Socks: Mouseworks Dynamic Cardboard Redesign and Basic Tunneling

Maybe you could review it when it arrives :-) I'm guessing it's the same wheel as the Trixie wood wheel but rebranded, but it might be different. I used to just plastikote the inside. As it's not height adjustable or fixable to the bars, you'll probably need it on a platform. Or - it might be possible to hang it upside down with the base screwed to the top bars. I've done that before and someone else did it in the Plaza 100. You just need a couple of large washers. Then you take the screws out of the base of the wheel and use those, with the washers on the outside of the top bars, and screw the screws through them back into the base of the wheel inside the cage. It does mean the wheel doesn't come out easily for cleaning, but with those I just used to wipe around the inside mainly anyway :)
 
Sorry, I missed your post to me, I'm not sure why. Yes, that's a brilliant idea. I got it on Friday night and wanted to let it air for a bit, so Socks took it for a test run about an hour ago. I'll give you the review, as tested by Socks 😄 I think it is a really nice wheel!
 
Maz said:
How is Socks doing? :)
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He's doing well. We used the play pen tonight while I was fiddling in his cage and he left plenty of poops in his tunnel. He must be eating OK 😄 They were nice healthy ones, dry and firm. He's 181g at the moment, but running about and using his wheels energetically. I want to get a second Songmics playpen and join them together to give him more space for out of cage time.
 
Thats
Maz said:
Maybe you could review it when it arrives :) I'm guessing it's the same wheel as the Trixie wood wheel but rebranded, but it might be different. I used to just plastikote the inside. As it's not height adjustable or fixable to the bars, you'll probably need it on a platform. Or - it might be possible to hang it upside down with the base screwed to the top bars. I've done that before and someone else did it in the Plaza 100. You just need a couple of large washers. Then you take the screws out of the base of the wheel and use those, with the washers on the outside of the top bars, and screw the screws through them back into the base of the wheel inside the cage. It does mean the wheel doesn't come out easily for cleaning, but with those I just used to wipe around the inside mainly anyway :)
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That's a very clever idea of hanging the wheel upside down! I'll take pictures of the new wheel and feed back on how it has performed tonight.
 
Maz said:
That's lovely he's enjoying the new wheel :) I hope we get to see him in it at some point :)
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It's tricky getting photos of Socks as he loves darkness, but I'll try. He comes out after the fish tank lights have been turned off, which means an early night for the fish at the moment 🐟🐠
 
You can actually put the light on in the fish tank in the day and turn them off at night. That way they have the same day and night cycle as you. 😊
 
I need to add more bedding in the middle of the cage and plan to get another bendy bridge to keep it in place. Socks loves going under the platform to visit his hamster loo/sandbath and for an after-run lounge.
 
The second Songmics playpen arrived, nice frosted partitions that fit well together. Unfortunately they are all small square parts, and the double size playpen I had in mind would be a bit more tricky as the squares can't share a peg at the top with the rectangular pieces.
So I started pinning them together and wound up with a playpen big enough to include my bed and Sock's cage. Parts of the great wall of Socks had to include cardboard and cushions to block gaps. It worked well, though, and I eagerly awaited Sock's test outing.
 

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I thought, in my naivety, that if I just left the front door open, Socks could run in and out of his huge playpen. Indeed, he enthusiastically climbed down the door, now a ramp, and cautiously waddled over the carpet, all in the dark as he isn't a fan of lighting. He scurried all round the space, went behind the cage and in and out of his familiar tunnels and hides. He passed the cage door a few times and sniffed it, but showed little interest in climbing back into his cage. He got faster and seemed a little panicky, and also seemed interested in using the Hamster Heaven penthouse to jump from, to get over the Great Wall of Socks.

I tried to pick him up and got swiftly swatted, eliciting a surprised noise from me, "Ooumph!" and an escaping Socks speeding off round the pen. I offered him his trusty concertina tunnel, and, after a moment of consideration, he went round it and away again. Eventually, taking advantage of his limited eyesight, I managed to corral him between my arms and by pressing my elbows against my ribs, gently herded him onto my arm, where he perched while I picked him up and shuffled on my knees back to the cage.
 
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I thought he would dive into his MCH and refuse ever come out again, but as bold as brass, after a quick run on his wooden wheel, he was at the front door of the cage, clearly wishing to come out again. This time I out his Rolly wheel out, hoping it would help to calm him down, and transferred him carefully the couple of feet onto it. He took a few paces, and then slid off for another episode of exploration, his skittishness now more to do with avoiding being put back in his cage than fear of the unknown.

He ran on his Rolly for quite a while and it did help to calm him down. When I put him back in his cage for longer, he clearly longed to be out of it again and started really grinding his teeth against the bars of the front door. In futureI would need to take him in and out the top door as the front door had become his sworn enemy. Oh dear, what had I started? He monkey barred almost to the roof and then fell off 😦
 
Oh goodness he has been giving you the run around! I couldn’t quite follow all that. So the new playpen does work attached to the other one?

It’s a great idea to have a huge one and leave the door open. I’m sure he’d have eventually gone back to his cage. Did you put some kind of ramp or cushion on the open cage door so he could climb back in easily? Climbing back up a cage door isn’t so easy for them.

I’m guessing you were worried about leaving him in the pen while you were asleep in case he escaped from it?
 
Socks Mum said:
I thought he would dive into his MCH and refuse ever come out again, but as bold as brass, after a quick run on his wooden wheel, he was at the front door of the cage, clearly wishing to come out again. This time I out his Rolly wheel out, hoping it would help to calm him down, and transferred him carefully the couple of feet onto it. He took a few paces, and then slid off for another episode of exploration, his skittishness now more to do with avoiding being put back in his cage than fear of the unknown.

He ran on his Rolly for quite a while and it did help to calm him down. When I put him back in his cage for longer, he clearly longed to be out of it again and started really grinding his teeth against the bars of the front door. In futureI would need to take him in and out the top door as the front door had become his sworn enemy. Oh dear, what had I started? He monkey barred almost to the roof and then fell off 😦
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I think you’ll get into a routine. It’s probably just excitement.
 
I let him out a couple more times and he spent a lot of time on his wheel. Then it was getting to my bedtime, so I caged him again. I thought I would need to cardboard up the front door, but after a stern admonition, "No, stop bar biting, no, no" which I don't recommend as it causes terrible hurt feelings in hamsters, who, after all, can't help their instincts, he ran round snd round his cage instead. Until I fell asleep, when he started bar biting again, sly little fellow. Eventually he settled down and run on his wheel and I could get to sleep 😵‍💫 But the bargain is that I will let him out again tonight 😄
 
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