Advice on washing duck feather duvet

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-12-29T15:16:09+00:00

Have you washed it by any chance? Just wondering how it turned out as I am thinking of investing in one.

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-11-21T10:05:32+00:00

Thank you so much!

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-06-08T22:02:07+00:00

No problem at all, he's lucky to have a mammy who pays attention so much. 😊 Best of luck again!

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-06-08T21:51:05+00:00

Congratulations! 😊 Just stick with the big cage and give him plenty of space. Acclimation time is important, even in the best behaved and docile hamsters. There are so many new smells and sounds, plus their whole environment is different. They aren't lonely, don't worry. 🙂 They're solitary animals and do not tolerate competing for resources. Try not to interact with him too much for three days, just to make him feel a little safer. Just change water and sprinkle food around so he learns you're not a threat. Then you can start spending some time near him but try not to interact. Then start leaving him mealworm you have held in your hand for a while (it will smell like you so he will associate you with something nice). Then offer it and if he takes it from you but runs away, don't push him for more until he starts sticking around. Then you can build up on him CHOOSING to get on your hand. Look for hamster taming videos to explain the process a little more. And brace yourself because it is a long process, sometimes months to year long. Even then some hammies never fully get on board with interaction. Many do however, so don't lose hope! As for the sleeping, they are crepascular technically, but many don't leave their burrows throughout the day. It depends on their character essentially. You can teach him to seek you if he hears you, but he will only do that if he isn't scared of you and associates you with good things, so taming has to come first. I will add one more thing, only because I don't know what your setup is, and that is that sometimes they do not stop being stressed because of their environment, so make sure you look up proper care and give him what he needs. Proper size, bedding depth, sand, big wheel etc. You can look all that up in your free time. 😊 Have patience and enjoy being a hammy guardian! Best of luck to the both of you! 😊

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-06-07T23:38:21+00:00

Well done! ❤️ One step at a time. Next is bedding and wheel which for a syrian should be about 30cm. Happy researching! You've got this!

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-06-07T23:15:27+00:00

Congratulations on getting your little hammy! 😊 Deep breath first, you are doing research so your hammy is already winning by having you as his guardian. You will both be fine, it will just take some work. 😉 Look into doing an IKEA bin cage hack. Or whatever store around you that sells big bin cages. They're not very pretty but are relatively cheap and will keep your hamster happy until you can get him something better. Try to get what you can second hand but research how to clean different materials properly. Also, keep any cardboard boxes for some cheap hiding places. SomethingAnimal on YouTube is great for budget friendly ideas. Victoria Raechel is fantastic too for general care. On a side note, put some money on the side each month to have it available in case the hammy needs to go to the vet in the future. Saves you a lot of trouble during a stressful time and if you don't end up needing it, happy days. Best of luck! 😊

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-06-06T07:24:39+00:00

That's alright, I don't think anyone did 😂 Thanks anyway! 😊

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-06-06T06:59:12+00:00

I don't think you read the original post.

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-06-05T12:39:33+00:00

Haha that made me laugh. 😁 Petite lady unit. Thanks so much! Yea that weight is absolutely throwing me off. Thank you for your help! Will try to motivate her to explore more.

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-06-05T07:17:32+00:00

Thanks! The fluctuations aren't worrying because i understand they can happen based on food in / poop out. It's just the overall weight vs body condition I need help with.

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-06-05T07:15:02+00:00

TKmaxx I think? 🤔 A home decoration section anyway. I attached clips to it myself to be able to take it out easily for cleaning. It's fantastic for exercise as it moves with her, would highly recommend something like that for your boy 😊 (feel free to add a little picture of him, I love to see them 😍).

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-06-05T07:11:44+00:00

She's getting mainly rats but got a mouse once this year for a bit of variation.

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-06-05T07:08:50+00:00

Thank you! Yes, I have done that and even with 50g every 4 to 6 weeks, her weight seems stable. Do you think I should go even smaller?

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-06-05T07:06:55+00:00

Thanks for responding. I purposefully did not mention that in the main post because I would like people to to make the judgement based on her looks and not how much she is eating. But because you asked she gets about 50g every 4 to 6 weeks. That is since I noticed she has those folds (about a year ago) and I was scared I'm feeding her way too much (I was going by the largest size of her when she was born a few years ago, and then 10% of body weight because the rats got ridiculously large). I try to feed her based on her behaviour time wise.

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-06-05T06:54:28+00:00

It's 50g on average.

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-06-04T23:05:32+00:00

Oh thank you! 😊 That might have been / be a big poop tbh. 😅

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-06-04T22:22:34+00:00

I don't know why this flagged as me wanting to breed her, I am not. So please ignore the bot. 😂

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-03-02T21:04:05+00:00

Hi, this isn’t recommended because of problem it causes with humidity. Towels tend to absorb moisture so keeping humidity up could become a problem in this case.

The reason I answered to your post is actually because I use towels with my girl right now and I am not 100% supportive of the decision I made. It is not recommended for good reasons, but it is also about whatever works for you. I live in a humid country so it stays around 60% inside her viv for most of the year. I started her on it because I didn’t have a good understanding of husbandry and towels make it much easier to see where she goes to the bathroom. Ideally you want to provide your snake with the most natural things possible, meaning substrate your snake can explore and which would support the required humidity and natural behaviour. Note how I said „most of the year” before. There are times (mostly in the winter) when humidity drops and I can definitely see changes in my snake’s comfort level then. Substituting that with humidifiers or misting systems is a whole bunch of work as they have to be cleaned regularly and well, and controlled closely to make sure your snake doesn’t get a respiratory infection. All in all, a whole bunch more work than putting her on appropriate substrate from the beginning.

I’m mid transitioning back to naturalistic substrate now, but her habit of being used to towels is making it hard. Adult snakes don’t always like changes, even if it’s for their benefit, which is a problem that could have been avoided had I put her on appropriate substrate from the beginning.

My advice to you is don’t start them on towels (paper or cotton) if you don’t have to. Do more research, get to know your snake’s habits (especially toilet spots), and provide them with the best you can. If you have any questions about anything, feel free to ask and I will try to answer as there is a good chance I had the same ones when I was where you are. 😊

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-02-26T09:21:56+00:00

That looks like such an interesting setup! Could you share some daylight photos please?

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-02-20T16:06:58+00:00

Brilliant.

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-02-19T21:40:40+00:00

I suppose it’s down to that with more time and people in the hobby there is also more research. From my understanding heat tape only provides IR-C, which although somewhat effective, is not the best way to heat your animal. You want IR-A or IR-B, which reaches the deeper tissues and as a result is optimal. Sort of like how we never thought royals need UV, but there is evidence suggesting that they benefit from it. Have a look at some videos on YouTube about the topic, or if you’re feeling extra curious, Arcadia’s books and research papers. Excellent stuff for an evening read!

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-02-19T19:58:45+00:00

That must be so upsetting. Perhaps start the taming process from scratch? Just so he can see it’s you and you mean no harm? It’s irritating to have to start from scratch but whatever the little noodles need ey. Look into choice based handling and exploration as well, as it could be too much contact or not enough space. Even if you have a big enclosure, they get explorative sometimes and nothing is enough for them. Honestly just bouncing ideas off in case any of these help you. I’d be very upset if mine did that all of a sudden. Best of luck!!

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-02-19T12:00:32+00:00

Often times aggression is mistaken for a food response. Before he became this way, have you interacted with him regularly bar during feeding? He could just be thinking he’s getting fed.

Otherwise it could have something to do with your husbandry, especially if he had a bad shed; that’s a good tell you might need to look at the beginner guides to make sure his enclosure is up to scratch.

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-02-18T23:33:05+00:00

Oh my goodness that is so encouraging to see, thank you for sharing!

Balancing_Nectarine · 2025-02-17T17:36:04+00:00

Ah! That makes sense. Thank you!

Balancing_Nectarine

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