Rebel’s Thread

[Mweekie]

Thought I’d start a proper thread for Rebel.

Well I’ve had Rebel now for just over 24 hours now and he’s already proving himself to be a confident little character.

I popped some fresh dry food in and added some sunflower hearts and a couple of mealworms - not expecting him to do anything or even come close but he’s surprised me by doing so - to the point of actually taking a mealworm from my finger. He did dive back under the shelf again but was back out within moments.

He’s even brave enough to have the cat staring through the glass - he just looked at her, and it looked like he had just shrugged his shoulders and continued running in his wheel lol.

Here’s a little photo of him just as he popped back up again.

Hope you enjoy the rest of Rebel’s Thread.

 

[Socks' Mum]

Rebel is a cute little fellow

 

[Maz]

He’s gorgeous . Looking forward to hearing more about him as he settles in.

 

[Mweekie]

I tried Rebel on a pea and a piece of sweetcorn last night - both were gone this morning. I'm taking that as a win.

He seemed a little skittish last night, so I didn't push it other than to give him his dried food, veggies and fresh water. He did come out but hid under the shelf.

I know it takes about a fortnight before they've settled in properly, so keeping things right down to a minimum for him.

He's just been out and taken some sunflower hearts where I put them on the shelf for him - I have a feeling they are his favourites lol xx

 

[Maz]

He's doing well I hope the first couple of weeks goes quickly! It can be hard waiting for them to settle in.

 

[Mweekie]

Seriously lol

 

[Maz]

He's so sweet

 

[Doodleham]

View attachment 12603

Seriously lol

This picture is so so cute. He looks worn out from all the exploring. Glad he's settling in well.

 

[Mweekie]

Mum has nicknamed him Squish lol xx

 

[Tulsi]

His little paws in that first photo. He sounds great!

 

[Mweekie]

Thanks Tulsi.

I am getting to know Rebel’s wake up time now, which at the moment is about 7pm (which is lovely for me lol). He is also starting to respond more to my voice and learning that when I open the tank up he’s aware I am giving him his food and a few sunflower hearts. I’ve also realised he’s not overly keen on mealworms, but will hoover up the sunflower seeds as soon as he knows they are on his shelf.

I am still saving up for a larger tank for him, but as I don’t work very often (more in summer), I usually put aside a few pounds out of my Universal Credit - so even though it’ll take a while, he will be getting a new upgrade.

So far though, Rebel is gaining confidence slowly, and last night he did put one paw on my hand - then realised it was something different and dashed behind the wheel, to come back out a couple of seconds later. He does make me laugh though as sometimes he thinks he is a Harvest Mouse and dashes up the millet spray (which is in a combi holder with his water bottle) and pops out the top of the holder lol.

He is definitely stealing my parent’s hearts though as well - Mum even gave him his veggie treat yesterday (which was a tiny end off a runner bean) and he didn’t freak out at having a new hand in the tank - so that was good xx

 

[Socks' Mum]

He is a brave wee creature. Love the harvest mouse comparison

 

[Maz]

It's difficult when funds are tight and saving takes time (and your large exo terra broke). But 45cm x 45cm x 60cm is really small and he does need to be in something bigger - you can get a second hand savic plaza for about £35 - there are quite a few available on ebay and various other sites usually. Or you could get a bin for £10 to £30 - there aren't any as big as 100cm really but it would be better than 45 x 45 x 60. He does need to move to something bigger quite soon

Also had a thought - if it was a door broke on the exo terra, would it be possible to remove both doors and mesh across the front? It would mean making it into a tank basically and using the roof to lift off for access. I think it lifts off doesn't it?

 

[Mweekie]

It's difficult when funds are tight and saving takes time (and your large exo terra broke). But 45cm x 45cm x 60cm is really small and he does need to be in something bigger - you can get a second hand savic plaza for about £35 - there are quite a few available on ebay and various other sites usually. Or you could get a bin for £10 to £30 - there aren't any as big as 100cm really but it would be better than 45 x 45 x 60. He does need to move to something bigger quite soon

Also had a thought - if it was a door broke on the exo terra, would it be possible to remove both doors and mesh across the front? It would mean making it into a tank basically and using the roof to lift off for access. I think it lifts off doesn't it?

I have been looking into getting a Savic Plaza (or something similar) today actually, so it’s certainly an idea.

Unfortunately, my Dad threw out the larger Exo Terra as not only did the door break off, but the crack on the side of the glass spanned over the entire area, so it’s not usable. I did think of doing that, but it was the crack in the glass that made me think it may have been unsafe xx

 

[Maz]

That is such a shame. A savic plaza can be a bit tall for a dwarf hamster unless the bedding is deep enough (to effectively reduce the height), and dwarf hamsters do tend to climb to the roof! Some people put cardboard inside the bars to be able to have deeper bedding, and even full height cardboard at one end and partly down two sides, to have a deeper bedding end. It's fiddly! But doable. Or could you do some diy? Some people make enclosures from Ikea platsa wardrobe frames, which is a fairly inexpensive option. The flatpack frame is still about £40 though and then you need strips of wood and mesh to make a lid.

 

[Mweekie]

I agree about the Savic being a bit too tall for a Russian Dwarf - hence why I do prefer a tank style enclosure. I have got my eye on a 2nd hand Bucastate tank on eBay at £60 (at the moment) and another one (can’t remember the brand off top of my head) on FB Marketplace for £55 so hopefully I can go for either of those on Friday when I get paid.

I’m completely useless at DIY, so making a Bin Cage or similar wouldn’t be helpful to me to be honest.

I am hoping next week to start coaxing Rebel into some outside time (in the bath). He loves his tubes, so hopefully can do the tube taxi ride for him xx

 

[Maz]

I'm useless at diy as well

 

[Maz]

I may have misunderstood - is the 60cm the height or the width? If it's 60 x 45 then he'd probably be fine for 2 or 3 weeks. I was thinking it was 45 x 45 and 60 high.

 

[Mweekie]

I may have misunderstood - is the 60cm the height or the width? If it's 60 x 45 then he'd probably be fine for 2 or 3 weeks. I was thinking it was 45 x 45 and 60 high.

Yes sorry it’s the 60x45 one xx