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Cats are bad. Get a dog. Dogs generally don't give a poo poo about hamsters. Or when I let mine sniff Screamer(enclosed in my hands), they gave her a big ol' lick which she wasn't too fond of.
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Sep 11, 2018 00:12
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My cats literally could not care less about my guinea pig. If he's out and bumbling, they walk over, sniff him, and then ignore him.
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Sep 11, 2018 00:43
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Last weekend, I decided to put my Chinese hamster, Bui Bui to sleep. She had been sleeping a lot more and playing less in the last month or so. I thought it was because she was just getting older and age was finally catching up, but as it turns out, she was hiding a large internal growth in her abdomen until it became too painful for her to act semi-normal anymore. That Saturday as soon as it turned September, I noticed she was awake during the day, running on her wheel, but also seeming restless, changing sleeping spots constantly. If I held her or let her run around on my bed, she'd lightly nip a lot more than usual. She also looked like she had suddenly gotten fat, but palpating her on the left side, she would flinch. She would also just sit there, eyes half closed as if in pain.  I decided to give her a day to see if she'd be better, but she got worse the next day. She was also eating - a lot. Mostly pumpkin seeds. I took her to the vet that morning as an emergency visit because I had agreed to go up to a barbecue later in the afternoon, and didn't want to come back a day later to the worst - I ended up not going to it at all. They confirmed she had a growth in her abdomen, and by the time I got to see her again, she wasn't moving - she was just sitting there, eyes half closed, her body much colder than before. I felt then that putting her to sleep would be best so she doesn't have to go out suffering - her backside wasn't so bloated Friday, but Saturday, it had seemed sudden - I handled her every day so only noticing that change then was very worrying. I spent something like 20 minutes crying while holding her, and she didn't move at all that entire time, eyes half closed, seemingly in pain. In the end, the vet let me hold her as they put her to sleep. Even after she had stopped moving, the vet found she still had a heartbeat for a little while. I spent the rest of that weekend and most of the week crying, and even had a dream the first night where mice were invading my room and her now empty cage, and I was angrily crushing them with a broomstick for daring to invade her home. I don't know if I made the right decision in the end. I wonder what if she had a chance to get better, and I had inadvertently ended up killing her in a rash decision? But then I try to tell myself she had probably been suffering with this for about a month and only really started to show it once it got bad enough that she couldn't hide it anymore. I also think that she was otherwise very healthy for her age, and I would've expected her to at least make it to next year. She was hamster #20 over the course of my lifetime, and also the one to live the longest, at exactly 3 years more or less, given that I got her and her sister (who died about a year and a half ago) in early September. I don't think I want to have any more of them - having to worry about their little health is stressful, and I hate seeing them go in bad ways, as many of them did due to tumors and other illnesses. I hoped putting Bui Bui to sleep would be more kind than letting her die from the growth becoming too much for her body to handle - I hope I was right. I'll miss hearing her run on the wheel and drink from her water bottle at night as I tried to sleep. I'll also miss how for whatever reason, whenever I put her on my left hand, she would do an about face and press her head against my thumb, which she wouldn't do on my right. I haven't cleaned her cage yet - it still sort of feels like she's there, and sometimes I think I hear a noise and think for a second that it's her. I also haven't brought myself to bury her yet - her body is in the freezer. At first I was going to bury her in a hand cut cardboard box with her favorite bedding and the shell of the last pumpkin seed she ate, but then I saw I had a tiny little tupperware container, just the right size to fit her, and moved everything into there. I still haven't figured out if I should do that since it's airtight and no animals will be able to dig her up, or bury her without that so her body can decompose naturally. Also, if anyone lives in the NYC area, I now have a bunch of hamster food, bedding, and toys to give away. I have about 4 1/2 lbs of hamster food and treats, a nearly full bag of Carefresh, a small amount of Kaytee's unscented Clean and Cozy, and two different types of large wheels and a bunch of tunnels. Let me know if you live in the area and would like some free stuff. Here is also a picture of one of my favorite moments with her, two months after I'd gotten her:  This was when we gave her and her sister a digging bin, and weighed it down with quarters at the bottom so it wouldn't tip over. Her sister didn't care much for the bin, but she liked it, got into the bin, but decided she didn't like the quarters in there and moved them all out.
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Sep 11, 2018 03:41
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teenytinymouse posted:
If you have a proper cage, it’s not an issue. Most cages that are escape prone are too tiny anyway, a bin with Velcro on the flex points is cat proof. My proof is my fiancé is a breeder, we have 12 hams who rotate in critter nations, hamster heavens and, bins and have never had an escape except once when a door was left open and a Syrian male cam running into the bedroom and scared the 3 cats.
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Sep 11, 2018 04:57
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Themata posted:Bui Bui You absolutely did the right and kindest thing. I'm really sorry you had to but you're right, she would have been hiding that pain until she couldn't. I had to put my best little girl to sleep, I also had dreams about her for ages afterwards, still do and it's coming up on 2 years since she passed. It loving sucks. But that's the trade-off for having such excellent little creatures burrow into your heart space. RIP Bui Bui ColHannibal posted:If you have a proper cage, it’s not an issue. Most cages that are escape prone are too tiny anyway, a bin with Velcro on the flex points is cat proof. I know logically that's true and lots of people manage both but I couldn't handle the stress tbh. It would be a constant worry.
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Sep 11, 2018 06:03
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My cats are completely confused about my chinchilla, Gus. The smaller, older cat (a former mouser, even!) just lays there, at most sniffing and looking grumpy, while Gus jumps all over her and lays down next to her, and my younger, gigantic cat looks at the chinchilla like "what the gently caress even ARE you?" Neither one has ever swatted at Gus or shown any sort of aggression whatsoever, and the younger cat has a tendency to stand near her cage and look in at her with what I can only guess is curiosity. Maybe I just have the world's chillest cats?
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Sep 11, 2018 23:10
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pseudosavior posted:
There's a lot of difference between cats I feel. My dad's cat doesn't budge when there's a mouse in the garden. You can pretty much vacuum clean him without him moving. the neighbors cat on the other hand catches giant brown rats almost her size from the pond nearby. Gonna get a new ham tomorrow. 'Saving' her from a disinterested kid and her allergic mom. My wife said she can't handle the hole Watson left anymore. I guess we're hamster people now.
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Sep 12, 2018 14:18
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mrfart posted:
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Sep 12, 2018 14:33
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teenytinymouse posted:You absolutely did the right and kindest thing. I'm really sorry you had to but you're right, she would have been hiding that pain until she couldn't. Thank you. She has not been a subject of a dream since the first night, but I suspect she will be eventually, as I often dream about my old hammies (usually in the form of having forgotten about them for years, and feeling incredibly guilty for finding them barely alive). I still need to find someone to give her old things and supplies to, but until then, I guess I'll let it sit where it is as a sort of shrine to her.
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Sep 14, 2018 21:54
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I feel like these six images would make for a great dancing hamster gif. That or playing a variety of instruments. https://imgur.com/a/ReRJErZ I had to take her wheel away because she pushed it against and started banging it on the glass nonstop. Wheels are for running, not using as a blunt tool!
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Sep 21, 2018 12:59
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Captain Invictus posted:I feel like these six images would make for a great dancing hamster gif. That or playing a variety of instruments. Aww  what an adorable little destructive cutie. Ivy does this in reverse. She pushed her wheel out by three inches to build a nest behind it.Speaking of Ivy, she got a new peanut butter log tonight. She loves those things. Unfortunately it was too big to pouch. 
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Sep 23, 2018 02:57
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-CHA posted:Aww I hate to be the bearer of bad news, if that’s one of those logs that’s sugar or peanut butter mixed with saw dust they can really easily kill your animal as their body just can’t handle eating that much wood. The sawdust has been shown to cause intestinal blockages and rectal prolapse.
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Sep 24, 2018 07:08
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ColHannibal posted:I hate to be the bearer of bad news, if that’s one of those logs that’s sugar or peanut butter mixed with saw dust they can really easily kill your animal as their body just can’t handle eating that much wood. The sawdust has been shown to cause intestinal blockages and rectal prolapse. Thanks for the warning on this I was not aware of the dangers. Ivy mainly ignores the outer shell unless she can't reach the center. Just to be on the safe side though, I will remove the center treat and put it in a safer outer casing (maybe a rice pop) since it is hard to tell if she actually eats the outer shell or not. Her poop corner has a nightly replenish so at least thats a good sign that things are working as they should.
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Sep 24, 2018 17:26
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-CHA posted:Thanks for the warning on this I was not aware of the dangers. Ivy mainly ignores the outer shell unless she can't reach the center. Just to be on the safe side though, I will remove the center treat and put it in a safer outer casing (maybe a rice pop) since it is hard to tell if she actually eats the outer shell or not. Her poop corner has a nightly replenish so at least thats a good sign that things are working as they should. There is a surprising amount of misinformation, here’s a quick guide. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ApWR_byzTQmaXVzD9a--96nTzL6SaTUL/view
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Sep 24, 2018 21:54
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Hillary's getting close to the end, I think. She's alert, but she's not moving confidently, she's tiring easily and feels slightly cooler than usual, although that last could be the weather. That said, my sister is up visiting; Hillary noticed she was worried and started playing the "Jump Off The Furniture" game she invented because she knows that cheers my sister up. I don't think Hillary realised that it was her my sister was worried about. She's an amazing rodent and I'll be very sad when she's gone.
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Oct 4, 2018 23:58
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Jedit posted:Hillary's getting close to the end, I think. I'm sorry to hear that It's a shame that hamsters lives are so short as they really are amazing pets. The most you can do now is to spoil her even more.
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Oct 10, 2018 14:57
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-CHA posted:I'm sorry to hear that Well, good news - the fuzzy fiend is still with us and doing a bit better. Not very active still, but she was spotted yesterday turfing a huge bundle of bedding out of her nest. We'd given her extra because she felt cold - if she's shifting it then she must have warmed up again.
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Oct 10, 2018 15:30
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I was finally able to get a video of Ivy stretching. She is just missing the big yawn at the peak of the stretch. She always walks her front feet up the side of her cage, I don't think I have ever seen her stretch in any other way. 
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Oct 11, 2018 04:12
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Looks like my crazed ball of fluff is recovered from her temporary malaise. She's out to grab food, still old and creaky but looking much more rested and happier. I can only think it was a change in the weather that put her in a state.
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Oct 14, 2018 00:33
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Something you all might enjoy, a 4koma(4-panel manga comic) about hamsters. The first volume is missing but it's not really necessary. https://mangadex.org/chapter/20391
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Oct 14, 2018 02:08
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Came home today and one of my chinchillas was unresponsive and barely breathing. He died a couple hours later. He was much thinner than the last time I noticed so I suspect he hasn't eaten for a couple days and I just couldn't tell because his cagemate was still eating and pooping. Anyway, I'm worried about the other one now. They've been in the same cage for almost 18 years now and they always cuddled up together. It's been a rough night.
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Nov 2, 2018 04:13
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Caught Cubs Posting
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Devo posted:Came home today and one of my chinchillas was unresponsive and barely breathing. He died a couple hours later. He was much thinner than the last time I noticed so I suspect he hasn't eaten for a couple days and I just couldn't tell because his cagemate was still eating and pooping. Anyway, I'm worried about the other one now. They've been in the same cage for almost 18 years now and they always cuddled up together. It's been a rough night. Late Halloween pic of my pigs  I don't think I've posted our new-ish pig here yet, the black one is named Russer, got him in September. he's an rear end in a top hat and I love him. He doesn't even wait for a human to open the fridge, he screams for food if you so much as approach the kitchen.
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Nov 3, 2018 17:34
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Hillary is having a good day. She'd been sleeping nearly all the time and barely eating, but we got her out, gave her a good clean and managed to get a blueberry, a few small pieces of nut and a little olive oil into her. She's still thin, tiring rapidly and needs to get a fang trim, but she went from "Oh God is she going to die right now?" to fully alert and complaining quite quickly.
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Nov 9, 2018 22:37
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How hard is it to own guinea pigs compared to hamsters. I know you need 2, because they’re social. Do they get smelly, do you have to clean the cage a lot? I had them as a kid for years, but don’t really remember. I have a tiny closed off city courtyard instead of a yard. And I though getting them a little house for outside too, so they can run around there on warm days. (Cats can’t get to it). Is this a good idea or am I over my head?
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Nov 12, 2018 22:21
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mrfart posted:How hard is it to own guinea pigs compared to hamsters. I know you need 2, because they’re social. Guinea pigs are the greatest pee/poop producing machines on the planet. A lot of food and water goes in one end, and an astonishing amount of waste comes out the other. Their cages require pretty frequent cleaning to keep from smelling. Probably the biggest difference in keeping guinea pigs vs hamsters(other than size of animal and volume of waste) is noise: pigs are very vocal, and will learn to recognize sounds that they associate with getting treats, and will scream their heads off whenever they hear that sound. Pigs can absolutely love outdoor time, provided 2 things are true: There are plenty of hiding places because they are the biggest cowards on earth, and there is lots of yummy green stuff to eat.
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Nov 12, 2018 23:11
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Sadly, time caught up with Hillary today. She was breathing this morning when I looked in on her, but at some point during the day she got up to have a snack or a drink and on her way back to bed she just stopped. Ave atque vale, you furry little sod.
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Nov 20, 2018 19:49
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RIP Hilary, and condolences bud.
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Nov 20, 2018 21:03
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As someone who's lost a few rodents over the years, something to keep in mind: if you treat your pets well (have them in a sizeable cage, let them run around, play with them, feed them well), you've essentially kept them in rodent Nirvana. When we got Barry the chinchilla (RIP) from the breeding farm last year, he'd never been given treats, had a wheel, or really been able to run at all. Point is: we should be proud of the times we have with our pets. It's still no fun to lose them though, RIP Hillary. Also I'm travelling for work at the moment, and the first thing I'm going to do when I get home tonight is hold the chinchillas. I'm a nervous flyer, so after a stressful flight home, furballs are the best therapy. Capn Jobe fucked around with this message at 22:10 on Nov 20, 2018 |
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Nov 20, 2018 22:07
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Sorry about Hilary.  Does anybody know what this is? It looks like some dried vegetable (very hard) and Nina, our hamster, loves it. But she doesn’t like the 20 other seeds, grains and veggies in that mix:)
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Nov 27, 2018 11:39
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Bit of a random question: can anyone recommend a vacuum for picking up shavings/poop/hay/other things that chinchillas/small animals knock out of their cage? We have two pretty basic vacuums that we've had for years, and neither is at all useful for this, as they just clog straight away. We got one of the Shark Liftaway models from Costco around Black Friday, and the thing clogged in the first 30 seconds, so it went back. I'm leaning towards a Dyson Animal model (https://www.dyson.com/uprights/dyson-ball-animal-2.html), but was hoping to find a recommendation first. Obviously the best would be a shop vac, but we do not have room for anything that big. Has anyone had a vacuum that worked well for this?
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Dec 4, 2018 18:58
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I have one of those shark liftaways that i've been using for years. I didn't have a lot of clogging issues. And when it did it was easy to fix. Other than that I used a riobi hand vacuum for the poops from my gerbils that were still on the table.
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Dec 4, 2018 19:23
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I use it in my guinea pig cage that has fleece bedding, so it's mostly picking up poop and maybe a little hay. It does the job for me, but if you're needing to pick up a lot of stuff at once you might find it a bit limiting. If you do get this one I'd also recommend picking up some extra filters: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00022NGH0/ I generally have to replace them about 2x a year. Edit: well poo poo, you wanted something for outside the cage. I've just got this very basic model and it works ok for me: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001PB8EEM/ Not sure if you can get it w/o the canister vac. Sirotan fucked around with this message at 19:53 on Dec 4, 2018 |
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Dec 4, 2018 19:49
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We have wooden floors so stuff on the floor just gets swept, for stuff accumulating around cage pans I just use a shopvac. No worry about that clogging!
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Dec 4, 2018 20:03
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Obi has skipped off this mortal coil. Is it terrible to be very grateful to her for passing peacefully in her sleep at a good age? It should always be like this.  Glad I brought her spinach to bed yesterday. Good girl.
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Dec 7, 2018 08:27
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mrfart posted:Sorry about Hilary. So I found a bag just with these today. It's carob, or St John's bread, or locust bean. Anyway, she loves it and it's cheap. Every hamster seems to have that one thing they stick with.
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Dec 8, 2018 16:11
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Yea if you do a seed mix like a sunburst in addition to lab blocks (you can’t just feed seed mix or your ham will die of malnutrition), you can see what is left in the bowl as stuff they don’t like.
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Dec 9, 2018 01:23
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teenytinymouse posted:Obi has skipped off this mortal coil. Is it terrible to be very grateful to her for passing peacefully in her sleep at a good age? It should always be like this. I'm sorry to hear about Obi Rodents are too good to have such short life spans.But as the cycle of life goes, I was at the pet store today and apparently one of the hams was pregnant without them knowing and had a litter of about 9-10 healthy looking pups today. My wife and I were the first ones to notice and alert the employees. There was even another hamster in the cage who was completely oblivious of this until the mother and pups got moved to an isolation tank out back. they must have been only a few hours old. The whole event gave me flashbacks to when I had Clover give the gift of a large litter of baby hams on Christmas Eve.
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Dec 9, 2018 02:05
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-CHA posted:My wife and I were the first ones to notice and alert the employees. I may have told this one before, but my wife once made me get the employees of a pet store because we thought a hamster had given birth. Only for the employee to point out that these were the hamster's massive balls. drat.
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Dec 9, 2018 12:37
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-CHA posted:The whole event gave me flashbacks to when I had Clover give the gift of a large litter of baby hams on Christmas Eve. Make gifts from your own DNA for the ultimate personal touch. mrfart posted:I may have told this one before, Lol that is a good story. she try. I've only ever had girlies so when I see gigantic hamballs I still go !!!! momentarily.
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Dec 9, 2018 14:20
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mrfart posted:I may have told this one before, Haha that's great. It's always a gamble of what you will be faced with when peering into the igloo of sleeping hams.
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Dec 10, 2018 01:17
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