Hermie Exercise - What do you do?*Behavior

BAB · Post by **BAB** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 11:51 pm

Okay... my hermie's have adjusted to their envrionment very well I think. Their colors are just becoming brilliant! When I first got them they were all kinda dark... active... but not really purple and red like they are now.

Anywho, I would love to get to know them better/more. What do you do to let them out of the tank for "exercise"? Is it necessary or should I not "play" with them so much?

I'd have them out all the time if I could like our Bunny or Hamster... but I'm worried that it will stress them, the lower humidity/cooler temps would stress them, the dog and cats... etc...

Do they like to be out?

Thanks!

*edit title topic specific only-CM

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 3:31 am

I don't tend to take mine out and exercise them, to be honest. Most of the time all it seems to do is stress them out, and once they go back into the tank they disappear for a few days to calm down. I prefer to provide them with lots of things to climb on and space to burrow in their tank and only take them out when necessary.

If you decide you want to take yours out and exercise them, please remember to mist them carefully with dechlorinated water before and afterwards - the lack of humidity in your room is likely to leave them with very dry gills otherwise. Make sure they can't scuttle under/into anything and escape - they can move extremely quickly and if they get into a gap you can't easily reach into, you're going to have a heck of a time getting them out. Oh, and if you have a cat or small kids around, it might be an idea to make hermie playtime 'off limits'

Jedediah · Post by **Jedediah** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 3:56 am

I leave mine in their tank all the time unless I'm rearranging or something. They don't get handled, just watched.
But I think the bathroom might be a good place for them because beofre letting them run around, you can turn on the shower for a few minutes and steam the bathroom up so that it's more humid.

GoblinQueen, I love your avatar. I sprayed MY tea all over my monitor when I first saw it.

MacandHunter · Post by **MacandHunter** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 6:56 am

When I give my crabs a bath every.. few weeks I take them out after there bath and have them in a little pen thing and they play in there and I can put them in my hand and handle them at that time. I would not leave them out for any more then 30 min. though becasue the humdity is not as high. I think its best to take handle them after a bath because they are more active and there gills have just gotten wet so the lower humidty would not bother them as much.

Jedediah · Post by **Jedediah** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 10:10 am

I don't think crabs (or hamsters) really enjoy hamster balls. Both rely on their sense of smell and touch to find their way around, the hamster has very acute hearing in addition. All those senses are numbed in the ball. Nothing to smell or touch but the ball and I really don't want to know how loud it is in the ball for the hamster. Plus, the crabs cannot get out when they want to (not intelligent enough for thsi, even if there is an opening) and the legs might get stuck in the ventilations slits. Hamsters do get into the ball again and again, but they do so because it's their instinct to explore every cave they find, not because they really want to run in the ball.
If you want to give them exercise, let them explore, just runnign for runnings sake is not something they enjoy.