Feeding hams-storing behaviour?

hrl20100 · 11-21-2015, 12:38 PM

All my previous hamsters, when I filled up their food bowl, they'd always empty the bowl right away stuffing their cheeks with their food. Literally, always. Both of my boyfriend's hamsters do the exact same, again, emptying their bowls.

Flump, however? Doesn't.

Is this normal behaviour?

She does store some of her food, just never food from her foodbowl, its always treats or whimzees! She just sits by her food bowl and eats her food that way.

Pygmypuff · 11-21-2015, 12:39 PM

As far as I'm away, that's perfectly normal. All hamsters are different and some hoard but some don't. I think, anyway!

hrl20100 · 11-21-2015, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pygmypuff

As far as I'm away, that's perfectly normal. All hamsters are different and some hoard but some don't. I think, anyway!

Okay thats reassuring!
Its just weird how all 4 of my previous hamsters and both of my boyfriend's hamsters all store food straight away!

barley · 11-21-2015, 01:07 PM

Joey does this too

greysome · 11-21-2015, 01:18 PM

That's perfectly normal. Lol--some of my hammies don't store the food in their food bowl--actually, I've noticed a good chunk of them will store their free-scatter food and eat the food in the bowl from the bowl as well. I think they may have come to see it as any store of food, very conveniently, or magically, filled with food each time they drop by. Actually, the three hammies I've had the longest have either never stashed bowled food away from the bowl (Chublet), rarely does it and only when I let the bowl go empty for a day or two (Hazel Nut), or recently stopped (Sgt. Pepper, who began allowing his bowled food to remain in the bowl for his convenience a month or two ago)

Bertiebobbins · 11-22-2015, 12:57 PM

Both mine do that - to start with they both stuffed the whole bowlful in their pouches and stashed it, now they know there's always food they stash their treats/favourites and eat the rest in the bowl. I think they must feel very secure and relaxed in their environments to do this as their nature is to gather and hoard, so I take it as a compliment!

Wookiee · 11-22-2015, 02:30 PM

Chewie has only recently started poaching his entire bowl of food, he used to hoard treats, but not his main food. I suspect he has got fed up with a 7 year old girl squealing with delight every time he eats anything. I don't blame him, it would get on my nerves too.

hrl20100 · 11-22-2015, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bertiebobbins

I think they must feel very secure and relaxed in their environments to do this as their nature is to gather and hoard, so I take it as a compliment!

Thats what I was wondering...
My previous hamsters wern't kept in large spacious cages such as the alaska or barney, just any old petshop cages (like most uneducated people would keep hamsters in!) and my boyfriend'd hamsters are kept in small cages also.
So maybe Flump is just happy in her cage and doesn't feel the need to stash all her food

greysome · 11-22-2015, 04:16 PM

Haha, I thought I'd mention that for a period of time, after she had already stopped stashing the food in her bowl, Hazel Nut did begin stashing all of it (and most, if not all of her scattered food) immediately--or rather, immediately after I wasn't there to see it. I would get confused and unsure about whether or not I skipped her somehow during feeding time and would give her a second helping. I'm not sure why she began doing it but it took me a few times to catch on to her and begin marking when I last fed her (also helped that I decided fresh food would only be placed after I gave their packaged food) and by then, she was definitely purposely doing it for extra food. I had to stop myself from refilling her empty bowl several times before she finally realized the second helpings weren't happening again. Considering my hammies get enough dry food to last a couple of days at a time, she was raking it in!

I'm not sure why she did this the first time but I'm pretty sure she repeated it because

Miniver · 11-25-2015, 02:26 PM

I had her bowl on top of a platform and she would stuff her cheeks and store it in her nest. Now I have it sitting on the floor on top of a layer of carefresh. She's started to bury her bowl. Ha, ha. I couldn't find it at first, then I saw the mound of bedding she piled on top. She is either very lazy or very efficient.