (but I don't know for sure since I wasn't there when he was turned in).
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Dec 7, 2012 16:17
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That ain't thirsty, when mine are really thirsty they'll just shove the whole drat nozzle into their pouch.
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Dec 7, 2012 16:20
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That would be entertaining to see. He did stuff a bunch of food in his pouches and fall asleep with food in his mouth, though. I've only ever owned him and Lenin (robo hamster) so I feel really dumb when it comes to hamsters in general. Never had any inside pets ever as a kid so this is new and exciting ground here! 
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Dec 7, 2012 16:25
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Managed to get a hold of Wulfstan the most illusive of my hamsters this morning whilst he was wandering about and eating in the tank. Had him run across my hands and he pooped a few times. He was making little squeaks, I don't think it was to do with pain or fear though... I think he was trying to communicate with the other hamster who I haven't seen since yesterday evening. They are cute as hell, hope I can get them nice and tame soon. 
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Dec 7, 2012 16:32
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That's basically Being Rodent 101. Did a strange giant just pick you up? poo poo all over it. You know your critter is starting to come to terms with you existing when they stop making GBS threads on you. 
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Dec 8, 2012 05:51
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They done turn my fort into the ghetto ~in the ghettoooo~  edit: TTLMM chomped the poo poo out of my shoulder when I was handling her and I got mad and put her back. I don't know why she'd start being bitey when they've been good so far. AH has been fine and has taken to scrambling up my shirt and hiding out on my shoulder/neck and being a guinea pillow. Adult Sword Owner fucked around with this message at 07:53 on Dec 8, 2012 |
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Dec 8, 2012 07:51
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Finally, some poor quality imagery of my hamsters. I'll have to charge the battery for my DLSR and try to catch one sat still eating in light somehow.  The light one is Guthrum, and the dark one is Wulfstan... who took a leak on my T-Shirt not long after this.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRHioefbyAs A Sloth fucked around with this message at 21:11 on Dec 8, 2012 |
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Dec 8, 2012 21:04
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OK, I think the reason one is getting chompy is because they appear to not really like the small wood chews I got. I didn't know they were so small and I can't even find them in the cage anymore. Recommendations for things for guinea pigs to chew? They're going at it on the cardboard but I don't think that's as much fun.
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Dec 8, 2012 21:40
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Guinea pigs don't really chew like rats or hamsters. Mine have always vastly preferred noshing out on the hay and have never really paid attention to any chews.
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Dec 9, 2012 00:05
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Paul Bunham got some new furniture recently so decided to go on a rampage. Pre-rampage:  It begins.  What is this poo poo.  Can I climb this?  Salt?   Fatly hamster needs to run.   I'm a greyhound!  And that was his hampage.
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Dec 10, 2012 19:53
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Those are some adorable pictures, but that wheel looks awfully small for your hammy. I would guess it's actually a mouse wheel. He might be happier and less fat if you got him something he could stretch out in a little more.
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Dec 10, 2012 23:44
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He is getting a larger sized silent spinner for Christmas. Thanks for the tip! (...is he actually "fat"? I just call him fat because all hamsters are fat.)
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Dec 11, 2012 01:52
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Pardalis posted:He is getting a larger sized silent spinner for Christmas. Thanks for the tip! (...is he actually "fat"? I just call him fat because all hamsters are fat.) Nah he looks fine, I was just kinda making a joke based on your photo captions. 
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Dec 11, 2012 02:18
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Oh, whew, I was all worried for a second. I love this little guy. He has never bitten and seems to love interacting with me. Best dwarf ever.
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Dec 11, 2012 02:37
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Pardalis posted:Fatly hamster needs to run. Is... is that hamster throwing a gang sign? Have you been letting Paul Bunham hang with a bad crowd?  I love the hammy-sized furniture
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Dec 11, 2012 02:43
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Neddy Seagoon posted:Is... is that hamster throwing a gang sign? Have you been letting Paul Bunham hang with a bad crowd? The furniture is cuter than it deserves to be.
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Dec 11, 2012 07:20
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I'm worried about Lenin, my Robo hamster. This morning when I opened the cage to feed him and he ran straight out of it. This is bad because his cage is on a stand. He had about a foot long drop to a shelf, then panicked and fell another 2 feet onto thankfully a soft stuffed animal at the bottom of his stand. He looks a bit shaken up. He's eating, but I can't tel if his legs are hurt or not since robos move jerkily anyway. How can I tell if he might've broken something?
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Dec 11, 2012 13:41
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Pew! Pew! posted:I'm worried about Lenin, my Robo hamster. This morning when I opened the cage to feed him and he ran straight out of it. This is bad because his cage is on a stand. He had about a foot long drop to a shelf, then panicked and fell another 2 feet onto thankfully a soft stuffed animal at the bottom of his stand. Well, considering how many times my hamsters did that trick, I'd say that unless the legs are visibly bending in wrong directions, the hamster probably didn't take damage from the fall. They are surprisingly sturdy the little buggers. Then again, different types of hamsters and I might have been lucky. Anyone with more experience who can give better advice?
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Dec 11, 2012 15:23
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Hi there, This is a question for guinea pig owners. My guinea pig Squall is 1 and a bit years old, last week I noticed his eye was a bit red and had a slight mist over it. I did some research and found this is common for eye infections/ injuries so I took him to the vet thinking I'd get some eye drops. She said he has a cataract and there's nothing we can do. Thing is it started off really faint (you had to look at it in a certain light) and now his eye is pure white literally in the space of a week plus the fact he's still young, how likely is it that she's misdiagnosed it? He's still eating ok he's just getting quite withdrawn and I'm concerned  will try and get a pic up when I can
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Dec 11, 2012 19:38
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Cold_Ethyl posted:Hi there, Uhhh yeah I'd probably get a second opinion if you could. Cataracts wouldn't be particularly common in a pig of that age and they certainly wouldn't come on that quickly. It's possible he scratched his eye or got poked by something (hay, etc). It could even be an infection. Insist on some kind of antibiotic eyedrops if you can, at the worst they probably won't hurt him. Edit: Reading up it seems there are some reasons why sudden onset of cataracts can occur, including diabetes. If you are seeing other changes in behavior besides the one eye, I might be concerned. My gut reaction says injury or infection tho. Sirotan fucked around with this message at 19:54 on Dec 11, 2012 |
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Dec 11, 2012 19:49
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Update on my hamster who fell: seems to be okay, is walking around like he normally would but I'm going to see if the vet can give me a second opinion. He's not running on his wheel and that's enough cause for concern for me.
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Dec 11, 2012 19:52
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Sirotan posted:Uhhh yeah I'd probably get a second opinion if you could. Cataracts wouldn't be particularly common in a pig of that age and they certainly wouldn't come on that quickly. It's possible he scratched his eye or got poked by something (hay, etc). It could even be an infection. Insist on some kind of antibiotic eyedrops if you can, at the worst they probably won't hurt him. Thank you for the quick reply! i'm going to go to a different vet during the week for sure now and i'll get a diabetes test on him while i'm there. I've been feeling really annoyed at the original vet since we took him a few days ago, she really didn't seem too interested I wish tehre was a small animals vet my where I live.
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Dec 11, 2012 20:05
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Pew! Pew! posted:Update on my hamster who fell: seems to be okay, is walking around like he normally would but I'm going to see if the vet can give me a second opinion. He's not running on his wheel and that's enough cause for concern for me. Ive dropped my robo plenty of times from 3 feet, or hes just fallen off himself. All the fussing your giving him is probably making him not run. At most give him a light squeeze on his limbs and abdomen. If he doesnt react hes fine.
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Dec 11, 2012 21:18
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A few days ago, Honeydew jumped out of my hands as I was taking her out of her cage and I basically punted her with my foot in an effort to keep her from hitting the hardwood floor directly. It was a 5 foot drop. She was perfectly fine aside from being a bit shaken up and began crawling around on the floor and exploring like nothing had happened a few seconds later. She's currently dancing back and forth on the side of her cage. Your Robo should be fine, seriously, unless they fall on their head or something, hamsters are pretty resilient.
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Dec 12, 2012 03:34
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Yes so one of my pigs has gotten nippy. If I sit with her in my lap she will start exploring around and making the curious quiet squeaks, and every 5 seconds or so she will try to bite my shirt or whatever is where a shirt will be. She climbs up on my left shoulder and will sit there doing single bites every 5 seconds or so. If she gets closer to my neck she will just bite my neck. She got my girlfriend in the stomach last night seconds after telling her "look out she's been bitey." They're not attack bites but they're much stronger than the exploratory nibbles both of them used to do and the other one still does, and they kind of hurt. The other one is fine and acting normal but this seems new and makes it hard to hold her. Any ideas? Adult Sword Owner fucked around with this message at 01:48 on Dec 13, 2012 |
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Dec 13, 2012 01:46
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Also FORT CAVY V2 I opted for a more modern layout. 
Adult Sword Owner fucked around with this message at 05:30 on Dec 13, 2012 |
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Dec 13, 2012 05:28
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Woke up the hamsters to try get a couple of photos. Guthrum seemed a little grumpy. Guthrum on the left, patchy Wulfstan on the right. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5dnctHuWcY And video, looks like I've got a hot pixel on my DSLR.
A Sloth fucked around with this message at 18:39 on Dec 13, 2012 |
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Dec 13, 2012 18:00
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Update: Lenin is fine. I was still a little reluctant to not take him in to the vet, but as I was about to go get him to take him there, he was climbing from the top of the cage like a jungle gym and I startled him by walking over so he fell and immediately started running on his wheel again. You guys were right, hamsters are pretty hardy. ^  ^
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Dec 13, 2012 18:04
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Saint Darwin posted:this seems new and makes it hard to hold her. Any ideas? She may feel too unsteady being carried around and grasped; holding her in a shallow basket or box with a folded towel on the bottom is usually the recommendation. There's really no way to un-train a pig to bite except by removing the opportunity to bite. If you ever do ANYTHING after a bite that she interprets as "hey, I bit the scary thing then it put me back in my house" she will likely be a biter forever. I once adopted a pig to a lady who already had one pig. I went to double-check the pig's sex (always do this) and she tells me "be careful, my kids used to be rough with her, so she's a biter!" I'm all like whatever, I got this. I reach my hand in, the pig ZOOMS out of her pigloo and launches herself into the air at me. I'm already pulling my hand back at lightening speed, and I hear the pig's teeth snap together on empty air where my hand just was like something outta goddamn Jaws.
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Dec 13, 2012 18:11
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A Sloth posted:Woke up the hamsters to try get a couple of photos. Guthrum seemed a little grumpy. Aw, they're sweet. Also, Hamsters are usually grumpy when woken up, but they will have to deal with it  By the way, this is a general Hamster question for anyone to answer. I was told that a hamster that started preening/cleaning itself felt safe in it's current place, is this true?
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Dec 13, 2012 19:30
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Neddy Seagoon posted:Is... is that hamster throwing a gang sign? Have you been letting Paul Bunham hang with a bad crowd? I can confirm that Paul Bunham is a stone cold motherfucker.
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Dec 13, 2012 19:35
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Ssthalar posted:Aw, they're sweet. Yes and no. If they are just washing their face over and over again then they are scared or nervous. Otherwise if they are grooming themselves and such then they are content and happy.
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Dec 13, 2012 19:43
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alucinor posted:She may feel too unsteady being carried around and grasped; holding her in a shallow basket or box with a folded towel on the bottom is usually the recommendation. There's really no way to un-train a pig to bite except by removing the opportunity to bite. If you ever do ANYTHING after a bite that she interprets as "hey, I bit the scary thing then it put me back in my house" she will likely be a biter forever. I had a couple pigs that went through bitey phases and grew out of it, and it was the same kind of thing -- not a nibble, a purposeful, kind of hard bite, but nothing like the savagery you get like if you intervene in a furball. (If you've never seen a furball -- and if you haven't, count yourself lucky, you never want one -- you'd be amazed at the transformation. Guinea pigs are cute and burbly and bumbly but when they get proper pissed off and decide to have a go at each other it's like Tasmanian Devils. I nearly ended up needing stitches.)
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Dec 13, 2012 19:48
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My old pair furballed until I got them a C&C cage. Unneutered unmatched males and all. I never was crazy enough to put my hand in, I'd just yell and they'd split up. I hope this one grows out of it. They're nearly 2 and a half so I don't know if growing out is a thing that can happen. It's also not that I'm parading her around, I literally sit here with the blanket on my lap and she scurries up my shirt to start gnawing on my shoulder. It's exactly what she wants for some weird reason.
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Dec 13, 2012 21:23
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Probably always worked with her previous people in getting them to put her back. Try dropping a towel over top of her too, and petting her underneath it. That coverage may make her feel secure enough to disrupt the biting urge.
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Dec 13, 2012 22:15
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kazmeyer posted:(If you've never seen a furball -- and if you haven't, count yourself lucky, you never want one -- you'd be amazed at the transformation. Guinea pigs are cute and burbly and bumbly but when they get proper pissed off and decide to have a go at each other it's like Tasmanian Devils. I nearly ended up needing stitches.) You have to wonder why that's not the default reaction to a threat instead of the standard guinea pig defense, aka the 'huddle up and hope my pal looks tastier' technique. I do remember reading about a pig that killed a rattlesnake in self defense but I can't remember if it was posted here or someplace else.
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Dec 14, 2012 01:01
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Well, just split the hamsters cage up. Seems Wulfstan has decided to be an aggressive little toerag and attack Guthrum constantly.  I finally just seperated them when Wulfstan kept attacking Guthrum when he went anywhere near one side of the tank... then continued to chase him about the whole cage constantly nibbling at his back end... and diving into the wheel he had escaped to to attack. I need to find a safe type of wood to use and build a more solid divider than the card one I've bodged. Well, I'm going to try reintroduce them to each other in a few hours and see if they have calmed down since I still haven't found blood. UPDATE: Nope... they are not going to get along. On coming face to face again Guthrum squeaked and planked onto his back. Wulfstan left him so I thought that would be the end of it, and they just squeaked at each other a bit. So I sat them both on my lap and eventually it turned into another brawl I had to split up. Looks like I'm going to have to split the little bully off. A Sloth fucked around with this message at 19:43 on Dec 16, 2012 |
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Dec 16, 2012 14:15
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Just a note for everyone, since it's the holiday season - do not give your hamsters and gerbils those narrow, cardboard tubes that come with wrapping paper. They aren't smart enough to figure out that they cannot fit in them. My dad once gave my gerbils one of those tubes. He figured that since the circumference was just about the size of their heads, they would be smart enough not to try and crawl through it. Some time later, my mother came into the room to find Skippy's back legs and tail hanging limply out of one end of the tube. I held the tube in one hand and grasped her legs in the other, and managed to pull her out, with a loud plunk suction sound. She was completely fine, thankfully. It might sound kind of funny, but it was scary. Don't risk it! Cut the tubes in half if you want to give them to your critters.
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Dec 16, 2012 20:53
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