Socks: Mouseworks Dynamic Cardboard Redesign and Basic Tunneling

[Socks Mum]

Mom: Socks was meerkatting plaintively at the bars at 3 am.
Socks: Mom is helping me settle into my new cage! My old Rolly wheel was in the playpen
Mom: Socks hesitated for a moment and then jumped on and started running. At one point I went for a glass of water and when I came back, Socks was standing at the side, looking for me. If there had been no wall, he would have followed me, I'm sure.
Socks: I enjoy a bit of company when I am on my wheel

 

[Maz]

I misread that for a moment and read Mom was meerkating plaintively at the bars .... I bet he would have followed you

 

[Socks Mum]

Mom: I tried to go back to sleep, but Socks was appealing silently at the bars. After half an hour, I suddenly felt like getting up and doing the playpen thing I thought Socks might have gone to bed though. No, he was standing in the roof hole of his Omlet with his paws on the rim and his ears pricked.
Socks: Mom got up in the dark and put hides and tunnels into the playpen.
Mom: I put Socks' Rolly wheel In as well. It was the only thing he was interested in, although he did have a quick sand bath. All he wanted was to run on his wheel outside the cage with me watching. If my attention wanders he climbs off and darts around the playpen and then after a bit, climbs back on and starts running again.
Socks: Sometimes the guinea pigs rustle about and I stop to listen, I'm a bit scared of them, they are very big. But Mom puts her hand nearby and I start running again, I feel a bit safer

 

[Socks Mum]

Mom: I've got all the bits for Socks' platforms, ramps and tunnels. I needed to sand the ramps. They are no match for Happy Henry's Homes in terms of workmanship. The wing nuts are good though.

 

[Socks Mum]

The platforms have nicely rounded corners and slots for the ramps to fit into

 

[Maz]

That’s really annoying if they need sanding. I hope it isn’t too much work.

 

[Socks Mum]

That’s really annoying if they need sanding. I hope it isn’t too much work.

The sanding was easy, but the word might leave splinters if not honed a bit
I'll put up a picture once everything is on the cage. Socks walked cautiously through a short straight tunnel on the floor of his playpen, but the C shaped tunnel didn't interest him, even lying down. The tunnels are easy to dismantle by popping off the joining ring, so as long as they are being supervised, hamsters can be retrieved from them without needing to be freed with cutters or anything like that. But they are narrow. I might let Socks try the tunnel and take it away if he doesn't use it. The tunnels have doors that close them off.

Socks can climb past the perspex section by doing a little chin up and monkey bar, so the risk of falling still exists. But it is more difficult to chew the bars with the perspex screen as he gets tired standing on his back legs. Also the deeper bedding helps him to settle.

 

[Socks Mum]

All set up. Now to see what Socks makes of it. I have taken out hard edged things in case he falls.

 

[Maz]

The platforms look nice. I wouldn't use the tubes really.

 

[Socks Mum]

Socks cautiously negotiated the tube but did not seem especially interested in it. It is now closed off for the day. He had no difficulty using the ramps, but was inclined to jump off the platforms rather than going back down the ramp. It's a bit of a drop, so I need to rearrange things to prevent hazards. When the cage door was shut, he went back down the ramp rather than jumping off. He loves digging and tunnelling in the bedding, so I plan to add more bedding at one end, opposite his wheel.

 

[Maz]

Naughty Socks jumping off They do things like that because they can be lazy I think! As long as he can't land on anything hard or sharp he'll be fine.

This is partly why I started tying a rat tube to the roof of a cage - to stop hamsters jumping out of the sputnik ha ha.

 

[Socks Mum]

Yes, I was watching him through the front door and he wanted to get back to beg for an outing, so he just jumped. He loves running round the playpen, flitting here and there like a little bird and then running on his wheel. The Omlet wheel is very transparent, so In the dark he looks like he's running in the air a bit