Quote:
Originally Posted by Serendipity7000
Some females can be very active. It sounds like she would enjoy ripping up cardboard (nesting instinct)- egg boxes, toilet rolls etc.
I think sometimes the way the things are set up in the cage can make a difference - as to whether a hamster feels secure with the variety of contents or it works for them. Sometimes people have lots of hanging ramps and ladders - but they swing and don't feel very stable and hammies can get a bit bothered by them. Or a shelf or item may be difficult to access etc.
What cage have you got and do you have a photo of her set up? We might be able to suggest some tweaks. They generally do better with more floor area and less height so it might be the cage itself isn't quite right for her. Or it could just be moving the odd thing or adding a more stable ramp or something. I have problems with ramps and ladders generally - but I like the large cork logs -placed next to a shelf they make a ramp up that doesn't move - and make a tunnel as well.
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Hi, thank you for the comment!!
I started out with a slightly smaller cage for her first that had more vertical space, but because of the bar chewing getting really bad, I decided to set up my detolf for her. Here's the current set up (I hope the pics work lol):
The bigger hamster house is a more recent addition and she hasn't started using it as a house - any advice on convincing her to do that is welcome!
At the moment I don't really have ladders and platforms in the cage (I do plan on adding some, she had a hammock in the previous cage that she really liked) and I am waiting on the sand for her sandbath to arrive (which was meant to arrive already but I suppose the pandemic is not helping postal services). I expect the sand bath to help.
Even in the detolf she seems to be doing a lot of bar chewing (on the lid, and in the corners with the metal bars). I'm quite concerned as the bars leave an imprint on her nose with time.
Edit: I realise it's not super clear on the pics, one side of the cage has a lot more bedding/substrate and it's about 15-17cm (6") deep there, and I will probably add some more soon (as soon as my next bad of aubiose arrives haha)