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Halloween for rodents and rabbits: spooky ideas for their enclosure
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- By DRD Knaagdierwinkel
- Posted in enrichment, Guinea Pigs, Halloween, Hamsterscaping, pumpkin, Rabbits, rodents
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Halloween for rodents and rabbits: enrichment ideas
A skull hide among the purple paper, a spooky treat to discover and a pumpkin seed here and there: Halloween is a lovely excuse to add something new to the enclosure. With suitable hides, food to forage for and chew toys, you can create a cosy spooky corner for your hamster, mice, gerbils, rats, guinea pigs or rabbits. We’ll show you how to combine a Halloween theme with sniffing, searching, nibbling and snuggling away.
- ✔ Wood with an open base
- ✔ For walking through and hiding in
- ✔ Openings of approximately 4 and 6 cm
- ✔ Made from resin
- ✔ Two openings and an open base
- ✔ For mice, dwarf hamsters, hamsters and gerbils
1) Which skull hide suits your Halloween corner?
A skull hide is a lovely starting point for small rodents. It instantly gives the enclosure a Halloween feel and provides another place for your pets to walk through or tuck themselves away.
The wooden Skull Playhouse has a playful shape and is particularly suited to mice, dwarf hamsters and gerbils. It measures approximately 24 × 8.5 × 16.5 cm, with openings of around 4 and 6 cm. Its narrow shape makes it too small to serve as a full-sized hide for most Syrian hamsters.
Would you prefer a more realistic, rocky effect? The Hamsterscaping Skull Cave fits the theme beautifully. This resin cave has two openings and is suitable for mice, dwarf hamsters, hamsters and gerbils.
Place some bedding around the bottom and keep the entrances clear. This helps the hide blend into the enclosure. Make sure the cave in particular stands on a firm surface so it cannot sink if your pets dig underneath it.
2) How do you use purple or Halloween crinkle paper?
Crinkle paper is generally suitable for all rodents and rabbits. As a foraging area, however, it works best for small rodents such as mice, dwarf hamsters, hamsters, gerbils and rats. For herbivores, we prefer to use hay.
Purple or Halloween crinkle paper is an easy way to add colour to a corner of the enclosure. Spread a loose layer around the hide or create a little sniffing area. The paper rustles as your pets search through it, and small rodents can also carry it back to their nests.
You’ll find both options in our Crinkle Nesting Material. Try combining it with a wooden skull hide and an orange pumpkin treat. A small corner is all you need to bring the theme together.
A fun idea to try: Start by placing a few small morsels where your pets can easily see them among the paper. Have they worked out where to look? Next time, you can tuck a little more between the strips. Use crinkle paper as an extra layer on top of the regular bedding, and remove wet or dirty paper.
3) Pumpkin seeds or pumpkin flakes: what will your pets forage for?
Pumpkins are part of Halloween. You can bring the theme into the enclosure with a small amount of pumpkin seeds or pumpkin flakes, too. Scatter a few treats around, for example near a tunnel, beside the skull hide or among the crinkle paper.
Shelled pumpkin seeds: ready for a nibble
Shelled pumpkin seeds are ready to eat. They’re handy as a small reward from your hand or a morsel to find in the enclosure. You can also break a seed into smaller pieces, letting you leave something in several places without giving too much.
Pumpkin seeds in their shells: opening them first
For mice, hamsters and gerbils that enjoy holding things and nibbling them open, pumpkin seeds in their shells are a fun option. Once they’ve found the treat, there’s another little job to do: opening the shell to reach the seed inside. This offers a different challenge from a shelled seed. Watch what your pets can manage and offer shelled seeds if opening them is difficult.
What about guinea pigs and rabbits?
Did you know that guinea pigs and rabbits can occasionally have a small piece of shelled pumpkin seed, too? For these herbivores, or plant-eating animals, it really is a very occasional treat. Pumpkin seeds are high in fat and don’t belong in their daily snack routine. Halloween can be one of those special occasions for a small extra.
For guinea pigs and rabbits, we prefer shelled pumpkin seeds. They don’t use their front paws like hands to hold and shell a seed. A seed in its shell has to be turned and worked on with their mouths. Removing the shell makes the morsel easier for them to eat.
Pumpkin flakes for scattering
Some pumpkin flakes fit the Halloween corner nicely, too. Spread a small amount over a few clean, dry spots. This is fun for small rodents, as well as guinea pigs and rabbits that enjoy sniffing around for something tasty. For pets that live together, spread the pieces out so everyone can forage.
4) Where do you put spooky Halloween treats?
A ghost beside the hide, a bat near the tunnel or a pumpkin treat in the sniffing corner: our Scary Halloween Snacks complete the scene. Place a suitable treat somewhere clean and dry, and let your pets discover it for themselves.
The different shapes have different ingredients. Choose the option that suits your pets and their diet. There’s no need to fill the whole corner at once: alternate the treats and offer them on different occasions. That way, there’s always something new to discover.
5) How can guinea pigs and rabbits enjoy Halloween?
A pumpkin toy and a few scattered pumpkin flakes give your guinea pigs’ or rabbits’ enclosure a lovely autumn feel. Hanging toys are particularly useful for decorating a corner without taking up much floor space.
The Jack Pumpkin Toy combines loofah, rattan and wood. Hang it low enough for your guinea pigs or rabbits to sniff and nibble comfortably from the ground. A few familiar dried herbs tucked into the rattan give them something extra to investigate.
Feel free to create several little play and foraging areas. Your pets can then keep busy at the same time, each in their own spot. When hanging the toy, check that it is securely attached and remove any loose or damaged parts.
6) Snuggling into a soft pumpkin hide
After all that sniffing, a soft place to rest is welcome, too. The Plush Pumpkin Sleeping Bag for Rodents is a cosy pumpkin-shaped hide made from soft plush with foam filling. It’s lovely for Halloween, but just as nice to keep in place throughout autumn.
- ✔ Soft plush with foam filling
- ✔ Three sizes to choose from
- ✔ Large size approximately 38 × 38 × 40 cm
The medium version is suitable for rats and guinea pigs. For rabbits, there is a large version measuring approximately 38 × 38 × 40 cm.
A soft hide like this can also be an option for chinchillas and degus, provided they are used to fabric and do not chew or eat it. Pay particular attention to how your pets use the material. Do they chew loose pieces of fabric or filling? A wooden hide is a better choice for them.
Your Halloween corner in a few steps
- ✔ Choose a hide or toy that is suitable for your pets’ species.
- ✔ Add a splash of colour with purple or Halloween crinkle paper.
- ✔ Spread a small amount of suitable food to forage for around the corner.
- ✔ Provide several activity spots for pets that live together.
- ✔ Let your pets explore for themselves.
There’s no need for a complete makeover. A new chew toy for your rabbits, a skull hide for your dwarf hamster or a soft pumpkin for your rats can be enough. Watching is part of the fun, too: what gets sniffed first, and who finds the hidden pumpkin morsel?
Explore our Halloween selection for rodents and rabbits and choose what suits your pets. Unsure about a size or product? Feel free to contact us. We’re happy to help. Specialists since 2011.
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