diff --git a/evennia/typeclasses/tests.py b/evennia/typeclasses/tests.py
index d97e7c3b5e..d4761638f9 100644
--- a/evennia/typeclasses/tests.py
+++ b/evennia/typeclasses/tests.py
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ Unit tests for typeclass base system
 
 """
 from django.test import override_settings
-from evennia.utils.test_resources import BaseEvenniaTest, EvenniaTestCase
 from evennia.typeclasses import attributes
+from evennia.utils.test_resources import BaseEvenniaTest, EvenniaTestCase
 from mock import patch
 from parameterized import parameterized
 
@@ -13,6 +13,10 @@ from parameterized import parameterized
 # ------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
+class DictSubclass(dict):
+    pass
+
+
 class TestAttributes(BaseEvenniaTest):
     def test_attrhandler(self):
         key = "testattr"
@@ -22,6 +26,14 @@ class TestAttributes(BaseEvenniaTest):
         self.obj1.db.testattr = value
         self.assertEqual(self.obj1.db.testattr, value)
 
+        value = DictSubclass({"fo": "foo", "bar": "bar"})
+        self.obj1.db.testattr = value
+        self.assertEqual(self.obj1.db.testattr, value)
+
+        value = DictSubclass({"fo": "foo", "bar": "bar", "obj": self.obj2})
+        self.obj1.db.testattr = value
+        self.assertEqual(self.obj1.db.testattr, value)
+
     @override_settings(TYPECLASS_AGGRESSIVE_CACHE=False)
     @patch("evennia.typeclasses.attributes._TYPECLASS_AGGRESSIVE_CACHE", False)
     def test_attrhandler_nocache(self):
@@ -35,6 +47,16 @@ class TestAttributes(BaseEvenniaTest):
         self.assertEqual(self.obj1.db.testattr, value)
         self.assertFalse(self.obj1.attributes.backend._cache)
 
+        value = DictSubclass({"fo": "foo", "bar": "bar"})
+        self.obj1.db.dict_subclass = value
+        self.assertEqual(self.obj1.db.dict_subclass, value)
+        self.assertFalse(self.obj1.attributes.backend._cache)
+
+        value = DictSubclass({"fo": "foo", "bar": "bar", "obj": self.obj2})
+        self.obj1.db.dict_subclass = value
+        self.assertEqual(self.obj1.db.dict_subclass, value)
+        self.assertFalse(self.obj1.attributes.backend._cache)
+
     def test_weird_text_save(self):
         "test 'weird' text type (different in py2 vs py3)"
         from django.utils.safestring import SafeText
diff --git a/evennia/utils/dbserialize.py b/evennia/utils/dbserialize.py
index 11321d8dfd..dba21c63a2 100644
--- a/evennia/utils/dbserialize.py
+++ b/evennia/utils/dbserialize.py
@@ -644,7 +644,15 @@ def to_pickle(data):
                 # classmethods) and instances
                 pass
 
-        if hasattr(item, "__iter__"):
+        if hasattr(item, "items"):
+            # we try to conserve the iterable class, if not convert to dict
+            try:
+                return item.__class__(
+                    (process_item(key), process_item(val)) for key, val in item.items()
+                )
+            except (AttributeError, TypeError):
+                return {process_item(key): process_item(val) for key, val in item.items()}
+        elif hasattr(item, "__iter__"):
             # we try to conserve the iterable class, if not convert to list
             try:
                 return item.__class__([process_item(val) for val in item])
@@ -712,6 +720,14 @@ def from_pickle(data, db_obj=None):
             return OrderedDict((process_item(key), process_item(val)) for key, val in item.items())
         elif dtype == deque:
             return deque(process_item(val) for val in item)
+        elif hasattr(item, "items"):
+            # we try to conserve the iterable class, if not convert to dict
+            try:
+                return item.__class__(
+                    (process_item(key), process_item(val)) for key, val in item.items()
+                )
+            except (AttributeError, TypeError):
+                return {process_item(key): process_item(val) for key, val in item.items()}
         elif hasattr(item, "__iter__"):
             try:
                 # we try to conserve the iterable class if
@@ -778,6 +794,18 @@ def from_pickle(data, db_obj=None):
             dat = _SaverDeque(_parent=parent)
             dat._data.extend(process_item(val) for val in item)
             return dat
+        elif hasattr(item, "items"):
+            # we try to conserve the iterable class, if not convert to dict
+            try:
+                return item.__class__(
+                    (process_item(key), process_tree(val, parent)) for key, val in item.items()
+                )
+            except (AttributeError, TypeError):
+                dat = _SaverDict(_parent=parent)
+                dat._data.update(
+                    (process_item(key), process_tree(val, dat)) for key, val in item.items()
+                )
+                return dat
         elif hasattr(item, "__iter__"):
             try:
                 # we try to conserve the iterable class if it
diff --git a/evennia/utils/tests/test_gametime.py b/evennia/utils/tests/test_gametime.py
index 9060546cbf..c9d7801ea8 100644
--- a/evennia/utils/tests/test_gametime.py
+++ b/evennia/utils/tests/test_gametime.py
@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@ class TestGametime(TestCase):
 
     def test_schedule(self):
         callback = Mock()
+        del callback.items
         script = gametime.schedule(callback, day=19)
         self.timescripts.append(script)
         self.assertIsInstance(script, gametime.TimeScript)
@@ -94,6 +95,7 @@ class TestGametime(TestCase):
 
     def test_repeat_schedule(self):
         callback = Mock()
+        del callback.items
         script = gametime.schedule(callback, repeat=True, min=32)
         self.timescripts.append(script)
         self.assertIsInstance(script, gametime.TimeScript)