astra nautic
Hatching
I recently (Yesterday) figured out that the "little chickens" I had been seeing in my favourite pet store were most likely button quails.
They are very intriguing. After looking at a few pages, I have found that they are somewhat similar to what I'm used to.
Currently I own three hamsters (Rose Quartz, Cinnamon Sugar and Scrump), one cat (Poof), and one dog (Kona). I've also owned one other hamster, two other dogs, and two fish. Hamsters have been fun to keep and I love them so much, but I am looking for a bit of a change. I had initially posted these questions on a hamster forum (Sections for other animals), but I decided I probably wouldn't get a lot of great responses, so here I am.
Not saying I'm 100% getting Buttons, because I've gone through many different animals to potentially keep after these guys. My youngest one is probably 3 months or around there, so I expect I won't be getting anything else for 1-2 years.
For two of my hamsters, I have a DIY cage made out of two stacked IKEA LACK coffee tables. I used the shelf as the back wall, added mesh to the back as well, melamine for the sides, and plexiglass sliding doors for the fronts. They are about 5 square feet per cage. Before I got Cinnamon Sugar, Scrump had the whole thing to herself (Connected by tubes).
If I get Buttons, I'd like to use that setup as their enclosure. I don't think that tubes would work, though, so I'd most likely make another IKEA hack out of shelves to make some sort of ramp or staircase.
I have some questions.
They are very intriguing. After looking at a few pages, I have found that they are somewhat similar to what I'm used to.
Currently I own three hamsters (Rose Quartz, Cinnamon Sugar and Scrump), one cat (Poof), and one dog (Kona). I've also owned one other hamster, two other dogs, and two fish. Hamsters have been fun to keep and I love them so much, but I am looking for a bit of a change. I had initially posted these questions on a hamster forum (Sections for other animals), but I decided I probably wouldn't get a lot of great responses, so here I am.
Not saying I'm 100% getting Buttons, because I've gone through many different animals to potentially keep after these guys. My youngest one is probably 3 months or around there, so I expect I won't be getting anything else for 1-2 years.
For two of my hamsters, I have a DIY cage made out of two stacked IKEA LACK coffee tables. I used the shelf as the back wall, added mesh to the back as well, melamine for the sides, and plexiglass sliding doors for the fronts. They are about 5 square feet per cage. Before I got Cinnamon Sugar, Scrump had the whole thing to herself (Connected by tubes).
If I get Buttons, I'd like to use that setup as their enclosure. I don't think that tubes would work, though, so I'd most likely make another IKEA hack out of shelves to make some sort of ramp or staircase.
I have some questions.
- I've only seen cages with a thin layer of hamster bedding, but could a mat of fake grass work for the bottom of the cage? It would provide traction, easily cleanable (Vacuum and weekly rinse), and I would also line the bottom of the cage with paper towel and/or puppy pee pads.
- If I could do the fake grass thing, could I provide a smaller section with nesting material for them to sleep and/or nest if they wanted?
- How big are these guys fully-grown? As in, would they fit through Habitrail Ovo tubes? (My DIY cage has two levels that can be connected through OVO tubes, but I could modify PVC tubes or just not connect the levels if needed. Each level is 5 square feet)
- What's better? 1 male + 1 female, or 2 females? Could I keep 1 male and 2 females? 1 male and 3 females? Just 3 females? 4 females?
- If I don't want chicks, do I just take the eggs out? How do I tell if they're fertilized? What if I accidentally take out eggs that aren't? What are the consequences?
- I know that they are ground-dwellers, but would they still climb on stuff like rocks and twigs?
- They don't.. Peck and destroy things.. Do they?
- My diy cage isn't very high, but it isn't short, and I'm concerned about the boinking thing. I've been trying to think of a solution and I think I sort of have one, maybe? I was thinking of taking some cardboard or very thin, light wood and fabric and stuffing and creating a pillow sort of thing to screw to the ceiling of the cage. I could even get foam from Walmart to create an extra plush cushioning. I think it would work better than a screen but I need opinions.