Jinx's strange habit!

RhiannonJ · 02-03-2014, 08:55 AM

I recently bought jinx a new wheel as he had outgrown his old one, and he loves it - always whizzing about in there! (The wheel is a savic make and very nice quality). However when I go down in the morning to check on him there's lots of food and bedding in the wheel. I'm worried he's not using it anymore as I can't see him at night when he's at his most active. I've heard of this thing called a 'rain dance' where a hamster piles all his food into his pouches and runs on his wheel, and then slowly drops food into the wheel as they're whizzing around. Is this what he's doing and then simply leaving all the food in the wheel when he goes to sleep in the morning? The only thing that makes me think that it's not is that there's bedding in the mix as well, and hamsters don't usually pick up bedding, do they? Unless they're transporting it, I suppose...can anyone tell me what he's doing?

The Hamster's family · 02-03-2014, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RhiannonJ

I recently bought jinx a new wheel as he had outgrown his old one, and he loves it - always whizzing about in there! (The wheel is a savic make and very nice quality). However when I go down in the morning to check on him there's lots of food and bedding in the wheel. I'm worried he's not using it anymore as I can't see him at night when he's at his most active. I've heard of this thing called a 'rain dance' where a hamster piles all his food into his pouches and runs on his wheel, and then slowly drops food into the wheel as they're whizzing around. Is this what he's doing and then simply leaving all the food in the wheel when he goes to sleep in the morning? The only thing that makes me think that it's not is that there's bedding in the mix as well, and hamsters don't usually pick up bedding, do they? Unless they're transporting it, I suppose...can anyone tell me what he's doing?

I can't help much hun, but I am sooo sorry to say that I choked on my lunch while reading !! Your post made me laugh BIG TIME ! "Rain Dance" !! Too funnny !!

Good luck finding out what is happening with your little one !!

Annie xx

Nush · 02-03-2014, 10:21 AM

A lot of my hamsters have done that. Is Jinx a dwarf? My dwarfs tend to make nests, eat and, I'm afraid, poo in their wheels. I think that's a sign they really love their wheels

But I must admit they are daft little creatures sometimes. My dwarfs run with their food in the wheel. It makes a rattling noise then they'll stop, munch on the food and carry on! I think if they could get their water bottle to fit in their wheel they'd love that.

For some very silly reason it reminds me of an advert I saw about this guy who sits on his sofa with the remote control and next to him is a fridge. He opens the fridge and gets his beer. Why go to the fridge when you can bring the fridge to you. I guess it's the same principle with the hamsters.

RhiannonJ · 02-03-2014, 12:48 PM

Haha this made me chuckle! No, jinx is a Syrian but still quite little so maybe is still getting used to things! I just went in and found him sleeping in his wheel in a pile of food and bedding, the silly hammy. Oh well, if he still runs on it then I have no problems - probably gonna put a little camcorder in there tonight to see wait he gets up to.

Grey · 02-03-2014, 01:18 PM

When Tribble (my female Syrian hamster) is on heat, she'll pouch almost her entire food bowl of food then run in her wheel for a moment, dump it, run again, get freaked out by the noise and dart away. As her cage is in my room I tend to get up and empty the wheel so I can sleep, she doesn't seem to mind.

I noticed she had a tiny bit of nesting material in her wheel today, nothing enough to nest in so I can't comment on that. It sounds like quite a quirky behaviour.

Lovely creatures.

Scampi16 · 02-03-2014, 01:35 PM

My Nimbus does this but I get to hear his 'lovely' NOT rain dance every night. He fills the wheel up with food and substrate then fills his cheeks and goes for a run. he has a Trixie wheel that has the front cover so it doesn't fly out that easily and is soooo loud! When the food eventually flys out or most of it he then spits what he has in his cheeks out and starts running again. He then repeats this process over and over again.

RhiannonJ · 02-03-2014, 01:44 PM

Jinx is a boy, but he does do what you describe! And Nimbus and Jinx seem like two of a kind. I wonder why they do this - like, what would this be connected to in the wild, I wonder? I can't really see a point to it, to be honest, has anyone got any theories?

Scampi16 · 02-03-2014, 02:05 PM

I think he just enjoys it. It seems to be a game to him. The food flys out then he goes foraging for it in the substrate to start over again.
he either enjoys it or he has read my book the Diary of edward the hamster, who states a line about using the wheel only at night rattling it and making as much noise as possible to keep his human awake.

RhiannonJ · 02-03-2014, 02:40 PM

Haha sweet! It's fun seeing all your hamsters funny little habits.

Tutu · 02-03-2014, 03:54 PM

My Syrian girl does that too and she isn't small or young. She has being doing it all her life. Sometimes it gets too noisy middle of the night and I'll get up take everything out of her wheel but within 10min it restarts again. So I just gave up

so right now while I'm writing this she is just walking on her wheel but once it start spinning boy it gets noisy