well i heard that its not i had a BIG shock ive been breaking the copyrite law by exchanging patterns that ive bought and made then given to my sister in exchange for ones she had done its not fair an original copy of a pattern you have made and paid for you should be free to do what you want with when you no longer need it i mean are all those selling charts and kits on ebay breaking the law to????????

I think dwarf hamsters are more closely related to chinchillas and like to take dust baths, but siberian hamsters (likely what you have there) do not. I definitely HAVE heard of hamsters using a sand or dust box as a litter box, however so the idea isn't impossible. Go ahead and leave it in here and see how well it works. It shouldn't hurt. If the hamster doesn't decide to use it that way, it might find it likes digging around in there.

Hi, original poster here. Thanks to everyone who gave me advice about the hamster! Just to clarify, I had no intention of removing the hamster's wheel! And I didn't remove his shavings, either -- the sand is in a small container within his cage. Also, I don't wake him up during the day to play with him or move around his nesting material. To update, he has been peeing exclusively in the sand box! Even after I changed the sand and washed the container, he goes straight to the sandbox when he wakes up, lifts his little tail and makes a puddle! He still poops wherever it's convenient, even in his sleeping nest (although he does make half-hearted attempts to toss the poops out of the sleeping nest sometimes). Following some of "dances_in_garden's" advice, I have gotten him to climb onto my hand and eat his treat while I hold him! That's coming a long way for this hamster! (BTW, to those of you who suggested I leave him alone since I'm just babysitting him, I'm trying to save his life. His young owners are hoping he'll die while they're on vacation so they can get a replacement hamster that doesn't bite. Their mom is hoping I can work a miracle on him, since I have some animal behavior experience.) About the wheel, I'm wondering if there are any ADDITIONAL activities he might enjoy (that I can suggest to his owners when they get back), such as climbing a little ladder, monkey bars, a swing, tunnels, a slide... basically, hamster-sized playground equipment! When I was a kid, my dad made a 2-story cage for my hamster with a swing, and the hamster often played on the swing and climbed up the ladder. At the very least, I wish I could give him a choice of exercise wheels, so he could pick his favorite. The one he has is solid with metal bars for traction, and the first week that his owners had him, his feet were bleeding from small snags on the metal. Their dad filed off the snags, thank goodness, but maybe he'd prefer a different footing. Or maybe a different diameter wheel, just for variety. I'd think he'd get "carpal tunnel" syndrome from the repetitive motion! Maybe I'll teach him to dance for cross training. (That one's for "Gammyt"!) ;-) JoePyeWeed mentioned that he tried an exercise ball that just seemed to terrify his hamster.... I've always thought it seemed like a risky idea at best! This hamster is so fearful naturally, I wouldn't want to do anything that might terrify him, and his permanent home has dogs and cats that would love to play "ball"! To Alison, the idea about getting some non-toxic wood toys to chew on/play with is great. He does have a little wood stick that he's chewed on once. It was store-bought; probably balsa. Maybe it would be more interesting if it was dangling from a string? I tried Deb18's idea about toilet paper rolls, but so far, he's not interested. Honestly, I'm not sure the pudgy little guy could fit! Also, I don't have room to bury it and make tunnels -- his cage is less than one square foot. But if his owners ever get him a bigger cage, I'll suggest deeper bedding with TP rolls to tunnel through. As for whether his nippiness is from being inbred, I can only say he was bought at a major pet superstore, and his owners told me horror stories about the hamsters there -- sick and bloody diarrhea but still out on display, and being dropped on the floor by the employee.... I'm guessing he probably didn't have an ideal childhood! Bumblebeez' idea about scratching/tickling with a small paintbrush is cool! I'd have to get him comfortable with it gradually, of course. Would a toothbrush be okay? Or is that too prickly? He did get a look of bliss on his face once when I rubbed his ears. Thanks again to all of you who have read this far and who offered me good advice. I have the hamster for two more weeks, and so far it's all been good progress. He now peeks out of his nest when he hears me coming, which is so cute! Especially when he "peeks" with his eyes still closed! And today I saw him yawn, and his two bottom teeth flexed -- came apart and then back together! His teeth can move independently of each other! Now that's a superpower! And it must make flossing him so much easier! (Just kidding, "Gammyt.") Thanks again, everyone! Say hi to Sparkle for me!

No voles here, but I do have a terrible gopher problem. I have a neighborhood park on two sides of the property, so there’s an endless supply of them coming in. I do plant my most precious plants in gopher cages, but I can’t realistically plant everything in cages. I have been experimenting with a plant called Plectranthus neochilus. It has a skunky aroma when watered or brushed up against. I ordered it from Annie’s Annuals and Perennials. Annie’s makes no mention of it causing gophers to leave the area, but I read about it while researching the plant. Apparently many animals despise the scent of it. It’s an almost succulent type plant, and makes a good ground cover. Although I only purchased one plant, it roots so easily that I can just break off a stem and stick it in the ground. I keep it moist for a week or two, and it takes off. The areas where I have planted it have been deserted by gophers completely. I plan to put them all around the edge of my yard. The big drawback to Plectranthus neochilus is that it’s only perennial in zones 9-11, so it wouldn’t be helpful during the winter in cold zones. It does look a plant that you could overwinter indoors, however. I don’t have enough experience with this plant to say it works perfectly at keeping the gophers away yet, but I’m encouraged by the results so far. I was further encouraged when a visiting aunt from the San Joaquin Valley recognized it. She said she’d always wondered what it was called, as it’s planted all around the commercial strawberry fields to keep the gophers out. If the commercial growers are using this plant for gopher problems, there must be some truth to what I’ve read. It’s just very unfortunate that as a tender South African plant, it’s not hardy below zone 9. Still, it might be worth looking into for those in warm climates with gopher/vole problems. Lisa