Re: behold, the critter room

by scaredymouse Sun 03 Jul 2016, 8:11 am

So many noises! They have a lot to say, I'm loving it!

by Rodents rock! Sun 03 Jul 2016, 9:40 am

scaredymouse wrote:So many noises! They have a lot to say, I'm loving it!

Aww, so cool! Years ago I had a ferret named Otis and I loved the noises he made. I miss him, he was so sweet and so much fun!

by MouseLover Sun 03 Jul 2016, 10:24 am

Rodents rock - I've always wanted a ferret. I read once that some doctors were prescribing ferrets as "alternative medicine" to treat depression, because they are so much fun Laughing

by Rodents rock! Sun 03 Jul 2016, 10:32 am

MouseLover wrote:Rodents rock - I've always wanted a ferret. I read once that some doctors were prescribing ferrets as "alternative medicine" to treat depression, because they are so much fun

They are a lot of fun! He loved to play and just had the best personality. He loved his toys. I remember when I moved, when we tipped the couch on end to move, we heard lots of toys sliding down. It was so funny. He loved to get inside the couch and I didn't know till then that he had been stashing toys in there for years. This was after he had passed away so it was a nice memory of him. Smile

by Peachy Sun 03 Jul 2016, 11:39 am

The chinchillas sound so fun. I love that they watch you sleep. Rofling

My grandma used to work the night shift, so I stayed with babysitters overnight... They had ferrets in their basement. Four I think, and the cage was so cool. They were the best part of going over there.
Then some kids that I babysat had ferrets. One of them took a nap with me!
behold, the critter room - Page 2 Fb_img17

behold, the critter room - Page 2 Fb_img17

The other day at Petco there was a lonely ferret who woke up when he saw me staring at him. We played for twenty minutes and my heart broke when I had to leave. Maybe I should look into a ferret instead of a hedgehog for my next pet. I have no idea how my cats would react, though. Razz

by MesaMouse Sun 03 Jul 2016, 12:00 pm

Wow! I am slack-jawed after touring the critter room -- so full but so soothing. What a great set-up and everyone's tank at a good height for viewing and cleaning.

Scaredy, hams only need a deep cleaning every 3 weeks? Why is that? Is their pee less pungent? Even though I'm down to just one mouse, if I don't do a deep clean every 7 days, that tank starts to get smelly. The idea of a less frequent deep clean makes me more prone to get a ham after Cordelia passes -- it would be less stress on my arthritic joints.

by scaredymouse Sun 03 Jul 2016, 3:38 pm

Their pee doesn't smell. Also, hams have control over when they go to the bathroom. Their wheels and toys don't get yucky. Spot cleaning really keeps everything clean. Also, hams don't usually like their cage cleaned, they can get really anxious. They work so hard collecting food and then you take it all! After I clean, I always put some food back in the spot they had their food.

I've had female dwarf hams, female robos, and male and female Syrians. None of them smell anything like the mice, even at the 3 week mark when it's time to clean. The only thing is that Splotchy goes into heat every few days and that gets stinky. But it's her that smells, all the cleaning in the world can't fix that. So for that reason, I might caution you against female Syrians. I've never noticed when the female dwarf hams go into heat.

by MouseLover Sun 03 Jul 2016, 4:33 pm

I guess cuz they're desert animals they pee less too. I've had Archie out to play every day for about 3 weeks, and I'm amazed that he hasn't peed on me once. He's only pooped on me twice too, and his poops are so so so tiny I really can't be that offended by them.

I really would like ferrets one day, but I hear they go through a bitey phase when they're young and that's always put me off cuz their teeth are crazy sharp.

by Rodents rock! Sun 03 Jul 2016, 5:43 pm

MouseLover wrote:I guess cuz they're desert animals they pee less too. I've had Archie out to play every day for about 3 weeks, and I'm amazed that he hasn't peed on me once. He's only pooped on me twice too, and his poops are so so so tiny I really can't be that offended by them.

I really would like ferrets one day, but I hear they go through a bitey phase when they're young and that's always put me off cuz their teeth are crazy sharp.

When I had my Ferret, I got him as a baby and he never bit me his whole life, not once. But I know that some Ferrets do bite but not all of them. I wouldn't let that stop you from getting one, just be sure to hold the one you will want and see how he or she is. They really are fun and playful pets.

by CAPSLOCK Mon 04 Jul 2016, 11:32 am

I love how your critter room is so organized and accessible. Do any of the critters try to climb up and out of the play pool? I noticed the names on the individual pictures of the tanks as well - with so many, I can see that being pretty important!

Ferrets are more like kittens or puppies who are teething - they don't "bite" per se, but they may chew on you or nip as they are learning more appropriate play methods. If you rescue an adult ferret, it's not a worry.

Most cats get along with ferrets - many will play with the ferret, once they learn to interpret each other's body language. An arched back and hopping sideways means play for a ferret, not exactly what it means in cat-language...

Hamsters also need less cleaning as most will just use one bathroom corner, so you can either stick a little potty there, or just clean out the used bedding regularly (it's really just a pinch daily) and the rest of the cage stays pretty unsoiled.

by scaredymouse Mon 04 Jul 2016, 12:06 pm

I've never had a mouse, dwarf hamster or robo get anywhere close to climbing out of the pool. But the Syrians can, but that's ok because I keep the door shut and they are allowed to go free range in that room- it's ham safe. I actually put a little ramp by the pool, so they can get in and out during playtime.

That said, even the little critters are supervised in the kiddie pool even though they can't get out of the room. I don't even want to try to find a mouse in all that mess!

Yep, hamsters pee in one corner and it's pretty easy to find! So you just spot clean that area. My hams even make little piles of poops, so those are easy to clean out too. It was a huge surprise to me that hams didn't need to be cleaned every week.

edit to add: About the names on the tanks, I know who everyone is but I once had a neighbor care for everyone while I was out of town and a couple of the critters had special instructions, and I put sticky notes on the tanks with their names. After that, I thought I would make it a little nicer. Plus, my husband cant keep track of everyone. He still calls the robos... left ham and right ham. I did however absolutely need to put stickers on the front of the tank with birthdays. I will never be able to remember how old everyone is!

by Winter Moose Sat 18 Feb 2017, 4:08 pm

Peachy wrote:The chinchillas sound so fun. I love that they watch you sleep.

My grandma used to work the night shift, so I stayed with babysitters overnight... They had ferrets in their basement. Four I think, and the cage was so cool. They were the best part of going over there.
Then some kids that I babysat had ferrets. One of them took a nap with me!

The other day at Petco there was a lonely ferret who woke up when he saw me staring at him. We played for twenty minutes and my heart broke when I had to leave. Maybe I should look into a ferret instead of a hedgehog for my next pet. I have no idea how my cats would react, though.

Don't ferrets have to live in at least pairs? I've also heard that they need their cage cleaned twice a day, like fleece changed, litter replaced. Smile

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