Woo Hoo! New Tanks :) - Paw Talk

andreaS15 · #1 11-18-2005, 12:28 PM

Well last night I picked up two new (to me) aquariums, One 15gallon and One 50 Gallon!
I picked them both up for a case of beer! A great deal I think!

So I'm going to need to build lids for them, which shouldn't be to much of a problem, I have the materials.
I'm just wondering if anyone else had a tank this big or bigger, and how do they clean it?

I usually dump my tanks out and whipe them down. I give them a good cleaning every once and a while in the sink. This 50G is not going to fit in a sink, and unless I have some extra man power I'm not going to be able to dump it myself :p
I was thinking scooping everything out, then useing a dust pan and maybe vaccum for the rest.
I've vaccumed gerbil bedding before, and the vaccum sure didn't like it :p

I don't know 'who's going in this tank yet. I'm looking into volunteering for a small animal rescue, and thought maybe this will come in handy for that. What other animls can you put in a tank thsi size?

Zouave · #2 11-18-2005, 06:39 PM

Degus? They love to climb.

How did you possibly move a 50 gallon tank without two strong people to help? Heck, it likely takes a strong man to dump the contents of a 20 (glass is heavy!).

andreaS15 · #3 11-18-2005, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zouave


	Degus? They love to climb. How did you possibly move a 50 gallon tank without two strong people to help? Heck, it likely takes a strong man to dump the contents of a 20 (glass is heavy!).

I was thinking Degus also (hehehe) Do we know if Cavies can, or do they need to live in a cage?

It's empty right now, and the guy that gave it to me helped me carry it to my car, and when I got home I had my boyfriend Carry it into the house

I have trouble with my 20G's to, I usualy end up spilling bedding all over the floor

what a mess.

Padfoot · #4 11-18-2005, 07:12 PM

I scoop ALL (even the 10g's) with a dustpan and a little broom. Every once in a while, I also take them out and hose them, except the 30g (which now is a fishtank anyway) and the 20g long... For those, I wipe them with lysol or clorox and then wipe them with a moist paper towel a couple of times and let them air for a while.

Zouave · #5 11-19-2005, 10:22 PM

I had to do all of that every few weeks when I had my mite plague. But no more! (I posted on the remedy previously).

I once tried to carry a 20 gallon long home from the pet store - a mile. I gave up ten steps from the door and got a car service. I did carry a 15 home though; felt like my fingers would come off as there is just no good place to grab it.

Most of my 10's I have found abandoned with little cracks, making them useless as aquariums, but fine for gerbils!

>> Do we know if Cavies can, or do they need to live in a cage? <<

Yea, they live in cages. A 2'x3' is optimum for a pair - but costly ($150 before tax around here). Even Home Depot had no suggestions for making one tom save costs.

xoTink · #6 11-20-2005, 06:49 PM

Degus! You would love em!

andreaS15 · #7 11-20-2005, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xoTink


	Degus! You would love em!

My friend actually offered me her two Degus being she's having a baby and just dosn't have the time for them

I was told they spray though (these two are females) and I'm a bit worried they may need a bit more care then I will have time (or money) for at this moment.
I'm a big pansy when it comes to taking on a 'new' pet. It takes me so much research and convincing :p
(Oh and I've been doing my research, but also on Cavies)

xoTink · #8 11-21-2005, 12:30 AM

Spray? Every animals 'sprays' in it's own way. And I don' see females spraying? I currently have two males and I don't see 'spray'. Honestly they are the least smelling animal I have. Besides the Chinchilla. lol. They don't smell at all. Very talkitave. And adorable! Oh I bet you would like Degus. Go read up some on the Degu forum. They are one of my favorite pets. They are like big day time gerbils. lol.

Amethystbelle · #9 11-21-2005, 04:51 AM

I wouldn't ideally keep Degu's in a tank in the long term due to air flow and the fact that they love to climb and ideally need high cages and a 50 gallon tank while it has width wouldn't have the height ideally for a pair of Degu's as despite their size they do like a lot of space and the rule of thumb tends to be one shelf per Degu. You could however add a cage on the top that way they would get the best of both worlds a nice deep digging pit for burrowing which they would love and a cage above for the height so they can excercise and climb. It also depends if they are going to be pets or foster animals, if they are with you for the short term (i.e fostering) then a tank while not ideal would be fine but if they were going to be pets then a cage is the much better option or using the tank and adding a cage onto the top

They can spray even females can due to their anatomy with the urethra being positioned on the outside on both sexes. Two of my boys do it all the time out of their cage, i think its because Degu's can be house proud little animals and don't like to urinate in their own cages (you often see them cleaning up, scrapping their shavings around and rearranging their nests). Some do and some don't, like humans every Degu is different. They certainly smell less than Gerbils and don't need cleaning out as often and are great little creatures. But they are harder work than other small animals due to their dietry needs and the attention they require but they reward you with so much love its all worth while

Zouave · #10 11-22-2005, 10:17 PM

Degus "smell less than gerbils"?? Gerbils barely smell at all even ater a few weeks in a tank!

**Sasami** · #11 11-22-2005, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zouave


	Degus "smell less than gerbils"?? Gerbils barely smell at all even ater a few weeks in a tank!

It's true, although gerbils don't really smell at all, I haven't noticed any smells at all with my degus

.

Of course, that's just in my experience

.

Amethystbelle · #12 11-23-2005, 05:59 AM

I have kept both Gerbils and Degu's for years and I agree with Sasami although Gerbils hardly smell i have found Degu's don't smell at all, again thats my personal experience

Zouave · #13 11-23-2005, 10:58 PM

The only smell I ever noticed on a gerbil, even with one pressed against my nose, was whatever the bedding smells like at the time.

Degus. Never could find a breeder, and never heard of a local pet store that carried them. Maybe just as well now as they require a fair amount of room, especially vertically.

Degu?

andreaS15 · #14 11-24-2005, 02:28 PM

Yup, that's a Degu. they are SO cute. Though there yellow teeth kinda weird me out LOL

The "Cage" my friend has for her degus is a tank on teh bottom, and a home built cage on top of it with things to clib/sit/play/nest on. That is what i would do too.
But down one side she has tin foil since the Degus (both female) mark (spray) things around there cage. She told me that degus can see there own urine like it's florescent or somthing like that.

Amethystbelle · #15 11-25-2005, 06:02 AM

Their urine isn't flourescent as far as i know (but i could be wrong just something i have never heard before) but it does leave nasty orange stains down your walls if you don't watch them, which is the only downside but its nothing that you can't wripe clean

The tank with the cage above is a very good idea it gives them the best of both worlds, they can dig to their hearts content on the floor level and climb with the cage above so they get good vantage points. I think Degu's are adorable and make fantastic pets, better than most other small animals but i am biast as i have 7 boys and have been keeping them for nearly 8 years. They are fun little creatures who give you so much back and theres never a dull moment when you have a Degu

Do you mean these teeth