Dusty the Robo dwarf hamster.

[Maz]

It's a great idea - I need one! I take your point about dig boxes and have thought the same myself sometimes - they dig to get somewhere. But I think it's something to do. I found hiding bits of food in a dish of cork granules meant they enjoyed digging a bit to find the food. With my last robo I had a kind of enclosed pod thing with a tube attached which just had some bedding in and he'd retreat in there and dig a bit if he felt like it. (It was his taxi) but he loved running on the saucer the most!

The lights look amazing! It's a five star playpen!

 

[Dusty's Mom]

It's a great idea - I need one! I take your point about dig boxes and have thought the same myself sometimes - they dig to get somewhere. But I think it's something to do. I found hiding bits of food in a dish of cork granules meant they enjoyed digging a bit to find the food. With my last robo I had a kind of enclosed pod thing with a tube attached which just had some bedding in and he'd retreat in there and dig a bit if he felt like it. (It was his taxi) but he loved running on the saucer the most!

The lights look amazing! It's a five star playpen!

Oh thanks so much, Maz!! I love the background I put up too! Dusty had another 20 minute play time earlier today in this playpen and I did add a wheel for him. But he mostly ignored it. They are all so different. While he was in there today I sprinkled some seed treats around and he collected them right away. His pouches were full because he had some in his pouches when I put him into the playpen. He eventually went into one of the hides in the playpen and stashed his seeds and left them there. After he was safely back in his home cage I went and looked at that stash and I had no idea he could put so much in his pouches! LOL! Here is a short video of some of his activity today.

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[Dusty's Mom]

Here is the playpen with lights and the new background.

 

[Maz]

It looks great! Dusty is having a lovely time in there He had a little go in the wheel but seemed more interested in trying to pouch that wooden ball. I was a bit worried at first in case he pouched it. He'd probably just depouch it again but it might be a little bit risky if it got stuck in his throat possibly. Maybe a slightly larger ball might be better?

He is just so adorable to watch!

 

[Dusty's Mom]

It looks great! Dusty is having a lovely time in there He had a little go in the wheel but seemed more interested in trying to pouch that wooden ball. I was a bit worried at first in case he pouched it. He'd probably just depouch it again but it might be a little bit risky if it got stuck in his throat possibly. Maybe a slightly larger ball might be better?

He is just so adorable to watch!

I do not think he could open his mouth enough to get that ball in his mouth. A rabbit could choke on it. It is a 1/2 inch diameter ball. I thought about the possibility of Dusty or my gerbils getting choked on it and I really don't think they could even get it in their mouth. Those balls came off a hamster toy. I watched Dusty with that ball and I could hear his teeth on it. I thought he was trying to chew on it. I will do further research about how big a thing a dwarf hamster can pouch. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

 

[Maz]

Ah if it's half an inch it's quite big! It's hard to tell from the video

 

[Dusty's Mom]

Ah if it's half an inch it's quite big! It's hard to tell from the video

I removed those balls, they are 1/2 inch in diameter but I looked online and watched a syrian put whole unshelled nuts into his pouches! That was amazing! So I decided to be safe rather than sorry later.

 

[Dusty's Mom]

Another video I just uploaded of Dusty yesterday in the playpen. When he goes into that hide by the wheel, he is dumping out his pouches in there. Dusty has been all over this playpen many times and even he went all the way up the tubing to the 'front door' to the gerbil cage (which was closed of course). It was so cute....as if he was knocking on that door to go visiting. LOL! The gerbils were down under their bedding probably sleeping at the time. Anyway, this is to say that Dusty's scent must be everywhere in this playpen by now. The gerbils took their turn in the playpen yesterday after Dusty was back home. They acted totally normal and even ate some of Dusty's food stash in that hide. Gerbils scent glands are under their bellies and they stretch and rub their bellies to mark. I have seen Coco, one of my gerbils do that in the playpen before. It doesn't seem to phase Dusty either. So the shared playpen so far is working fine.

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[Maz]

He's so wonderful to watch Me being ultra cautious again, and I know you're observing, but watch him if he chews the cotton cords on the side of the big tunnel or any fabric items But it seems unlikely.

 

[Dusty's Mom]

He's so wonderful to watch Me being ultra cautious again, and I know you're observing, but watch him if he chews the cotton cords on the side of the big tunnel or any fabric items But it seems unlikely.

Good call. I have since removed those cotton cords and there is no fabric in the playpen or in any of my cages for my rodents.

 

[Dusty's Mom]

My husband saw Dusty running about his cage today for the first time. He enjoyed that! I showed my hubby how Dusty will eat from my hand.
Also today when Dusty was in the playpen area he crawled up the tubing to the gerbil cage door. It was closed of course. But I looked up and saw Cream Puff, one of my gerbils was at the door too. So there was a hamster on one side and a gerbil on the other. They couldn't see each other because the door is solid black and I went to take a picture of it and they both moved away before I could get the shot! LOL!

 

[Maz]

That would have been a great photo! Is the door hamsterproof?!!!

 

[Dusty's Mom]

The door is a blast gate for a work shop environment. On the playground side there is nothing for a rodent to get their teeth into. On the Gerbil cage side it is about 1/4 inch thick hard high grade plastic circle. If the gerbil decided to start chewing on this, it would take a long while before any real damage was done. Here are a couple pics from inside the gerbil cage.
This is what the gerbils see to go into the playpen. That door slides down to close the opening. The door is between two walls of
the gate. This tubing and this gate are workshop parts for a vacuum system for collecting sawdust and wood chips in a workshop. They are very tough.

This is a top view. The outside of the gate has this same circle 'outcropping' (I don't know what you call it) that is where
the tubing is clamped to. When the door closes it snaps shut. And it snaps open. It isn't going to be lifted up by any little
creature and it won't come slamming down on them either.

 

[Maz]

Very clever!

 

[Maz]

I am still so impressed about your taming of Dusty And he does seem to really love his playpen I'm still thinking about a tabletop playpen myself.

 

[Dusty's Mom]

I am still so impressed about your taming of Dusty And he does seem to really love his playpen I'm still thinking about a tabletop playpen myself.

Thanks, Maz, I am impressed with Dusty too since I have learned about a Robo's nature. I think he was very young when we got him. He is about twice the size he was when we first got him. He was about the size of a cotton ball when we got him. And that smaller hole in the 'castle' hide is fine. Both the gerbils and Dusty go through it with no problem as you can see in this video. Oh and I read somewhere on one of the forums I am on that someone uses a Pringles can as a transport container and that they learn it is for transporting them to their playpen and back. Dusty is learning this too. I prepared a Pringles can for his transport container and he has no problem going into it to go to the playpen or to be taken back home. He is one smart little guy!

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[Maz]

He's adorable I miss having a robo. Yes pringles tubes are good - Higgins has one in his cage Any kind of tube, or mug or similar taxi is good.

 

[Dusty's Mom]

He's adorable I miss having a robo. Yes pringles tubes are good - Higgins has one in his cage Any kind of tube, or mug or similar taxi is good.

I like the pringles type tube because it is long enough that Dusty can't jump or crawl out quickly during transport. I have used a mug before but was always afraid he would jump out. I also put a few seeds in it to keep him distracted from the move.

 

[Maz]

With the metal end on then it's a good option, yes

 

[Dusty's Mom]

I did some changes to the playpen today. I switched out a couple things and added cork flooring. The cork flooring makes so much difference. The gerbils are very quiet now when they play and I am sure Dusty will like it too next time I can get him into the playpen. I only see Dusty to get him to the playpen once every few days. But the gerbils use it everyday several times a day. This playpen makes all the difference in being able to see and interact with Dusty and the gerbils. I have also hung a Nanny cam on the outside of the playpen to get a view inside it when I am not looking directly at it. I had an extra camera I wasn't using so I thought I may as well tape it to the outside of the playpen.