Hamster Central - View Single Post - Strange Hamster Behavior- Please Help

shammy · 06-18-2019, 06:23 PM

Hello!

I recently adopted a new teddy bear Syrian hamster after the loss of my beloved little companion. I'm overjoyed to welcome a new friend into my life, however, I have been noticing strange behavior from her that I haven't seen in any of my old hamsters.

The first thing is her excessive bar chewing. My old hamsters liked to nibble occasionally, but this one will chew for hours upon end. It's not only annoying, but incredibly worrisome for her health. I've researched stress and cage rage (she has a good spacious cage) but it doesn't seem like that's the case here.

That leads me to the next thing- her thirst for freedom. I can barely open up the door without her trying to dash out. I give her plenty of (supervised) free roam time, either in a big playbin I've created or in her hamster ball, but none of that seems to satisfy her.

The last thing I've noticed is her strange habit of rubbing her back against things. She'll dash around the perimeter of her cage turned slightly so her back rubs against the wall. I've never heard of anything like this before, could it be a neurological condition or just a constant itch? She usually finishes up her rubbing by "somersaulting" in the corner of her cage- specifically the corner she pees in. Is she trying to coat herself with scent?

I'm just simply struggling to understand what influences this behavior as I've never seen anything like this before. Is she just a wild one, or is there an underlying problem here?

06-18-2019, 06:23 PM
shammy Newborn Pup Join Date: Jun 2019 Posts: 1	Strange Hamster Behavior- Please Help Hello! I recently adopted a new teddy bear Syrian hamster after the loss of my beloved little companion. I'm overjoyed to welcome a new friend into my life, however, I have been noticing strange behavior from her that I haven't seen in any of my old hamsters. The first thing is her excessive bar chewing. My old hamsters liked to nibble occasionally, but this one will chew for hours upon end. It's not only annoying, but incredibly worrisome for her health. I've researched stress and cage rage (she has a good spacious cage) but it doesn't seem like that's the case here. That leads me to the next thing- her thirst for freedom. I can barely open up the door without her trying to dash out. I give her plenty of (supervised) free roam time, either in a big playbin I've created or in her hamster ball, but none of that seems to satisfy her. The last thing I've noticed is her strange habit of rubbing her back against things. She'll dash around the perimeter of her cage turned slightly so her back rubs against the wall. I've never heard of anything like this before, could it be a neurological condition or just a constant itch? She usually finishes up her rubbing by "somersaulting" in the corner of her cage- specifically the corner she pees in. Is she trying to coat herself with scent? I'm just simply struggling to understand what influences this behavior as I've never seen anything like this before. Is she just a wild one, or is there an underlying problem here?