Page:The Golden Hamster Manual.djvu/42

 be used. However, a bottle that is too heavy may cause pen door to sag, also one that is too long may interfere with pen stacking. A square 4 oz. bottle, approximately $1 3/4$ in, square and 4 in. high, with 1 in. opening, takes a No. 6 drilled rubber stopper into which is inserted a $3 1/4$ to $3 1/2$ in. piece of 5/16 in. copper tubing bent to form an angle of approximately 120 degrees as shown in Illus. 48. Use of a bending tool is advised to prevent collapse of tube at the bend. The bottle hangs in a wire loop tied to the hdw. cl. of the door. Loop may be lifted to remove bottle for refill. Or, as in Illus. 47, a stay may be installed on door, into which stay and door frame is firmly attached a loose-fitting wire loop large enough for easy removal of bottle. Wire about the thickness of a 6d or 8d box nail is satisfactory. Such bottles and drilled rubber stoppers may be purchased from larger drug or laboratory supply stores, and copper tubing from hardwares. Similar stoppers are available to fit pop bottles. Several small stock supply dealers offer assembled watering outfits suitable for hamsters. If the water level in a bottle does not appear to lower and show use of water by the animals in the pen, test the unit by touching lower end of tube 3 or 4 times. If your finger becomes wet each time by a new drop of water, the unit is functioning properly. Such a water unit provides a clean, constant supply of drinking water.

Since an exercise wheel mounted on the floor of a pen wastes breeding pen floor space and may be disastrous to pre-sight young, the only type of wheels



shown herein are those attached to pen side and mounted in an upright position. These wheels are cheaply and easily built of scrap materials, and do furnish exercise beneficial to both growing and mature hamsters.

Illus. 41 shows the 5 inch wood disk for a hamster