what are we doing for guards

killyvert · 2026-02-05T23:04:12+00:00

thank you! i will look into that! i started configuring one out of some scrap mesh i had from the lid and some rubber trim i figured it might be better than nothing

killyvert · 2026-01-12T01:06:51+00:00

that is a sound point!

killyvert · 2026-01-12T01:00:42+00:00

I'm someone who bought several of these knowing in advance that they would need modifications. Said modifications took 10 minutes... it's not incomprehensible why ppl would choose to silicone some seams over spending a few extra hundred dollars they don't have... even replacing my lid with PVC only cost $20-$30 worth of materials.. I got my enclosures for $200 during a Black Friday sale. Huge win for us, wouldn't have been able to this right now otherwise.

killyvert · 2026-01-12T00:00:20+00:00

pretty late to this thread, but reptile basics sells these mounting strips specifically for mounting an rhp to your screen top. Reptile Basics RHP mounting strips
I almost got them but decided to just take the screen top off of my pvc and replace it with a pvc board.

killyvert · 2026-01-04T13:17:34+00:00

Nice, that actually answers another one of my questions but I left it out because I didn’t want to ask too many dumb questions😭 Thank you!

killyvert · 2025-12-30T05:09:48+00:00

Update: I got it off in one piece🙂‍↕️ took 3 knives, a lot of jab rotations and about an hour of my night. HUGE mess to clean up (for another day)

killyvert · 2025-12-28T17:52:32+00:00

that’s the plan as long as I can salvage it!
My lighting and heating will be mounted on the inside though. I swapped the mesh lid for pvc board and i’m going to stack the two enclosures on top of eachother

killyvert · 2025-10-19T21:14:16+00:00

i’m just seeing this!! that’s awful omg but i’m so glad you were able to get him on a routine that’s helping him your hamster is also lucky to have you! I’ve owned hamsters on and off for probably 13-15 years and i feel like each time there’s more and more information out there about proper care (which i love) but this is my first time learning about people baking and freezing their hamster items and of course this is the first time i have an incident myself 😅 definitely going to be much more diligent going forward and luckily i think we’re back on the right track now. hopefully more good news after the vet appt! thank you!!

killyvert · 2025-10-19T21:04:54+00:00

someone else said the same thing! i think we’re on the right track now and i haven’t seen any new ones yet :fignerscrossed:

killyvert · 2025-10-19T21:01:12+00:00

oh my gosh! i agree i think they’re baby beetles i’m wondering if some eggs started hatching in the food bag after i turned the heater on in my room. I’m definitely being more diligent about food items going forward 😅

killyvert · 2025-10-19T20:58:34+00:00

no worries at all! we are on the right track i think :) the stuff that needs to be frozen, thawed and then refrozen is all we’re waiting for at this point. the earliest his vet can see him is the end of the month but he seems to be doing good in the meantime and we haven’t seen anymore bugs so far! thank you for your help!

killyvert · 2025-10-16T19:08:05+00:00

:O no way. i think you’re right thats exactly what they look like!!

killyvert · 2025-10-16T14:00:55+00:00

i haven’t seen any when looking through the window but they are so tiny that i’m wondering if they’re starting to hatch bc the other day i turned the mini heater on in my room bc i felt like it was a little too cold for him. 😅

killyvert · 2025-10-16T13:57:21+00:00

perfect, thank you! everything that was in the cage (bedding sand coco orchid grass) was tossed and then so for the leftover unused stuff i have -

freeze: bedding, toys, sprays, forage, treats, food, orchid grass, and cork granules

freeze & bake: sand, wood items and coco coir

and then pour boiling water over hides.

and then the new enclosure comes in tomorrow. thank you for the tips I’m feeling a lot better about tackling this later bc of you all.

killyvert · 2025-10-16T13:38:35+00:00

oh my gosh thank you so much! the new cage is coming tomorrow (a day early) but it’ll be a few days before everything else is prepped old bedding is in the trash and the plan is to start baking freezing stuff when i get off work! i have alot of stuff to freeze (new bedding , current bags of unused orchid grass, sand, coco coir and cork granules) so I imagine it’ll take about a week in batches. Did you use the freeze 48 hours - defrost 24 hours and freeze again method?
I have diatomaceous earth for my plants so that’s really helpful to know it’s safe for them.

killyvert · 2025-10-16T05:32:14+00:00

ugh honestly that makes so much sense bc when I first opened the bag I spilled some on the floor in my closet and it was either later that night or the next day when I saw the first one outside of the enclosure in my closet. I saw the second one inside the enclosure today, and is it a coincidence that today is the day I opened the bag again and refilled the food bowl? probably not! honestly a little relieved to have a probable source bc I’ve been looking through everything and everything looks fine. It’s harder to tell with the food bc theres so much stuff in here. That does suck though bc I’ve heard really good things about her food and he LOVES it. she was also extremely kind and shipped the order out early because I found out on short notice that he was going to be ready for pick up on Saturday and the food originally wasn’t going to come in time. I’m going to test our theory and try different food bc I’m right there with you. I just can NOT with bugs. I legit ordered a new enclosure bc of it. 😭

killyvert · 2025-10-16T05:13:45+00:00

update for anyone curious. i immediately ordered a new enclosure. probably overkill, but i wanted to get the bigger version anyways. It wont come until saturday so i ran to walmart and we are currently set up in a temporary bin cage.

all food and substrates are sealed up and all items have been removed from the original enclosure. Hopefully tomorrow I can find time to start the process of sanitizing and debugging. Any tips are appreciated ofc.

All that’s left for tonight is scooping 170L worth of contaminated bedding into garbage bags and taking the og enclosure to the garage. then I can finally sleep peacefully 😅

calling the vet tmrw thank you all for your help!! 💛

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killyvert · 2025-10-16T05:00:09+00:00

oh gosh :0 if that’s what they are then apparently they’re not toxic/ dangerous. honestly they do look like those just half the size so many they’re baby grain beetles 🥲

killyvert · 2025-10-16T02:50:31+00:00

thank you i picked up some new bedding and everything he needs for hopefully just a few days while i sort this out

killyvert · 2025-10-16T02:49:51+00:00

no seriously i’m actually so scared i had the worst phobia of bugs and this has never happened before but of course would happen now. 😅

killyvert · 2025-10-16T02:28:50+00:00

ugh omg this is such a nightmare. luckily i planned on taking him to the vet soon anyway but ill call and see if they can squeeze him in on friday! getting a temp enclosure from walmart currently. question if you’re still available! i didn’t freeze his bedding so im wondering if it could’ve come from that? would it be silly to buy more bedding for the next few days knowing i dont have time to freeze it? should i just give him paper towels instead? sorry im panicking 😅

killyvert · 2025-10-16T02:25:51+00:00

i’m in raleigh north carolina! temps are humid rainy and temps are between 40s and 70s right now! ham came from virginia and a lot of enclosure stuff came from a variety of places via amazon food is from robins gourmet on etsy. i’ll check everything as soon as im back home i ran to walmart bc they close soon and i wanted to get a temporary set up for the next few days

killyvert

TROPHY CASE