Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi again,

Seems like one problem follows another - was checking my remaining three roborovskis last night and one of them was behaving very strangely indeed.

I have never seen him drink before as he is quite skitty and tends to run around when you are around, but last night he was practically glued to the water bottle and seemed very agitated. I checked the bottle and seems ok - in working order - however, it had not gone down much between the days I had filled it. I put him out of his cage to play and gave him some fresh peas to eat to help up his fluids (which he ate all of immediately). I put him back in his cage and he was straight at the bottle again.

What might be causing this and what can I do to help him?

thanks

Jip42- i just went to the main forum page after writing you that other note with all the questions. seems like this is all new to you as well...
my three little guys seem to be very different in terms of behavior, temperament, needs, etc. one drinks water a lot and another not so much. i'm hoping for you that there's a simple problem with the water bottle that can be fixed (or replaced) since your noticing a change in one's behavior. how old are they? how long have you had them?
you might want to put a tiny little dish of water in when he's up and watch to see if he can get his fill that way. i wouldn't leave it in the cage though since it will just make a mess. i've also read and discovered that sometimes their diet needs to be supplemented~ i make one scrambled egg (no salt or pepper) at the beginning of the week and give them tiny little chunks every other morning (protein); on the in-between mornings, i give them raw veggies (spinach; carrot shavings and broccoli sticks~ found in a bag mix in your produce section)for the vitamins. all these foods are high in water and should help more than just a seed diet. good luck. roborancher

hi again,

thanks for the tips - am going to try the little bowl of water tonight.

have had them since chrismtas 2003 so they are roughly 14 months old now. i must say that they are very different to having normal hamsters and there is not so much information out there to help you care for them properly, so the internet is my main source of info!

by the way, if you are wanting new ideas for treats ever - all of mine absolutely love sesame seeds and raw whole almonds.

Jip42

Jip42~ thanks for the snack tips; will try the sesame today. as you probably gathered, my little guy is all healed. we now just spend time getting them used to us, both our voice and scent. do they ever get calmer (i.e. enough to just sit in an open palm and eat a snack, say?). my husband and myself put them in a play-cardboard-box (individually)and just lay our arm in. they run across our hand, or take food out of it... but nothing any calmer. ours -taz, turbo and tinoki- are about 5 or 6 months old.
i was sorry to hear about your little guy. i live in fear of that day coming in this house. let me know about that little one's future drinking habits. later 'gator.... roborancher

p.s. thanks for the directions re: the hammie bath. that will be good to know in the future. you're right; it's hard finding information. i don't know what part of the country you're in but i am in new england area and spent about 2 hours online yesterday looking for any area hamster shows. nada; zip; zilch... you haven't heard of any have you? the only ones i am aware of are in ohio, california, new jersey (a 4-H club)... and the U.K.