Unhappy to be caged?

[RedBzu]

Orca the Syrian was found abandoned in a house running loose. She had a hole in her side that was infected, so the people who bought the house brought her to a pet store so they could help her.
Now I have her and I have noticed that she's not too happy about being in a cage. Her cage is a bin that we made and it is 608 sq ft. so it is fairly large. But when she is awake she is desperately trying to get out. She has so many toys and a wheel and things to climb...

My question is... what do I do? I want to make her happy...

[Shana]

It sounds like you just got her recently. Sometimes it takes a little while for them to settle down. Many hamsters play the "how can I get out of here?" game when they're in a new place. Most give up eventually, maybe after a few days...some don't, but I wouldn't worry about that quite yet. Given that she's female, her hormonal cycle can also affect the intensity of her desire to escape.

Do you have photos of her cage you can post? If so, we might be able to give you some advice as to changes you can make that might help her to calm down a bit.

[RedBzu]

[BrainGirl]

Maybe she feels a little vulnerable with so much open space? I would add more tunnels (cardboard tubes from carpet stores are great for this!) or some long-strand bedding like Eco-Bedding that helps to hold tunnels for burrowing.

[RedBzu]

Thanks Brain! I was thinking of building a separate room connected by a tube. Maybe make her feel like it's bigger?

[BrainGirl]

It seems to be a great size already but bigger is always better, no matter what! I was just thinking that having tunnels or things to run under/beside would help her to feel less exposed to predators. They've evolved as prey animals and they often instinctively fear being in the open. Especially with her having been on the loose for who knows how long! In the short term, you might try draping a blanket or setting a book on top of part of the cage and see if that affects her behaviour at all

[RedBzu]

She's chewing on the wire and constantly trying to get out of the cage which is why I think she's unhappy with it. I will be making some tubes today.

[Pebbles82]

With a bin cage like that, and an add-on extension, you could have one of them filled about 30cm up with substrate, then she can dig and tunnel and might forget about trying to escape!

[BrainGirl]

^Second that idea!

[Thin Lizzy]

You haven't had her long, so it could be she's taking her time adjusting to her new surroundings! But, I too would provided some extra cover so she can feel safe!