Strange place to store food?

Temple · 09-15-2015, 12:11 AM

I've had my Syrian hamster Rocket for a year now and she has always stored all her food in her bed until recently. I was concerned to find that all of her food was still in her feeding dish, usually by morning the dish has been licked clean and there's more food than bedding in her box. So I kept a close eye on her and brought some of her favourite treats; as a test I gave her one and watched where she put it, she put it in her food dish. Everytime I give her anything edible she puts it straight into her food dish. I've owned 3 hamster before Rocket and never before have I had one that didn't store food in its bed. Is this normal or something I should be concerned about?

crazyc4tlady · 09-16-2015, 12:38 AM

Maybe she is just very trusting in that that is where her food will be haha I had a Syrian that did that for a while, or she would only take the most important/tasty treats to her bed, the rest she would put in her food bowl

cypher · 09-16-2015, 12:42 AM

Nothing to be concerned about, it's a bit odd that she suddenly changed like that but some hams just like to use their food bowl for their hoard!

Shannon94 · 09-16-2015, 01:49 AM

Maybe she has OCD?

Strange but not worrying

Piebald · 09-16-2015, 06:08 AM

She sounds clever to me-- making use of the existing magically replenishing hoard location. Maybe she thinks if she puts her treats there they will multiply like her regular food does.

Gemma_xo · 09-16-2015, 06:42 AM

Pixie puts everything in her food bowl, only on occasion do I find hoards under her bed, and that's normally only on colder nights here, otherwise everything stays in the bowl, treats and all, even though she HAS got a separate treat bowl..

I figured it was normal, it is their choice after all

x

Thin Lizzy · 09-17-2015, 04:33 AM

Twinkle takes her favourite and leaves the rest in her dish and comes out several times to sit at her dish and eat. It's the same with treats. I think she knows she'll always have a selection of things to choose from in her cage and that I'm not going to take it away.

WinnieTheHam · 09-23-2015, 11:26 AM

Winston has 2 bowls, He stores his food in both of them but one is used for his favourites (which he hides with tissue) and the other he uses just for his general food. He likes to keep his home clean haha

Mr_sharlotte · 09-26-2015, 02:27 PM

One of mine has never really bothered hiding his food, he just eats it looking me square in the eyes. Although some of his treats he likes to put in a corner and urinate on.

The other hides absoloutley everything.

I guess it is down to personal preference!