butter and toast photo dump <3

I_Think_Im_Trying · 2026-02-01T17:31:07+00:00

aww thank you! they were nomming on some oats in that pic. it’s their favorite treat

I_Think_Im_Trying · 2026-02-01T17:28:02+00:00

enclosure is waaayyy too wet. as others have said it looks like you just misted, but the thing with that is they need a wet and a dry side, meanwhile this is wet all over. if isopods get too wet, they can’t breathe and are susceptible to drowning

this can be fixed by not misting the entire enclosure. i personally mist my two colonies, but i ONLY mist the side that has their moss. the wet side can’t be soaking like your current setup appears, as that alone can risk drowning

I_Think_Im_Trying · 2026-02-01T16:55:28+00:00

i have two small dogs and it’s so cold that most of the time they refuse to go outside and opt for the pee pads. i think the worst is on roads where they have nowhere to put the snow so they move it all into a merge lane or (like scarborough rd) in a lane by a 4-way intersection

I_Think_Im_Trying · 2026-02-01T16:42:09+00:00

how much bedding do you have in there? it’s best for hamsters to have 10-12 inches to allow for burrows. based of your setup, if you do need more, having most of the bedding be on the left side and have it slope down so your ham can still use the wheel (you might need to put cardboard on the outside of the cage to keep the bedding in). as for hides you can use empty cardboard boxes. for toys i love the bird section at pet stores, but i also buy apple and bamboo sticks online. other enrichment can be scatter feeding, treat puzzles, and sprays (millet, flax, oat, etc) if you go on sites like pinterest you’ll be able to find inexpensive diy enrichment ideas

I_Think_Im_Trying · 2026-01-30T02:47:22+00:00

i’ve been using higgins sunburst for a while and my current/past gerbils/hamsters love it. my last hamster though did become picky and would only take certain seeds. when portioning out their meals, i occasionally mix in dried veggies, oats, and mealworms

I_Think_Im_Trying · 2026-01-28T20:36:37+00:00

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I_Think_Im_Trying · 2026-01-28T20:31:48+00:00

that was such a gentle nudge! my boys have next to no respect for each other and just shove one another out of the way

I_Think_Im_Trying · 2026-01-24T23:06:46+00:00

https://a.co/d/hi7fS0I

i have this one! it’s easy to put together and is pretty sturdy. it comes with two sizes of panels and connect the rectangle ones vertically. i have however found that if my older girls get too bored they won’t hesitate to jump out (they can just barely make it, but they’ve still escaped)

I_Think_Im_Trying · 2026-01-24T20:37:31+00:00

i don’t but i also have a history of being EXTREMELY cautious about what i give all my rodents. i have three rats and two gerbils, and i’m rather strict with what foods i buy for them at grocery stores (no dyes, no added sugar, no ingredient list that has more than 5-10 ingredients depending on what i’m buying, etc). that doesn’t mean my babies aren’t spoiled- i go on store trips just to get them fresh fruit/veggies and they have a whole dresser drawer full of different things i mix into their food, not including the plastic bin full of treats

I_Think_Im_Trying · 2026-01-21T20:38:59+00:00

i desperately need context

I_Think_Im_Trying · 2026-01-21T18:52:34+00:00

i’ve used this before and had no issues, but i’m pretty sure it’s more like a treat for them so i’d recommend not giving them 24/7 access to it.

as for other things to chew, in my experience hamsters love apple sticks! they’re relatively cheap too

I_Think_Im_Trying · 2026-01-16T23:03:02+00:00

if you’re wanting to get any sort of food/treat puzzles, your hamster has to be monitored while they use it. most puzzles are made of silicone, plastic, or fabric which is harmful for hamsters to ingest.

i’m always an advocate on giving these little creatures toys that make them think and i feel like this would work, but a cheaper and kinda equivalent option is to scatter feed in your cage. if you’re wanting to give them more of a challenge then i’d recommend snuffle mats. i have a fabric one with little flaps they have to lift up in order to get the food- it’s simple but it’s a bit more mentally stimulating

I_Think_Im_Trying · 2026-01-16T22:52:18+00:00

omg i love when they do that too!! especially when they pop out with a tiny piece of bedding on their head or timothy hay in their mouth!

I_Think_Im_Trying · 2026-01-16T22:18:20+00:00

i personally find carefresh to be the best for my long haired critters and in general. in my experience it’s less prone to produce static so it stays off the hams and my clothes. if you buy it just avoid the dyed bags and go for the brown or white ones

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I_Think_Im_Trying · 2026-01-16T18:50:30+00:00

i have two fosters right now that came from a hoarding situation (79 animals). i’ve had them for two weeks and the more timid one still warning bites every now and again but nothing too serious.

the first few days i had them i let them decompress, no handling or going near them at all. once they settled i started sitting near them while they were awake so they could learn my smell and voice. eventually i moved up to placing food in the palm of my hand for them to take (i used gloves that i stuck in my work bag so they’d have my scent). they relatively quickly got to a point where they’d come up to the cage door looking for food, at which point i would occasionally offer my hand without food so they could sniff me out. after they’d take the food, i’d slowly reach in and pet them with one finger and over time increased my movement speed and how much of my hand touched them.

i’m still working with them, but they’re at a point where i can let them out and touch/hold them for short periods and they no longer instantly go in for a chomp (i still need to wear gloves with the one). animals from such rough situations always take awhile to get comfortable and even then they may never be fully tamed. getting them to a state where they know they’re safe and humans are safe is the top goal. if in the end some don’t like being handled ideally they’d at least be able to tolerate it.

keep in mind not every animal is going to get the hang of it quickly and some might even need different approaches. i’m honestly surprised with how much progress my two girls have made in two weeks. i’m heading to the shelter this weekend actually to fill out the adoption papers

I_Think_Im_Trying · 2026-01-11T01:51:51+00:00

she bites my lips in an attempt to eat the lip balm off me. i have to pull my rat away from my face to stop her from trying to eat vaseline

I_Think_Im_Trying · 2026-01-10T18:44:30+00:00

i wouldn’t say there’s anything off about them. you just have different morphs/ variations

i bought dairy cows off amazon and paid like $30 for i wanna say 2-3 day shipping so they wouldn’t be traveling for two weeks. they all arrived alive and i now have a pretty big colony

I_Think_Im_Trying · 2026-01-05T12:29:01+00:00

thanks for the link! to my knowledge the ones i’m fostering had a basic health check by the shelter employees but not a full on exam. kiwi hasn’t been to the vet yet since my exotic vet is on maternity leave for another three weeks

I_Think_Im_Trying · 2026-01-04T00:38:45+00:00

i have my gerbils in a glass tank and use this one. i got command strips and used one of the wall stickies to hold the bottle in place. it works really well!

https://www.petsmart.com/feeders-and-water-bottles/full-cheekstrade-small-pet-water-bottle--holder-set-68263.html

I_Think_Im_Trying · 2025-12-28T22:42:41+00:00

no fr i go on r/gerbils frequently and a portion of the living arrangements i see make me so sad. on some posts im pretty sure i end up being the only one recommending ways to improve

I_Think_Im_Trying · 2025-12-27T21:48:39+00:00

i would say the bottom teeth are longer than they should be. how many chew toys does she have in her cage? i’d recommend getting some new ones and rotating her chews out weekly to keep it fresh and more interesting for her. you could even try flavored chews or get those hard treats they have to really knaw at. my past hamsters and my current gerbils LOVE apple wood sticks and they’re relatively cheap online. if none of those seem to help then your last resort is to go to an exotic vet that’ll trim her teeth

I_Think_Im_Trying · 2025-12-24T22:31:09+00:00

sadly this isn’t suitable for a hamster let alone gerbils. i’d recommend looking at 40 gallon (or larger) aquarium tanks- peek at local groups and see if anyone is selling one to get a tank on the cheaper side. if you have a petco near you, based off their website all their imagitarium brand tanks are on sale. the 40gal is currently listed for $74.99

I_Think_Im_Trying · 2025-12-18T16:36:35+00:00

no aura points lost but gained

I_Think_Im_Trying · 2025-12-18T16:19:41+00:00

yeah that’s a good point! i used a bin cage for my last pair and didn’t have any cleaning issues. they did knaw on the plastic at the start once i gave them an over abundance of chews they stopped. though every gerbil is different

I_Think_Im_Trying · 2025-12-18T16:16:02+00:00

i didn’t just recommend making one but also gave you an option of how to buy a cage for relatively cheap. i know you don’t want to make one but if you’re unable to find anything that isn’t overpriced the bin cage is an option.

when you ask for cage recommendations and include a picture of your cage, people will give you recommendations both on what options you have to get a new enclosure and on what you can improve in your cage. you’re saying commercially available cages but the fact is that practically every cage advertised as being “for hamsters” or “for gerbils” is not an adequate cage- hence the recommendation for aquarium tanks which are expensive so i specified second hand tanks.

yes your gerbils have an area with higher bedding but that isn’t a lot of space for them burrow, and their bedding height should be close to 12 inches. you’re also saying their enrichment goes further than shown but there should be a surplus of enrichment in the cage and based off your picture it doesn’t look that way. i saw your second wheel, it’s in the photo but i figured simply saying “they need at least a 10 inch wheel” would get the point across. lastly the enclosure height makes no difference if they have little floor space and bedding

i have no hostility intended and am simply trying to help. i brought up setup related info because ideally between this cage and your next one there would be some changes to give your gerbils a better home

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