# Any Tips for APD set up?



## Catty (Jan 7, 2007)

I'm in the process of setting up a home for two African pygmy dormice in my 90 x 45 x 60 cm /36 x 18 x 24 ins terrarium. I've been doing lots of research but it's not the same as experience so I'm hoping to get a few tips from some of those who have had hands on experience. 

I have nearly all the bits and pieces needed for the set up.. just waiting for the trellis to turn up and I can put it altogether My new babies all safe and sound (with breeder) until I have it set up and ready for them. 

Any tips you wish you had known when putting your habitats together? Does anyone have any piccys to share with me for inspiration? 

Thanks in advance for any help


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Well I'm no expert cos I've only had mine for just over a year, but here's a photo of my set up, which is in an exo terra

I have ordinary willow trellis that I just bought at a garden centre sale and it's fixed to the glass sides with suction cups with hooks.

My husband wedged a parrot perch across the whole viv and then threaded wire criss crossy across the top (cos the cop is mesh so no screws etc) and from there we hung knotted sisal ropes attached with cable ties., This is a photo taken when it was first set up before we got them, so no substrate in yet. There is a rope/coconut shell dangly parrot toy, a half coconut shell hanging and a little willow leaf bird house. there is also a small log bridge, attached to the side like a 'shelf' where we put their water until we were sure they'd got the hang of drinking out of water bottles. The yellow bottle is for their Maple Syrup mix - I thought the sweetness would attract them and teach them about drinking from bottles.











This is it as it is set up at the minute. They literally chewed every leaf off the silk plants and strip them as fast as I put them in, so I gave up on that. They only ate and pooped in the coconut half shell and didn't use the leaf bird house, so they went. I then bought a little wooden bird house from a garden centre and they love that. When I clean it out I put in normal shredded paper, edible shredded paper critter bedding and strips of fleece from my pouch making. As you can see from the photo the hole in the bird house is blocked with blue fleece. 

I also bought a parrot wooden ladder with climbing ropes hanging off it and a different parrot toy. they soon got the hang of drinking from a bottle, so the log shelf has gone and is now a log tunnel over a whicker tube. I have a few little plastic houses, but they never nest in them and I save all my toilet and kitchen roll inserts for them and any small cardboard boxes which I cut in half and cut a hole out of. They didn't like the 'normal' type wheel and wouldn't use it, so I bought the flying saucer one and they like that better.

They are very reclusive and only come out late at night, but they do like lots of places to hide, so the floor area is covered with boxes, tubes etc so they feel safe.

Hope this all helps! :2thumb:


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## Catty (Jan 7, 2007)

That looks a lovely little set up and yes it was helpful I was wondering how to attach the trellis to my viv all sort of ideas going through my head. May I ask where you got the suckers from? 
I'm guessing your viv is about the size of the one my little cresties are in, so I'm going to need something longer to put across the top to dangle some bits and pieces unless the reptile vines I have will do the job. 

I have a nice solid wooden wheel and two sweet little bird houses like pic









and a natural fibre tunnel to hide in too. I do have a ladder and a couple of other bits that they will enjoy playing with and nibbling on. 
Good Idea about the bottles and the maple syrup mix, what maple syrup to water measurement is you mix? 

THanks for your help


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

My exo is 45 x 45 x 60.

I got the hooks on ebay - here's a link to some cheap ones for you. 20PC CLEAR SUCTION CUPS + METAL HOOKS WINDOW CABINET SUCKER HANGING DECORATION | eBay

I dilute my maple syrup 50:50 in the bottle. I don't fill it full though, just about half full so that I wash and re-fill every 3-4 days.

That wee house is very similar to the first one I got, so I'll be interested to see if your APD use it, cos mine never did.


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## Catty (Jan 7, 2007)

Thanks for that Feorag, you have been a real help  The suckers are ordered, hubby has put the trellis in and used wire but the suckers will give extra stabilization when they get here. 

Got my two babies today, both from seperate bloodlines and have been together for 3day prior to me bringing them home. They came in a willow weave ball and are still hiding at the moment so I've not seen them yet. Can't wait until this evening for them to come out. I've not tried to force them out as I think it best for them to settle in at their own pace. 

This was their home just before I went for them. They will be getting some more bits and pieces when I see what they like doing best 



Thank you again for your help


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Looks good! :2thumb:

Mine are pretty scaredy pusses to be honest and when I first went to clean them out I couldn't find them anywhere! :gasp: Eventually we discovered that this was where they were sleeping










Then they started doing their own modifications










Those holes are now huge, but they are happy now to nestbuild with the nests. 

What I do find is that when I clean them out, every now and then I empty their nest and wherever that nest is they never use it again until after I've cleaned out the next choice.

I make long fleecy pouches which they love, but once I've taken it out to wash, they'll not use it again and will use the bird house. When I pull the material out of the nest house after a couple of months, they will use the pouches, or make a nest in a tube. It's very interesting.


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## Catty (Jan 7, 2007)

Oh wow, they have all those nice thing then hide there lol .. Did they chew any wires ??


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Seriously they lived squashed in the back for months, but no they didn't chew the heat pad or thermo wires, thank goodness.

By the way love your dogs - the black ones is very like my Skye! :flrt:


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## Catty (Jan 7, 2007)

Thank you, the two girls you see there are Karla the black one she was a rescue we were told she was a GSD X but my vet thinks she is a Belgian shepherd that came from a litter with a bad hip score. Poor girl has hip problems and she is only 8. The other is Tikaani (my daughters) a malamute Husky, she is quiet a character and very stubborn but she is only 3 and it's a learning curve with her lol. I do have one other another rescue a black cocker spaniel she is 10 but in many ways the baby of the family  

Have you got a piccy of your skye? or would you get in bother posting it in here ?


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## Catty (Jan 7, 2007)

Ooo, I just saw a nose:flrt: then it hid again but at least I now know I'm not looking at an empty nest lol maybe I will get to see them this evening after all


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Catty said:


> Thank you, the two girls you see there are Karla the black one she was a rescue we were told she was a GSD X but my vet thinks she is a Belgian shepherd that came from a litter with a bad hip score. Poor girl has hip problems and she is only 8. The other is Tikaani (my daughters) a malamute Husky, she is quiet a character and very stubborn but she is only 3 and it's a learning curve with her lol. I do have one other another rescue a black cocker spaniel she is 10 but in many ways the baby of the family
> 
> Have you got a piccy of your skye? or would you get in bother posting it in here ?


:lol2: You're obviously a newbie on here - you can post what you like basically as long as it isn't offensive outside of 18+. All sorts of photos appear on threads that have nowt to do with the subject.

She does look a bit Belgian to me, but she could be a GSD crossed with a finer headed breed like a collie??

We rescued Skye when he was 11 months old and he was an absolute nightmare, still is nearly 4 years later. :roll: 

Over the years he has settled down a small amount, but he became very dog aggressive, so we are doing GSD walks organised by German Shepherd Dog Rescue, which are held all over the country and he's getting much better. We even managed to get his muzzle off for 20 minutes or so on the last one.

It's probably easier for you to look at this thread - he's the black psycho/idiot dog! :lol2:

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/other-pets-exotics/969446-gsd-lovers-our-latest-gsdr.html


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## Catty (Jan 7, 2007)

Wow, he is a beauty. :flrt: and they all looked as if they had a great time  


My little ones came out last night (I'll name them when I get to know their characters better) One is bolder than the other and came up to the glass to invesigate us... the three faces peering in at it lol the other one was also running around but not coming up to us. One of the nest boxes is sort of being used, it has burrowed underneath it and sleeping like a baby in the substrate lol not sure where the other is hiding but I didn't want to poke around to much for the first few days. They are eating, drinking and playing happily so I'm content with that for now


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Thank you - they all really enjoy themselves on these walks.

I started off with a trio of APDs, someone on here asked if I'd be interested in taking 2 rescues, mother and daughter, which had been badly treated and were undersized, cos she knew I wouldn't breed from them, so I said yes. the mother had no tail at all and the daughter only had half a tail.

Then I thought about it and decided if they might not be in the best of health, I would buy a third from her own stock, so if one died the other wouldn't be left alone. Then while she was waiting to make sure the third one wasn't pregnant, sadly the mother died. :sad: So then I told her I would buy another one, so I would still have 3.

Unfortunately the wee daughter died about a month after I finally got them. This was her on the wheel. She was as bright as a button and then when I came to clean out the exo one day, she was dead in one of the little houses. :sad: What happens when it gets dark? The Pygmy Dormice come out to play! - YouTube

Here's a couple of photos I took last night of the remaining two. Yum, yum, mealworms! :mf_dribble:


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## Catty (Jan 7, 2007)

Awww great pics  I so want to take photo's of mine but frightened the focus light might make them uneasy ...but in a few days I'll be there with my camera lol .

That was a sad about the mother and daughter but at least the daughter had a nice loving home for her last month and the other two are happy and safe with you.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Yes, it was a shame, because it took the girl who rescued them months to rehabilitate them and be satisfied that they were going to make it, so it was hard for her too.


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## Catty (Jan 7, 2007)

I can imagine, it doesn't matter how little time you have them you cant help but get attached. 


My little ones are settling nicely, they don't even seemed bothered by the cat watching their antics. One is definitely bolder and more adventurous than the other. We are calling the bolder one Scrat (from ice age lol) and the other Luna. They are such characters, noww all I need to do is get a couple of pics


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## Catty (Jan 7, 2007)

feorag, the little houses have been a success. Scrat and Luna have been sleeping in the hanging one for the last couple of days. They have both settled beautifully. 

Here is a pic of Scrat, it's not very good as it was dark and handheld, but I'm sure I'll get a good one sooner or later


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Aw bless! :flrt: Cute aren't they?

Good that the houses are proving popular. When you come to clean out I'll be interested to know whether yours go back into the houses or move nest.


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## Jaina_Organasolo (Jan 7, 2012)

Cute! 

I have 3 APD and they are the sweetest little things. 

I have a Facebook page I set up for APD if you'd like to join -

https://www.facebook.com/AfricanPygmyDormouse

There's some photos of my set up on there. Mine are in a 60x45x60 Exo. I had one of the wooden wheels like yours in there but I ended up replacing it. They didn't seem to be able to move it and they just pooped all over it. I ended up with a Silent Spinner instead. Mine also won't use a water bottle, so we use ikea tealight holders instead.

They don't much like fruit either, insectivore food and mealworms are the favourite. Possibly why they are a bit chubby.

They are also a bit daft (possibly as the person I got them from kept them in a hamster cage with just seeds). They are too lazy/stupid to catch crickets. 

I think I got the backward ones :lol2:


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## Catty (Jan 7, 2007)

Hi Jaina,




I've just looked at your link and it seems I have already found you. liked your page and fallen in love with your little APD's. :flrt:


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