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I think you are right about moving gently, it should help your back. I hope it is not so sore now and gets better soon 
Higgins
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So he’s had a two thirds clean - I left his house end alone - it was neat and clean inside and he’s sleeping in there.
No moths found anywhere in the cage. He has a silent runner wheel now, screwed to the back bars. So the only change is new back bars - new Perspex panel at one side and new wheel. Left everything else set up exactly the same.
I’d like to give him deeper bedding but then I’d have to change his whole set up and raise various things and lose various things and freak him out. He had 6 to 8” and seems happy - he loves his Sputnik and roof rub and he loves his underground ceramic hide (with the food on top).
So just as I had finished putting everything back in the cage that moth appeared and flew right inside the cage! Aargh - I managed to waft it out again but it disappeared before we could catch it.
Eek. It’s only one but why did it fly in the cage? If it comes back I hope Higgins eats it.
No moths found anywhere in the cage. He has a silent runner wheel now, screwed to the back bars. So the only change is new back bars - new Perspex panel at one side and new wheel. Left everything else set up exactly the same.
I’d like to give him deeper bedding but then I’d have to change his whole set up and raise various things and lose various things and freak him out. He had 6 to 8” and seems happy - he loves his Sputnik and roof rub and he loves his underground ceramic hide (with the food on top).
So just as I had finished putting everything back in the cage that moth appeared and flew right inside the cage! Aargh - I managed to waft it out again but it disappeared before we could catch it.
Eek. It’s only one but why did it fly in the cage? If it comes back I hope Higgins eats it.
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So he’s had a two thirds clean - I left his house end alone - it was neat and clean inside and he’s sleeping in there.
No moths found anywhere in the cage. He has a silent runner wheel now, screwed to the back bars. So the only change is new back bars - new Perspex panel at one side and new wheel. Left everything else set up exactly the same.
I’d like to give him deeper bedding but then I’d have to change his whole set up and raise various things and lose various things and freak him out. He has 6 to 8” and seems happy - he loves his Sputnik and roof run and he loves his underground ceramic hide (with the food on top).
So just as I had finished putting everything back in the cage that moth appeared and flew right inside the cage! Aargh - I managed to waft it out again but it disappeared before we could catch it.
Eek. It’s only one but why did it fly in the cage? If it comes back I hope Higgins eats it.
No moths found anywhere in the cage. He has a silent runner wheel now, screwed to the back bars. So the only change is new back bars - new Perspex panel at one side and new wheel. Left everything else set up exactly the same.
I’d like to give him deeper bedding but then I’d have to change his whole set up and raise various things and lose various things and freak him out. He has 6 to 8” and seems happy - he loves his Sputnik and roof run and he loves his underground ceramic hide (with the food on top).
So just as I had finished putting everything back in the cage that moth appeared and flew right inside the cage! Aargh - I managed to waft it out again but it disappeared before we could catch it.
Eek. It’s only one but why did it fly in the cage? If it comes back I hope Higgins eats it.
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Higgins' house is looking lovely. I hope the moth has gone away. 
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Higgins is back in the cage now. He carefully and slowly checked everything out and seems to approve. He was curious about the wheel and inspected it and walked in it a couple of times. He seemed to approve that things were less messy! I knew he was ready for a clean out when he chucked a huge pile of smelly substrate in his wheel yesterday.
I took a video of him checking everything out which I’ll add later. When I went to bed he was running in the wheel and seems to really like it. Spins much better than his trixie wheel.
It was a horrible job having to start unscrewing shelves and removing and replacing panels. Which is why I had been putting off doing it for so long but his trixie wheel was always getting stuffed up with bedding and getting stuck and not quite the right height. With screwing the silent runner to the bars it works better. Mind you it is a little lower than I wanted and might bang against the top side of the cage base - will have to see. If higher it would have ended a step and no space for a step due to his big ceramic hide in the middle - or much deeper bedding which would have meant changing his set up.
I know I will have to adjust his set up in 2 or 3 months as he gets older and remove the roof run and some higher level shelves which is why I didn’t want to change everything now and keep familiarity after a clean and some minor changes.
Unfortunately I didn’t get to video him running happily in the wheel as was just going to bed. Just him trying it out.
He was naughty in the pet carrier - I put the hamster fleece blanket over the top as I always do and when I went to get him out he had pulled bits of blanket in through the gaps in the pet carrier and chewed holes in it. Only one other hamster has done that before. Worried me a bit but I’m sure he didn’t eat any - he just likes ripping things.
I took a video of him checking everything out which I’ll add later. When I went to bed he was running in the wheel and seems to really like it. Spins much better than his trixie wheel.
It was a horrible job having to start unscrewing shelves and removing and replacing panels. Which is why I had been putting off doing it for so long but his trixie wheel was always getting stuffed up with bedding and getting stuck and not quite the right height. With screwing the silent runner to the bars it works better. Mind you it is a little lower than I wanted and might bang against the top side of the cage base - will have to see. If higher it would have ended a step and no space for a step due to his big ceramic hide in the middle - or much deeper bedding which would have meant changing his set up.
I know I will have to adjust his set up in 2 or 3 months as he gets older and remove the roof run and some higher level shelves which is why I didn’t want to change everything now and keep familiarity after a clean and some minor changes.
Unfortunately I didn’t get to video him running happily in the wheel as was just going to bed. Just him trying it out.
He was naughty in the pet carrier - I put the hamster fleece blanket over the top as I always do and when I went to get him out he had pulled bits of blanket in through the gaps in the pet carrier and chewed holes in it. Only one other hamster has done that before. Worried me a bit but I’m sure he didn’t eat any - he just likes ripping things.
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Here's Higgy checking things out after going back in his cage. He had a few curious sniffs of the wheel before trying it out and made sure he checked out anything different - like his hay hide step put the right way up again 
You'll see his little tongue at one point when he's having a drink and he stops to have a wash. He's so funny when he keeps diving back into his Bucatstate hide every time he finds a treat. He has a hoard in there.
It's a bit long - nearly 6 minutes. The second video is when he was then doing his normal night time routine - pouching food and also then some strips of toilet paper and pops his head out of the cage door. That one is less than a minute.
You'll see his little tongue at one point when he's having a drink and he stops to have a wash. He's so funny when he keeps diving back into his Bucatstate hide every time he finds a treat. He has a hoard in there.It's a bit long - nearly 6 minutes. The second video is when he was then doing his normal night time routine - pouching food and also then some strips of toilet paper and pops his head out of the cage door. That one is less than a minute.
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Lovely videos. Their familiar things mean a lot to them. Higgins has a very happy expression as he collects his stash and gathers some bedding 
Ness
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Thank you. Yes he still acts very young.
Yes it did
. But what a load of effort just to change over a wheel! The partial clean wasn’t that bad to do but dismantling everything to replace the part of the cage the wheel was attached to ….
Yes it did
. But what a load of effort just to change over a wheel! The partial clean wasn’t that bad to do but dismantling everything to replace the part of the cage the wheel was attached to ….
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I bought Socks an Omlet cage because it solved our wheel problems
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Maybe put some lavender near his cage…moths don’t like the scent.
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I seriously thought about that! But I think he’s too old to move to a different cage - he’s quite settled. Also the Omlet wheel isn’t quite big enough for him - he’s very long … it would be big enough for the average length hamsterI bought Socks an Omlet cage because it solved our wheel problems
I’ve just bought two types of moth traps - carpet moths and pantry moths. Did that last time and should have thought of it before. This lone moth is the one that escaped from the moth infested cage two weeks ago I am sure - and it seems to want to go in Higgins cage. I just hope it isn’t a female moth! Ie one that can lay eggs.
A sticky fly strip (the type that hand from the ceiling) worked quite well last time as well.
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Three short nightcam video clips of Higgins. The first one he is carefully carrying his peanut and papaya cookie across the cage from his house, and stashes it in his Bucatstate hide It made me smile.
The second one from last night, he's enjoying his sputnik. He actually spent ages in there but I cropped the video clip - washing, snacking and looking out.
The third one he is using his new wheel - he still seems to run quite slowly and carefully. I am wondering if that's because his old Trixie wheel didn't spin as well so he's used to running a bit slower maybe. He actually only used the wheel for a couple of short periods throughout the night - he spent most of his time foraging and grooming and doing other hamstery things. Again I'm wondering if he just isn't a massive wheeler - his trixie wheel was regularly stuffed up with bedding and had to keep being free'd up.
Maybe go full screen to see the cookie
Before he got in the sputnik he spent ages on the shelf next to it grooming - he really likes that shelf. It is actually two deep ledges together to make one shelf, with hemp mat glued on so it gives a firm footing. The ledges butt up to his Bucatstate hide and he sometimes puts food on the top of the hide - an extra stash for snacking from. The two ledges give level access to the sputnik and are over his main shelf.
I did consider putting all perspex in the cage at one point, but then it would have meant a completely new set up and spoiling his routines and familiarity, without his sputnik and hemp mat shelves. And wouldn't have been able to screw the wheel to the back so that would have taken up more space.
It always amazes me how hamsters seem to like to sit on a shelf to groom. You would think they would feel exposed as they like being under things usually. Raffy was the same. Loved sitting on his shelf grooming.
He did have a big stretch at one point so seems quite contented.
It made me smile.The second one from last night, he's enjoying his sputnik. He actually spent ages in there but I cropped the video clip - washing, snacking and looking out.
The third one he is using his new wheel - he still seems to run quite slowly and carefully. I am wondering if that's because his old Trixie wheel didn't spin as well so he's used to running a bit slower maybe. He actually only used the wheel for a couple of short periods throughout the night - he spent most of his time foraging and grooming and doing other hamstery things. Again I'm wondering if he just isn't a massive wheeler - his trixie wheel was regularly stuffed up with bedding and had to keep being free'd up.
Maybe go full screen to see the cookie
Before he got in the sputnik he spent ages on the shelf next to it grooming - he really likes that shelf. It is actually two deep ledges together to make one shelf, with hemp mat glued on so it gives a firm footing. The ledges butt up to his Bucatstate hide and he sometimes puts food on the top of the hide - an extra stash for snacking from. The two ledges give level access to the sputnik and are over his main shelf.
I did consider putting all perspex in the cage at one point, but then it would have meant a completely new set up and spoiling his routines and familiarity, without his sputnik and hemp mat shelves. And wouldn't have been able to screw the wheel to the back so that would have taken up more space.
It always amazes me how hamsters seem to like to sit on a shelf to groom. You would think they would feel exposed as they like being under things usually. Raffy was the same. Loved sitting on his shelf grooming.
He did have a big stretch at one point so seems quite contented.
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So adorable. Those biscuits must be really good
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I know he was very cautious at first but loving it now. I feel mean now and wish I had given him a better wheel in the first place! The trixie wheel had always been perfectly fine in the playpen but didn't work so well in the cage due to not being attached as well and it getting stuffed up with bedding too easily.
When Higgins came the trixie wheel was going to be temporary. Then I was going to change it for a rodipet wheel I have, but in trying to attach that, it snapped one of the bars (old cage) so put perspex over it and put the trixie wheel back. Then lost the washer for the rodipet wheel! The silent runner was in Tino's cage but was taken out a while back as he wasn't using a wheel any more, so had become a spare a while back. Then I found the washer for the rodipet wheel but decided to use the silent runner this time as Higgy was used to an enclosed wheel.
When Higgins came the trixie wheel was going to be temporary. Then I was going to change it for a rodipet wheel I have, but in trying to attach that, it snapped one of the bars (old cage) so put perspex over it and put the trixie wheel back. Then lost the washer for the rodipet wheel! The silent runner was in Tino's cage but was taken out a while back as he wasn't using a wheel any more, so had become a spare a while back. Then I found the washer for the rodipet wheel but decided to use the silent runner this time as Higgy was used to an enclosed wheel.