Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2011 13:55:31 GMT
Finally I have found some time to write another blog entry. Between exams, Christmas preparations, my degus
and sw:tor, I'm afraid I just haven't had the time to write much!
Jadzia. Here you can see one of her toes sticking out - kinda looks like she's drinking tea ^^
Elune and Jadzia is doing well. They are more friendly towards each other than ever. Elune is getting bolder by the day,
she has begun using the "elevator" (read: my hands) to the floor when I open the cage door to let them out, just as Jadzia does.
It is quite an improvement She is, however, not so easy to get back into the cage anymore! She is no longer scared enough
to run back in every time I move, so now she knows that if she wants to stay outside, she can
I have to admit, they are both getting somewhat spoiled. I have had them out of the cage so much that they are starting to
take it for granted that they will get at least one or two hours outside every day. And when they feel like they have not been
out enough, they will sit and whine constantly until one of us comes to see what's going on. They figured out that quickly –
make a lot of noise and someone will come to see us!
I made them a new saucer from stuff I got at IKEA. I used the SNUDDA revolving plate and made a stand for it using some
spare planks. I then glued a knitted palm leaf pad that I also got at IKEA on top, so that they wouldn't just slide of.
I have to say, it's been an enormous success! When out of the cage, Elune will use it almost exclusively.
Poor Jadzia rarely get a chance to use it, but once in a while they do run at it simultaneously. Often it's the same thing that happens –
Elune runs way too fast and Jadzia is thrown off. I've but fleece blankets on the floor all around the saucer, so that when she does
fall off she has a soft landing
The new and bigger wheels arrived quickly. One of them is now on the top platform, while the other one is out in the hallway.
They seem to like them and it does look much more comfortable for them, so I am happy. However, given the choice between
the wheels and the new saucer, the saucer always wins hands down! But they do enjoy sitting in the new wheel, so I often
find them there together
Hanging out in the new wheel.
Since I've had my exams (which I felt went rather poorly, but it turned out I got top grades – go figure) there hasn't been
enough time over for the webpage, so that will have to wait until after Christmas. It will probably progress much faster now
that my mind isn't filled with the doings of the Norwegian archbishop in the 12th century and the intricate political society of
the vikings (which is more interesting than it sounds, actually!). Once I started the webpage I was just going to do something
similar to NR's Octodon Degus site, but I kinda got carried away.. So it's going to be a complete info site with goodness knows
how many pages. Translating all the eatable foods to Norwegian is what's taking the longest amount of time.
I am looking forward to the new year, especially because I can get started on the new cage. We have had to put it off until after
Christmas since we couldn't afford both materials for the cage and Christmas presents at once. But in January we will be able to
get all the materials required and get started. I have bought one thing, however – 3 square meters of ceramic tiles in a nice, earthy
brown colour Came out at about 280 NOK, which is about 35 euros. I'm going to write down all the costs so that I'll know what the
total cost is in the end and then compare that to the cost of buying a metal cage. I'm quite sure it will be less expensive, and if it is I
can use it as an example on my website.
The cage - now with decorations!
I have decorated their cage for Christmas. It had to be ornaments that wouldn't harm them if they decided to eat them (which they have done,
incidentally), so I've used traditional ornaments made out of hay. Elune and Jadzia wanted to "help" decorating, as you can see in the
picture below. (The buck didn't make it.)
Christmas decorating - the degu way.
Oh, and I gave them a hazelnut each at the start of December. It was pandemonium! I've never seen Jadzia so sour, she was so
protective of her nut Elune started gnawing her nut open, but Jadzia quickly went and snatched hers as well. Not for eating –
she quickly buried both nuts in the hay on the bottom platform! I gave them a handful of nuts just to see what would happen, and
right enough, Jadzia got to work on picking up all of them and hiding them for later use. Elune finally got a nut for herself and worked
long and hard to get it open. After that, she seems to have lost the taste for them altogether.
For Jadzia, however, it seems to be her life's ambition to get and hide as many nuts as possible. I usually present her with a bunch,
she'll hide them and then I can quietly pick them out again afterwards, usually leaving one or two for her. She doesn't eat them very
often, but I have found her a couple of times gnawing away at one. And once she is eating it, one ought to stay away from her! Getting
close at all makes her squeak loudly, her ears flat against her head and her eyes filled with a look of pure malice Luckily, once the
nut is consumed, she is back to normal.
Jadzia and the buck.
That's all for now, I'll be back again in January with (hopefully) more time on my hands.
Elune, Jadzia and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
and sw:tor, I'm afraid I just haven't had the time to write much!
Jadzia. Here you can see one of her toes sticking out - kinda looks like she's drinking tea ^^
Elune and Jadzia is doing well. They are more friendly towards each other than ever. Elune is getting bolder by the day,
she has begun using the "elevator" (read: my hands) to the floor when I open the cage door to let them out, just as Jadzia does.
It is quite an improvement She is, however, not so easy to get back into the cage anymore! She is no longer scared enough
to run back in every time I move, so now she knows that if she wants to stay outside, she can
I have to admit, they are both getting somewhat spoiled. I have had them out of the cage so much that they are starting to
take it for granted that they will get at least one or two hours outside every day. And when they feel like they have not been
out enough, they will sit and whine constantly until one of us comes to see what's going on. They figured out that quickly –
make a lot of noise and someone will come to see us!
I made them a new saucer from stuff I got at IKEA. I used the SNUDDA revolving plate and made a stand for it using some
spare planks. I then glued a knitted palm leaf pad that I also got at IKEA on top, so that they wouldn't just slide of.
I have to say, it's been an enormous success! When out of the cage, Elune will use it almost exclusively.
Poor Jadzia rarely get a chance to use it, but once in a while they do run at it simultaneously. Often it's the same thing that happens –
Elune runs way too fast and Jadzia is thrown off. I've but fleece blankets on the floor all around the saucer, so that when she does
fall off she has a soft landing
The new and bigger wheels arrived quickly. One of them is now on the top platform, while the other one is out in the hallway.
They seem to like them and it does look much more comfortable for them, so I am happy. However, given the choice between
the wheels and the new saucer, the saucer always wins hands down! But they do enjoy sitting in the new wheel, so I often
find them there together
Hanging out in the new wheel.
Since I've had my exams (which I felt went rather poorly, but it turned out I got top grades – go figure) there hasn't been
enough time over for the webpage, so that will have to wait until after Christmas. It will probably progress much faster now
that my mind isn't filled with the doings of the Norwegian archbishop in the 12th century and the intricate political society of
the vikings (which is more interesting than it sounds, actually!). Once I started the webpage I was just going to do something
similar to NR's Octodon Degus site, but I kinda got carried away.. So it's going to be a complete info site with goodness knows
how many pages. Translating all the eatable foods to Norwegian is what's taking the longest amount of time.
I am looking forward to the new year, especially because I can get started on the new cage. We have had to put it off until after
Christmas since we couldn't afford both materials for the cage and Christmas presents at once. But in January we will be able to
get all the materials required and get started. I have bought one thing, however – 3 square meters of ceramic tiles in a nice, earthy
brown colour Came out at about 280 NOK, which is about 35 euros. I'm going to write down all the costs so that I'll know what the
total cost is in the end and then compare that to the cost of buying a metal cage. I'm quite sure it will be less expensive, and if it is I
can use it as an example on my website.
The cage - now with decorations!
I have decorated their cage for Christmas. It had to be ornaments that wouldn't harm them if they decided to eat them (which they have done,
incidentally), so I've used traditional ornaments made out of hay. Elune and Jadzia wanted to "help" decorating, as you can see in the
picture below. (The buck didn't make it.)
Christmas decorating - the degu way.
Oh, and I gave them a hazelnut each at the start of December. It was pandemonium! I've never seen Jadzia so sour, she was so
protective of her nut Elune started gnawing her nut open, but Jadzia quickly went and snatched hers as well. Not for eating –
she quickly buried both nuts in the hay on the bottom platform! I gave them a handful of nuts just to see what would happen, and
right enough, Jadzia got to work on picking up all of them and hiding them for later use. Elune finally got a nut for herself and worked
long and hard to get it open. After that, she seems to have lost the taste for them altogether.
For Jadzia, however, it seems to be her life's ambition to get and hide as many nuts as possible. I usually present her with a bunch,
she'll hide them and then I can quietly pick them out again afterwards, usually leaving one or two for her. She doesn't eat them very
often, but I have found her a couple of times gnawing away at one. And once she is eating it, one ought to stay away from her! Getting
close at all makes her squeak loudly, her ears flat against her head and her eyes filled with a look of pure malice Luckily, once the
nut is consumed, she is back to normal.
Jadzia and the buck.
That's all for now, I'll be back again in January with (hopefully) more time on my hands.
Elune, Jadzia and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!