Imbrium

I clicked the link to go to my profile in the top left corner of the screen and it brings up a page where I'm supposed to be able to change my display name, location and avatar... however, when I click on "change picture," the page stays the same (the address in the top bar changes from http://profile.yahoo.com/ULQCH4XKHHLVMF3A4PJBIBDXX... to http://profile.yahoo.com/ULQCH4XKHHLVMF3A4PJBIBDXX... but the page itself doesn't change).

is it broken or something? I was able to select a display pic once before (obviously :P) but now I can't seem to change it. I tried a few days ago and again just now, but no luck. I really want to update my pic but not badly enough to start a new account - I've worked hard to get (and maintain) my "top contributor" tag, lol.

I got a hamster today, first time I've had one in about 13 years and cage options have changed quite a bit.

I picked up this cage at the store: http://www.petco.com/product/117039/Super-Pet-Crit...

got it home and realized it was awfully small compared to the size of the box it came in ><

I know you can buy more cages and connect them and stuff, but it would be nice to have a big cage. there's so many cute hidey-huts and mini igloos and stuff you can get for hamsters, but by the time I put in the food bowl, the "hanging hut" thing, the wheel and a couple chews, there's no space left for other accessories (there's a couple empty corners, but he needs a sleep corner and a pee corner).

my two bunnies have a 70+ square foot run plus a massive 3-story C&C condo in my living room and love it... seeing the hamster stuck in a teeny little cage makes me sad!

I'd really prefer that I be able to connect tunnels and stuff to it 'cause I always loved watching my hamsters in those when I was little, but I suppose it's not a deal-breaker if I can't. I'd like something relatively escape-proof (yes, I know nothing's 100% escape proof and I do remember how to set wastebasket traps to catch an escaped hammy) which is big and roomy. I'd rather not use an aquarium tank, since the ventilation isn't very good. cost is not an issue, and I'd be willing to make something myself if that's a better way to go, same as I did for the bunnies.

I always used pine bedding for my hamsters when I was a kid... recently got a pair of bunnies and, although I did some research before buying them, I failed to come across any info that said "don't use pine bedding". it was WAY cheaper than any of the non-wood-chip type beddings at the pet store, so I bought the biggest bag they offered.

when I got the bunnies home, I opened the bag of pine bedding and used a small portion of it in their cage... then returned to learning more about my new pets online and promptly discovered that pine bedding is a no-no, so I made a trip to walmart where the rabbit-friendly types of bedding are much cheaper than they were at the pet store.

now I've got this huge bag of pine bedding that I can't use for my bunnies and since I opened it and used some, I obviously can't return it to the pet store. I don't know anyone who has pets that *can* use pine shavings and I don't want to throw away a huge bag of perfectly good bedding ><

does anyone know of any good alternative uses for it around the home? or whether animal shelters might be interested in accepting an opened but barely used bag as a donation?

yes, I know, rabbits are typically self-cleaning. unfortunately, one of my poor bunnies had a bout of mild diarrhea, which she has now recovered from, but it's left some of the fur on her underside a bit... well... gross.

I already know bath + bunny = a big no-no... she's 9-10 weeks old and very calm - as long as I've got her cradled in my hand or arm and well supported, she doesn't squirm much if I have her on her back for short periods of time. would it be safe for me to hold her like that and use an unscented baby wipe (or 5, lol) to gently clean her underside or might it leave residue that could be harmful if she licked herself later?

I got two female bunnies a little over a week ago, one is a lionhead and the other is a holland lop... iirc, the lop was 8 weeks old and the lionhead was 7 weeks. today, I discovered that the holland lop bunny has (mild) diarrhea and I'm not sure what to do.

diet:

the breeder gave me a big bag of food pellets so that I could feed them the type/brand they were used to. at first, I was feeding them that and timothy hay (with both available 24/7), but they seemed to be getting chubby in a hurry so about three days ago I started restricting the amount of food pellets they were offered each day (so that they'd eat more hay/less pellets) while keeping hay readily available at all times. I also switched them over to alfalfa hay because I thought they might like it better. (I read that alfalfa is good for young bunnies as long as you switch them to timothy at 6-7 months.)

the one that has diarrhea seemed to eat almost entirely food pellets when I was offering timothy hay but has been eating a LOT of the alfalfa, so I'm wondering if the dietary change caused it. I haven't fed them any fresh foods (veggies, etc.) yet - only pellets and hay. I let them play outside for an hour or so at least once every day or two (supervised and in a bunny playpen) and I remember her nibbling on the grass a little bit last night, but she didn't eat very much of it.

behavior:

she's always been very calm/not very active (borderline lethargic)... she's still about as playful as she was before, if not a little moreso (she was actually standing up on her hind legs, hopping around, etc. a fair amount when I was watching her just now instead of just sitting around or eating). she's drinking water normally (I emptied the bottle and refilled it with fresh water a few hours ago, which I do about once a day).

environment:

I cleaned their cage out completely last night aside from scooping some bedding from their pee corner into the bunny litterbox (filled w/small animal litter) that I'm trying to train them to use. I didn't use any soaps or chemicals to clean the cage - I just sprayed it with a hose and then let it dry while they were playing in the yard. they were outside for about an hour and a half last night (after it cooled off a bit) - my neighbor likes to come over and chat/watch the bunnies with me. I don't offer them food while they're out in the yard, but I always attach their water bottle to the playpen in case they get thirsty.