Re: A Puzzle: Hamster becomes more lazy and uninterested as cage is extended
Hi BiberEscobar,
Welcome to the forum! I would hesitate before generalizing based on a sample size of two hamsters, especially when one considers the larger number of hammies who appear to like larger spaces. There may be other factors with your hammy/ies--then again, you may simply have gotten hammies who prefer smaller spaces or aren't quite as active.
I have hammies who need large spaces to be happy and I have hammies who completely ignored part of their cage and was moved to a smaller cage with no change in activity level. Chublet, who was moved to a smaller cage since he ignored about half of his previous cage, also constantly wanted out of his cage/attention despite the large cage but his uncle and possible father, Sgt. Pepper, on the other hand loves having a large space. However, he was weary about it at first until I added a lot more coverage (the only "open space" in his cage is really the middle of his cage, about a foot and a half or so, around his wheel and food bowls with both ends of the cage filled with bedding/hiding spaces that make it difficult to see him unless he goes to the "top" of the area). Hazel Nut and my robo, Patch, however, both immediately took to having a larger space (actually, Hazel Nut needs a large amount of space or she begins exhibiting destructive behavior).
When I had Chublet's sister still (she has since been rehomed as she was failing to thrive here), she was extremely nervous/skittish in her cage (which was the same size as the one Chublet ignored half of) though she went the opposite route of your hammie and was overly active. Day and night with maybe a couple of hours nap in between on her wheel. However, once I received my bins back and had plans to rehome her, I placed her in a bin cage and she began sleeping more and was less nervous. She actually grew quite a bit in the one month or so I had her in the bin (by the time I was able to switch her to the bin, plans had already been made to find her a new home). It's possible she needed a smaller space to feel safe but the environment in my home also just didn't seem to suit her though it didn't seem to bother any of my other hammies. She's currently happy and thriving with her new mommy (they "clicked" pretty instantly--like, cuddling at first meeting though she was never really comfortable enough to do more than place a paw in my hand).
Some hammies seem to prefer smaller space, yes, but also keep in mind that in larger cages, it can be more difficult to see your hammie. It may not necessarily be that they are more or less active so much as they are able to do more free from our eyes (Skippy, a dwarf hammie I adopted and who is now in Chublet's former cage for instance, sounds less active in his new large cage but that isn't the case. he has more room to burrow and lots more hiding spaces to explore and play around that he doesn't use his wheel as much as in his bin cage because he has other outlets to release some energy. Just because you don't hear the hammies don't mean they're not active--Sgt Pepper uses his wheel less than he did the first several months he had it but part of that is age and part of it is, I think, the wearing off of the novelty of it (his previous home didn't have a big enough wheel and he went some time without a wheel). However, he likes to weave in and out between his logs/jungle gyms and his hides and the rocks.
In regards to your hammie having access to nearly 24 hr monitoring--that might actually be counter-intuitive. With a smaller cage, he had a much smaller distance to cover to get to safety when he heard something/was nervous. In his larger cage (and I'm glad you plan on adding more covers/hides for him) he may feel more "exposed" and in the open. He might only appear up between 10-1 at night because he's rested by then and is most comfortable with the environment at that time. It's possible he is up and exploring the cage at other times (especially as you say it is generally dark) but freezes/runs and hide when he hears noises from fellow housemates, especially if they're trying to get a peek of him in the middle of the night.
As for hoarding food--do you scatter feed or feed from a bowl? I do both but when I was only feeding with a bowl, Hazel Nut would only take enough to stash away to snack on during the day and otherwise used her bowl as a stash. Once I switched to doing a combo of scatter and bowl feeding, she generally uses the bowl as a stash for what's already there but she also has a separate stash of the scattered food (although it's not unusual to see her bring the pouched scattered food to her bowl to stash some of it). Now the only time she pouches everything in her bowl is when I allow it to go empty for a day (choosing only to scatter feed that day). Chublet will also use the food in his bowl as a stash though unlike Hazel Nut, he doesn't bother covering it up (and has been known to sleep with his head in his bowl so he doesn't have to even bother moving a little bit to grab a snack during the day).
Chublet is...erm...special.
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