:It was time to clean the habitat.  Ugh.  I was starting to get this whif of odor during the night and sometimes when I was observing them.  I knew about a changing per week was the general measure, so I had planned on it.  However, I needed a place to put the three patients while the cleaning took place.  And in true forward thinking style, I knew some type of habitate would be needed after Abendigo bred with Shadrack & Meshack.  So, I went out to procure more experiement-related materials (that’s for the tax write-off.  Those Holsteins require receipts for every reimbursement).

There were so many different habitats available, some of them being Super Pet, Living World, and SAM.  They each have their good points and after an exhaustive hardware candidate evaluation, I went with the Living World Habitrail.  While the location of my purchase didn’t have a truly extensive line of extensions for the unit, I liked the quality and design of the Habitrail systems.  Even though I already had a Super Pet exploratory set (EU) and could integrate that more easily into a Super Pet unit, the design of the Habitrail and extension sets seemed much more robust and complete.  So there.

I also wanted to change the bedding.  Originally, the bedding was cedar but after further investigation into the health problems that have been loosely linked with cedar and pine bedding (dust-causing stuff) I have switched to a new type of bedding.  It’s a wood pulp based bedding, very safe and absorbant, but it doesn’t swell.  That’s in case they decide to eat it.  Don’t ask.

So, I built the habitat, put in all the new stuff, along with a new little bowl (how cute) and some new treats (cheddar cheese, dried fruit, etc).  I was able to get Shadrack out easily as she usually jumps into my hand now, but the other two took some coaxing.  They seemed to warily accept this new habitat but after about 10 minutes they were playing like crazy in it.  The new habitat has an “upstairs” like area, with a “look out” and a very innovatively designed integral wheel.  After changing the primary habitat, I transferred them over where they are making the place their own again and exploring the new bedding material.  I also, instead of using the cotton bedding sheets (and yes, they do fluff up alot), I got some coconut hair/fluff and added to the habitat.  We’ll see which one they like more.