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>I rescued a lionhead dwarf that I renamed Pixie, who's >about 6 months old and was living in some serious >neglect that boarded on abuse. While I had no plans >to keep her and have spoken to area church groups and >elementary schools looking for a new owner, I also >have no plans to give her to anybody without knowing >she'll have a good home. >I have 2 16yr old cats and an Aussie mix dog, so she's >shut off in a spare room and I have some questions. >First, I've made her a tunnel out of cardboard, given >her newspaper, tree branches w/o bark, small towels, a >small dog tug rope, grass mats and small soft balls so >she'll have things to chew, dig at, and push around >when she's out of the cage. In her cage is her food, >water, plenty of timothy hay, a branch thru the bars >and small ball. Is there anything else I should be >giving her? >Second, I litter box trained her in a day and while I >can't let her free roam my entire apartment, the spare >room is as rabbit-proofed as I can make it. I was >letting her out around 5AM for a few hours, then again >as the sun was going down. When I took her, she was >very wild due to lack of attention and any affection, >plus being caged with a guinea pig a large part of the >time. When I'm in there with her, I clap my hands and >say NO if she starts chewing or digging at the wrong >things. Besides spending a few hours a day just >sitting in there with her and brushing her before >allowing her out of the cage, is there anything else I >can do or should be doing to get her used to human >contact again? >Third, she made a nest in her cardboard tunnel and the >past few day, has put herself there and except for >going to the cage for food or to the litter box, stays >there until dusk. Should I be forcing her back into >the cage or allowing her to remain in her burrow? >Fourth, I've never heated or cooled the room she's in >since it hasn't been used except for storage. My >concern is winter because I live in the mountains of >Western North Carolina. Will I need to heat the room >for her health or will her fur keep her warm enough? >And last, every day she's getting plenty of fresh >water, timothy hay, a whole carrot, fresh mustard >greens and leaf lettuce, with a small piece of fruit >every other day. Except for a trip to the vet, is >there anything else I need to be doing for her? >Thanks for any help or advice you can give. >Diane

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