Bekki
Senior Guinea Pig
A few days ago I saw an advert for 2 russian hybrid dwarf hamsters for free in the area, so I contacted the owner and it turned out she was in the halls of the uni I attend once a week so I arranged to collect them so at 1pm yesterday I got them then battled carrying the cage etc to the trainstation to get home (I do have a car but the train fare is way less than just parking alone) when I got home I got the OH to meet me at the train station (literally a 3 minute walk to my house) and I settled the hamsters back into the cage they had come with which is sadly too small for permanent housing for 2 hamsters but its a solid safe cage so they can settle in here in the cage they're used to. Then I look on gumtree again and boom theres a lone dwarf in a reasonable cage, so I asked if they could deliver (rather use somebody elses petrol than mine :-P) and they did deliver her a few hours later.
Rescue 1 & 2 are currently unsexed but they seem friendly, currently unnamed too. These came with a pink mini duna (suitable for one dwarf not 2), a fresh packet of shavings, full bag of food, fluffy bedding (urgh) and a box of yoghurt drops (urgh not suitable for hybrids but the syrians and rats will eat them). The cage was spotless and they have been well handled. They're only around 10-12 weeks old so only babies really. The student who couldnt keep them was actually moving back to her home country and couldnt take them with her due to logistical reasons. Shame she didnt get to enjoy them for very long :-) Depending on their sex (havent sexed them yet will do so once they're awake today) and how they get along they may live either together or as singles. These 2 will probably be up for rehoming in a few weeks, given their age they may find it easy to find a new home, but I'm happy to keep them.
Rescue 3 is a female russian hybrid who was just unwanted sadly, I havent given her a name yet. Her cage wasnt clean when she got here, the previous owner had cleaned the base and put new shavings/newspaper in but the shelf, tubes, wheel, house, bowl etc were filthy. She came with a peggy metro which is on the small side but shes happy in there, it does appear to have previously housed a syrian hamster as there are bars with no paint on from bar chewing. Sadly the tubes and connector plates were just revolting and I removed them pretty quickly, but whilst removing them for cleaning I snapped a connector plate (yellow things in photo) so had to do a DIY job to cover the hole in the cage, not a bad thing as its now catproofed.
Her cage now, its been kitted out with an appropriately sized wheel, a sand bath and safe bedding material and the previous connector ports have been replaced with mesh, tubes are a weakness in the cage and I have a cat.
Her cage before, its not clear but all the tubes were filled with vile brown grease, all the joints in the tubing were thick with nearly black grease (from urine) but dwarfies generally dont pee like that so it may have even been from a previous occupant *voms*, the rim of the base was greasy too. The bowl is now her sandbath as its way oversized for food. I left her shavings in to help settle her in, especially given practically everything else in her cage had been changed. She also had a mound of fluffy bedding in her house. Not sure why she was unwanted shes friendly, my guess would be a child lost interest and busy parent etc etc shame though as she is very nice. Her wheel was broken and really chewed too. One of the yellow connectors was already broken, it snapped completely when I took the tubes off to clean.
After all that waffle here is the little lady after a good roll in sand to clean up her fur. I dont think she will be up for rehoming she isnt a baby, and people dont adopt older hamsters. Shes only about 8 months bless her but again I'm happy to keep her or any other ham I take in on a permanent basis.
This is me now full up, got no spare gear to kit out other cages and not really any room for them sadly :-(
Rescue 1 & 2 are currently unsexed but they seem friendly, currently unnamed too. These came with a pink mini duna (suitable for one dwarf not 2), a fresh packet of shavings, full bag of food, fluffy bedding (urgh) and a box of yoghurt drops (urgh not suitable for hybrids but the syrians and rats will eat them). The cage was spotless and they have been well handled. They're only around 10-12 weeks old so only babies really. The student who couldnt keep them was actually moving back to her home country and couldnt take them with her due to logistical reasons. Shame she didnt get to enjoy them for very long :-) Depending on their sex (havent sexed them yet will do so once they're awake today) and how they get along they may live either together or as singles. These 2 will probably be up for rehoming in a few weeks, given their age they may find it easy to find a new home, but I'm happy to keep them.
Rescue 3 is a female russian hybrid who was just unwanted sadly, I havent given her a name yet. Her cage wasnt clean when she got here, the previous owner had cleaned the base and put new shavings/newspaper in but the shelf, tubes, wheel, house, bowl etc were filthy. She came with a peggy metro which is on the small side but shes happy in there, it does appear to have previously housed a syrian hamster as there are bars with no paint on from bar chewing. Sadly the tubes and connector plates were just revolting and I removed them pretty quickly, but whilst removing them for cleaning I snapped a connector plate (yellow things in photo) so had to do a DIY job to cover the hole in the cage, not a bad thing as its now catproofed.
Her cage now, its been kitted out with an appropriately sized wheel, a sand bath and safe bedding material and the previous connector ports have been replaced with mesh, tubes are a weakness in the cage and I have a cat.
Her cage before, its not clear but all the tubes were filled with vile brown grease, all the joints in the tubing were thick with nearly black grease (from urine) but dwarfies generally dont pee like that so it may have even been from a previous occupant *voms*, the rim of the base was greasy too. The bowl is now her sandbath as its way oversized for food. I left her shavings in to help settle her in, especially given practically everything else in her cage had been changed. She also had a mound of fluffy bedding in her house. Not sure why she was unwanted shes friendly, my guess would be a child lost interest and busy parent etc etc shame though as she is very nice. Her wheel was broken and really chewed too. One of the yellow connectors was already broken, it snapped completely when I took the tubes off to clean.
After all that waffle here is the little lady after a good roll in sand to clean up her fur. I dont think she will be up for rehoming she isnt a baby, and people dont adopt older hamsters. Shes only about 8 months bless her but again I'm happy to keep her or any other ham I take in on a permanent basis.
This is me now full up, got no spare gear to kit out other cages and not really any room for them sadly :-(