Grapewood vine care question

clacombe

clacombe

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Hi everyone. I'm thinking of adding grapewood vine to my Syrian's cage, but the cage as at least 6" of bedding throughout, probably closer to 7", and I'm worried about the weight of the grapewood resting on top. Cinnamon has taken to quite extensively burrowing throughout the cage. How do you secure grapewood vine on bedding where burrowing might take place beneath (to prevent harm if the weight of it collapses a tunnel). I thought about adding a few dowel rods for support- ones that could go through the bedding to the floor surface.
 
It is something I've also had concerns about. I think the way to do is possibly have one end of of it on the cage floor, under the bedding, and part of it (or the other end) resting on something else in the cage. So it can't sink. I'd also check it over carefully for any sharp bits (especially the part that goes under the substrate - if you go for that option).
 
Maz said:
It is something I've also had concerns about. I think the way to do is possibly have one end of of it on the cage floor, under the bedding, and part of it (or the other end) resting on something else in the cage. So it can't sink. I'd also check it over carefully for any sharp bits (especially the part that goes under the substrate - if you go for that option).
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I had thought about that option for it to be partially underground. I'll have to keep thinking on this one. I also want to add another dig box to our enclosure- maybe try coconut fiber, so I may try something like that while I keep thinking about the grapevine wood.
 
I wouldn't make any changes until Cinnamon is fully settled in though - at least two weeks and maybe a bit longer. It might be a bit stressful at first (even if better!) and set back the taming. Although adding a dig box and vine branch should make things better and be interesting for him - but if it means moving other items around it could unsettle him.
 
I rest grapevine wood on items so they can be used as bridges. My hamster loves climbing on grapevine wood.

Just to say, if you buy some pop it in the oven on the lowest hit for about 45 minutes to ensure any bugs are killed.
 
Thanks for the feedback and advice! I'll wait to order it next month. I realized I have moss I can add to the enclosure, too. I haven't changed any objects yet, but I've added a toy or two after the last few weeks, so I think I'll focus on adding a coconut fiber dig box next week without moving anything else around. He does love his sand box and I think I need to add more sand. He has used it as a pee litter box, but only in the corner and still enjoys a good dig in it.
 
That sounds good! Yes they are quite neat little things and tend to only pee in the very corner of a sand tray - then sit in the clean part for a wash.
 
Maz said:
That sounds good! Yes they are quite neat little things and tend to only pee in the very corner of a sand tray - then sit in the clean part for a wash.
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It's a breath of fresh air to actually have him use it that way (since Wally was more hidden with his litter) since it's visible and reachable. However, Cinnamon has continued to be extremely busy underground, and I am dreading having to find time at some point to either reach down into tunnels for a mild clean up or destroy some tunnels out of necessity. Hopefully that won't need to be too frequent.
 
If he is peeing in his sand tray, he may not pee in his nest or burrows.
 
I wouldn't worry about the poops for a while. They tend to leave those all over the top usually and they're easily picked out if there get to be quite a few. I sometimes find some buried ones when I'm doing a substrate change after 2 or 3 months (sometimes longer!) and spot clean them out then. But don't fine that many usually. Maybe the time to have a feel around is if the cage starts to smell of wee even though you're cleaning out the sand tray - as that suggests he might be weeing somewhere else. I'm guessing you know you can just scoop out the wet sand from the sand bath and not have to replace all of it every time?
 
Maz said:
I wouldn't worry about the poops for a while. They tend to leave those all over the top usually and they're easily picked out if there get to be quite a few. I sometimes find some buried ones when I'm doing a substrate change after 2 or 3 months (sometimes longer!) and spot clean them out then. But don't fine that many usually. Maybe the time to have a feel around is if the cage starts to smell of wee even though you're cleaning out the sand tray - as that suggests he might be weeing somewhere else. I'm guessing you know you can just scoop out the wet sand from the sand bath and not have to replace all of it every time?
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I did know that about the sandbath but I had actually thought that I might post to verify with other members because I've seen some places where they say change out the sand once a week, but my instinct was that that seems pretty unnecessary if I can just clean out the clumps when they are visible.

I'm also glad to hear that about the substrate. So every few months do you just replace a third or half of it? Mixing it in with some existing substrate?
 
Yes. If the hamster uses a toilet then the rest of the cage stays pretty much clean and dry. They clean themselves a lot and they like their nesting area clean and cosy. I had one hamster who would leave a pile of old nesting material and substrate by the cage door if he thought it was past it's best and I'd find a hole in the middle of the cage where he'd dragged a load of new substrate into his house. So I just filled in the whole with new substrate!

If he does pee underground you'll just need to spot clean that area now and then. But if the cage stays clean and dry then when you feel it's time for a substrate change it's an idea to keep a third to half back of the old clean and spread it on top of the new. That way that top layer gets spot cleaned out eventually anyway.

The main thing when doing a substrate change is to resist the temptation to clean everything else at the same time - so some things always smell familiar. I do the substrate separately - then just do the wheel another week or as and when - and any other cage items as and when needed. Rather than doing the whole lot at once and removing all their scent.
 
I use a little poop scoop to scoop the clumps out of the sand and replace the sand when it starts to smell of wee.
I don't really go by a time scale for anything and use my big nose as a reliable guide.
 
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