|
Serella posted:I wish your pics weren't broken because this is the best post I've ever read in PI. Please tell me Quark has big ears. Oops, sorry about the pics, they should be fixed now. Quark definitely has bigger ears than Odo, he also has a tendency to sneak to the food bowl and gather up all the latinum (corn) before hiding it away in a corner. I think Odo's on to him though, he's definitely been keeping an eye on him.
|
#
?
May 14, 2013 08:03
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 01:38 |
|
|
I think maybe I'm being a paranoid piggie owner, but I'm worried something is wrong with Jenna. Normally it takes her 2 days to drain her water bottle and I fill it up right away. Her water level has been the same for 4 days, it looks like she hasn't drank anything at all. She still has a healthy appetite and I've been trying to give her moisture rich foods so she doesn't shrivel up like a raisin. On top of that, for the last 4 days she's been wheeking loudly and almost nonstop. She doesn't sound distressed or hurt but it's a huge change in behavior for her. Should I be worried?
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2013 16:58
|
|
|
cuntvalet posted:I think maybe I'm being a paranoid piggie owner, but I'm worried something is wrong with Jenna. Normally it takes her 2 days to drain her water bottle and I fill it up right away. Her water level has been the same for 4 days, it looks like she hasn't drank anything at all. She still has a healthy appetite and I've been trying to give her moisture rich foods so she doesn't shrivel up like a raisin. A change in behavior should always be a source of concern. Are you sure the water bottle just isn't clogged and she can't get the water out? Have you observed her at all attempting to drink?
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2013 16:59
|
|
|
Sirotan posted:A change in behavior should always be a source of concern. Are you sure the water bottle just isn't clogged and she can't get the water out? Have you observed her at all attempting to drink? I haven't seen it, but I've heard her using the nozzle. Tonight is cage cleaning night so I'll definitely be taking a look at the nozzle and make sure it's working. Also when I gave her fresh hay this morning she went into mental fits of joy and then ran face first into the wall of her pigloo. 
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2013 17:06
|
|
|
cuntvalet posted:I haven't seen it, but I've heard her using the nozzle. Tonight is cage cleaning night so I'll definitely be taking a look at the nozzle and make sure it's working. Yeah tap it with your finger every day to be sure water still comes out. Sometimes the ball gets jammed, and you can hear them clanking the nozzle but they aren't actually getting anything.
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2013 18:47
|
|
|
I decided to leave my two gerbils with my family this week, because my building is currently under construction and without air conditioning. Since this is temporary and the gerbils' regular cage is a big, heavy tank/cage topper combo, I left them with the smaller cage that they stay in while I'm cleaning the big one. What I didn't realize was that the door latch on the small cage somehow got damaged since the last time I used it. So first thing this morning, I got a message from my mother that began with, "first thing I want to say is DON'T WORRY, everone is fine and happy." Hmm. At some point during the night, the latch broke off and both Smokey and Sunny escaped from the cage. I had always assumed that if the gerbils somehow escaped, it wouldn't be a big deal because they'd stay near their cage. This turned out not to be the case. They somehow made their way out of the spare bedroom, down a long hallway, through the living room, and down a flight of stairs. The stairs aren't even carpeted. I've seen a sober adult fall down those stairs. Luckily, my brother happened to get up to use the washroom at five in the morning and found the gerbs hanging out in the middle of the basement floor, apparently unconcerned that they were a hell of a long way from their food and water. Thankfully, they seem no worse for wear from their adventure. I'll have to buy a new temp cage, though. Here is one of the imps. 
|
|
#
?
May 15, 2013 05:46
|
|
|
Yeah, rodents can go a helluva distance if they escape. I think I mentioned this story before, but an old Syrian hamster I had, while I was at work one night, escaped. He piled his shavings under his wheel until it jammed, climbed on top of it, then lifted the top off until he could climb out. He fell about five feet to the floor without a scratch, then scurried off out of my room, down the hallway to the other side of the house into the storage room, and made his way into the closet there. I only found him because, being a male, he had massive butt-tufts to keep his balls warm, and this left a sparkling clean line in the dust on the storage room floor that led straight to him. The storage room hasn't been used much in a while. When I found him, he was happily holding and chewing on the skeleton of a mouse that had died in there at some point. I pointed the flashlight at him and he stood up, mouse skeleton held firmly in his front paws. 
|
|
#
?
May 15, 2013 09:26
|
|
|
Years ago when my sister had a pet hamster, my mom went on a week long business trip and we went off to live at grandma's house. My grandmother had cats so the hamster stayed at home and we had a neighbor stop in every day to check on him. On the last day before my mom flew back into town the neighbor must not have put the cage lid back on completely because the hamster escaped, which wasn't discovered until my mom got home from the airport at 2am. She spent several hours in the early morning looking for the drat thing, only to find out he had immediately taken to running along the walls, gotten into the kitchen, ran down a gap between the floor cabinets and the refrigerator and somehow was now behind the cabinets under the bottom baseboard. She ended up taking out her jigsaw and cutting out a chunk of wood from the floor of one of these things, and after all that noise and disruption here's that goddamn hamster staring up at her covered in sawdust. She dangled in a carrot to grab him and everyone lived happily ever after but moral of the story is 1) hamsters are kinda dumb, and 2) rodents are escape artists and will be able to get into places you were 100% sure they couldn't.
|
|
#
?
May 15, 2013 13:50
|
|
|
Rule number one of small rodents: if they can fit their head in something, they can fit the rest of their body into it too. Collapsible ribcage or something, right?
|
|
#
?
May 15, 2013 13:59
|
|
|
I had something like that happen with one of the guinea pigs I had years ago. They were out for floor time, and one followed me out into the kitchen (anything dangerous like cables or whathaveyou was blocked off, of course). And the cunning little bastard promptly waddled under a cabinet that we could've sworn he was too big to fit under. We couldn't reach in to grab him, but the moment I rustled a plastic bag (because the sound generally meant VEGGIES!  ), out he came wheeking his fuzzy head off in the hope I'd give him something.
|
|
#
?
May 15, 2013 14:03
|
|
|
Speaking of escape artists, I used to have a little grey hamster named Cotton. My roommate and I would let him run around in his ball, and he'd get into all sorts of mishaps, including but not limited to wedging his ball three feet up between the wall and a guitar case. That was magical. Basically, if we stopped hearing his ball clunking around, we would get worried and check. Our favourite story was one time he got out, and was wandering around on the light grey carpet. Great match for hiding, right? Well, he waddled himself out into the hallway and just stood and stared at us until we scooped him up and put him back into his cage.
|
|
#
?
May 15, 2013 14:45
|
|
|
Neddy Seagoon posted:I had something like that happen with one of the guinea pigs I had years ago. They were out for floor time, and one followed me out into the kitchen (anything dangerous like cables or whathaveyou was blocked off, of course). And the cunning little bastard promptly waddled under a cabinet that we could've sworn he was too big to fit under. We couldn't reach in to grab him, but the moment I rustled a plastic bag (because the sound generally meant VEGGIES! Guinea pigs are the worst for that kind of thing because they're either fitting into spaces they seem way too big for or they're running away from you faster than those stubby legs have any right to carry them.
|
|
#
?
May 15, 2013 15:10
|
|
|
We took a video of one of our escape artist pigs last night, Luna. We have a cage, that we leave the opening down, forming a ramp, and then have a playpen area leading into a pigloo. This gives them plenty of space to play during the day, and then they get shut in at bedtime, or when we have to leave them alone. Well occasionally, we'll find one of them wandering around outside the pen, exploring. It seems that if they go under the ramp, they can sometimes get out where the pen connects to the cage. This isn't really that bad though, as typically once they realize they are out in the scary freedom, they frantically try to find a way back in. Luna though has figured out how to let herself back in when she gets out, and even closes the door behind her. It's absolutely adorable when she does it, and my girls frequently take her out now just so she can let herself back in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teD-V2h2fdU Sorry for the terrible lighting.
|
|
#
?
May 15, 2013 15:25
|
|
|
Captain Invictus posted:Rule number one of small rodents: if they can fit their head in something, they can fit the rest of their body into it too. Collapsible ribcage or something, right? You'd think their skulls were made of rubber sometimes with the places they can cram themselves into.
|
|
#
?
May 16, 2013 18:38
|
|
|
I think Jenna is turning into a capybara with a mohawk...Seriously, I can't unsee the resemblance...
|
|
#
?
May 19, 2013 18:44
|
|
|
I think it might be our guinea-pigs' time of the month - Ozzy is stalking Dio whilst chuttering and trying to mount him, and Dio is rubbing his bum on the floor and being shagged senseless. I'm pretty sure this is fairly normal but I really wish they'd stop being hormonal at each other. I can't even time out them because Dio panics if Oz isn't there with him and I can't bear the scared wheeking, it makes me feel like a bad guinea-pig mum. But goddamnit boys, you smell bad and I don't want to listen to you having loud sex.
|
|
#
?
May 21, 2013 19:11
|
|
|
Buzz loves parsley.  
|
|
#
?
May 28, 2013 02:32
|
|
|
Quick hay question: what's the best way to store loose hay? We got 10 lbs from KMS and the pigs love it but gosh, is it a mess. I was thinking plain old plastic tubs with lids but I live in Florida and I'm concerned about trapping humidity and ending up with moldy hay. Any suggestions? The cardboard box it came in is too tall and bulky to fit under their table, plus it's just ugly and unwieldy.
|
|
#
?
Jun 5, 2013 04:30
|
|
|
Would something like this work? You could slide it under their table and just grab handfuls out of the opening and it'll let it breathe and not get moldy and gross.
|
|
#
?
Jun 5, 2013 04:34
|
|
|
Pour the entire 10 lb bag in at once. OK, I don't know either. I just keep it in the "cardboard box with a bag inside" configuration. It gets everywhere.
|
|
#
?
Jun 5, 2013 15:26
|
|
|
Someone I saw used a cloth clothes hamper to retain the hay. It had wheels (so they could roll it over to the cage to fill up racks), good ventilation because of the cloth, and contained the hay dust fairly well.
|
|
#
?
Jun 5, 2013 16:29
|
|
|
Ours comes in densely packed bags, once enough's been taken out I just put a plastic food bag clip on the top which tends to do the job. Part of owning pigs is having loving hay everywhere, embrace it. Speaking of essential pig-owning processes, I cleaned Ozzy and Dio's perineal sacs for the first time the other day. Not nearly as horrendous as I thought it would be, but they're both young-ish.
|
|
#
?
Jun 5, 2013 16:33
|
|
|
I buy 50lbs of hay at a time and keep it in a large cardboard box in my mom's garage. The top of the box is always open so it gets lots of ventilation. Once every couple of weeks I stop by and fill up a 30gal plastic tote with hay and take that home. Then at home I make a huge mess of transferring some of the hay into a smaller bin that I keep under the pig cage. However you store it, the key thing is to make sure it gets adequate ventilation to prevent mold growth. You're also never not going to make a mess.
|
|
#
?
Jun 5, 2013 16:56
|
|
|
I've watched Dexter sit there and throw bits of hay out of his cage for his own amusement. He'll pick up a piece, bite it half, then eat one half and throw the other outside his cage, because clearly I already don't have enough stray hay pieces to clean up. Just be glad your pigs don't have hands.
|
|
#
?
Jun 5, 2013 17:16
|
|
|
I have just adopted a trio of rats.  I haven't moved them from their old house yet. They're coming cage and all, is there anything particular to look out for as far as moving them into a new house or will they be cool as long as their cage is intact?
|
|
#
?
Jun 7, 2013 09:04
|
|
|
I have a question...Jenna did something really weird the other day. Her water bottle is a heavy glass one held up with a metal bracket and a clippy spring. She somehow managed to pull it down off of the wall of her pen and dragged it into her pigloo. It was sorta funny at first when I had to search for the bottle but the more I think about it the more I worry she will do it again and possibly hurt herself.
|
|
#
?
Jun 7, 2013 14:15
|
|
|
cuntvalet posted:I have a question...Jenna did something really weird the other day. Her water bottle is a heavy glass one held up with a metal bracket and a clippy spring. She somehow managed to pull it down off of the wall of her pen and dragged it into her pigloo. I've had animals do that as well. The only solution I was able to find was to hang the bottle on the outside of the cage instead, with just the drinking spout inside.
|
|
#
?
Jun 8, 2013 13:07
|
|
|
Javid posted:I have just adopted a trio of rats. A bit late answer. I would assume they would be cool with it, but I have no experience with rats, so keep that in mind. Otherwise, you could try asking in the Rat thread. This one is for rodents that are a bit dumber than rats after all. 
|
|
#
?
Jun 8, 2013 14:43
|
|
|
Runt, the smallest of my hamsters, was fine this morning, and now he's cold and has congestion. I can hear him breathe since it sounds like he's got snot bubbles or something in his nose. Is there anything I can do to help him? Keep him warm, maybe?
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2013 02:04
|
|
|
^^^ With rats (and people) steam helps clear a lot of crap out. Could you put his cage in the bathroom and leave the shower/bath running to make it steamy in there? SO I got gerbils and they rule.      They keep burying their food though. Am I right in thinking they're smart enough to, y'know, actually find and eat it after it's been buried?
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2013 09:32
|
|
|
No, in reality gerbils died out millions of years ago due to starvation from burying their food and forgetting where it was, and you don't actually own any, you're just having a psychotic episode. Also I left my space heater on medium-high after putting Runt's cage a foot away from it on the floor, and now he is breathing fine, moving around his cage and digging for food, and is warmer than he was before. Hopefully he continues to improve!
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2013 09:37
|
|
|
Captain Invictus posted:No, in reality gerbils died out millions of years ago due to starvation from burying their food and forgetting where it was, and you don't actually own any, you're just having a psychotic episode. If these were mice I sure as hell wouldn't put it past them  He might have just been a little cold, glad to hear he's okay!
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2013 09:40
|
|
|
While I was gone on a business trip earlier this week my air conditioning broke, and I live in Texas so it was 85 degrees in my house when i got home last night. The poor chinchillas were wilting in the heat and looking most unhappy. I opened a couple windows and cranked all my fans on high until the AC repair guy could come out, and now that the AC is fixed they seem to be perking up a bit. I know the AC breaking was out of my control, but I feel terrible. Poor little guys must've been miserable. 
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2013 19:41
|
|
|
Earlier today one of my gerbils just walked off of my hand and went splat on the floor. Thankfully she's okay but christ, do all gerbils have such a retarded lack of self preservation?
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2013 20:34
|
|
|
Fraction posted:Earlier today one of my gerbils just walked off of my hand and went splat on the floor. Thankfully she's okay but christ, do all gerbils have such a retarded lack of self preservation? Gerbils have evolved to be burrowing creatures, they only have peripheral binocular vision. It's tailored to notice predators above it, not to be particularly wary of precipitous drops below. thexerox123 fucked around with this message at 21:06 on Jun 13, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2013 21:04
|
|
|
Yeah, that makes sense. I've learned my lesson though; now if I hold either of them, I'm sitting on the floor. They are suicidal morons (but so cute omg).          Gerblets are now Mulder (orange - dilute golden agouti?) and Scully (grey - lilac?).
Fraction fucked around with this message at 14:05 on Jun 14, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2013 14:01
|
|
|
^Your gerbils are lovely! I really like that lilac grey colour. Great pictures, too. I find gerbils really difficult to photograph. Gerbs are great, but they sure pick the best times to be annoying. I'm fighting a deadline and a headache, so of course one of the gerbils decides that now is the time to ceaselessly gnaw on the bars of her cage. I gave her some fresh cardboard in hopes that she'd be distracted and chew that instead - nope. But she'll gladly scratch it as fast as she can, which is somehow even more grating. That is why I picked a cage stand with wheels.
|
|
#
?
Jun 15, 2013 23:32
|
|
|
Ha, thanks! You should see the number of photos I take and subsequently delete (usually because one of the gerbs was posing right up until the picture takes and then they leg it, so I just get a lovely picture of gerbil rear end or something). I can't even imagine having gerbils in a barred cage. Do they not just shove all of the bedding ever out onto the floor? I would be vacuuming twenty times a day with these idiots.
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2013 21:16
|
|
|
One of my hamsters buries his food and he seems pretty bad at digging it back up.
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2013 21:20
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 01:38 |
|
|
Fraction posted:I can't even imagine having gerbils in a barred cage. Believe me, I can imagine it. When I got my very first gerbil (which was...about eight years ago? Whoa), I put her in a wire cage for about a month before I realized it was a bad idea. Not only did shavings end up everywhere, but the smart bugger seemed to purposely kick her poop out. Now, I use a tank with a metal 'tank topper' cage that sits on top of it. Here is a photo of it I posted a long time ago in this thread:  Some shavings do end up outside, but not a huge amount. Lately, I've put in a lot more shavings than you see in that picture so the gerbils can dig.
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2013 21:38
|
|