Blocking tubes with bedding

Mortiana · 01-20-2016, 12:08 PM

My new hamster has started blocking off her tubes with a mixture of wood shavings and bedding material. For the first 3 weeks she was fine but the last few nights she's started doing this, and when it's blocked she doesn't have access to her other cage. Can anyone help with why she's doing it and whether I should leave it for her to unblock herself?

Angie B · 01-20-2016, 03:11 PM

Skittle used to do this too, I think that sometimes they can be quite stupid!

I did unblock the tubes for him because sometimes they were packed solid and even I had trouble unblocking them, even though hamsters by nature are diggers, but I just couldn't leave him to struggle - or get stuck trying.

All hamsters do it. You will find that she will go through phases of not blocking them up but then revert back to blocking them up, there's nothing you can do other than gently intervene and shake it all out for her (if you want to).

I did, as I say, and to be honest I'm glad I did. Skittle wasn't best pleased but then it gave him something to do finding his stash of food etc again to block it all up with that night afterwards! We had a kind of circular block/unblock/block thing going on for quite a while!

I've just enlarged your picture - they are quite blocked and if she's blocking off a water or food supply then you absolutely must intervene in my humble opinion.

Mortiana · 01-20-2016, 04:43 PM

Well I left her to wake up and went back about 2 hours later and she had managed to unblock it all herself. Think I'll keep an eye on her and just make sure she can do it herself before intervening. And she has a source of water, food and bedding in both cages so she's never cut off from them.

Thanks for the reply

cypher · 01-20-2016, 11:15 PM

If at all possible I would just remove the tubes, if they get that blocked she may have trouble unblocking them, sometimes they store food in the tubes & pee & sleep in there all of which makes a pretty unhealthy mix!
With new hams tubes can make taming a bit difficult too as they sometimes hide in the tubes & getting them out can be very stressful for both of you.
If you do remove them she should soon get used to the change & there are plenty of things you can put in the cage for her to enjoy which won't cause this kind of problem.

Mortiana · 01-21-2016, 02:40 AM

well she unblocked the tubes by herself last night, and then was filling them back up at 5am!! I'm at work tonight so going to get my mum to make sure they're unblocked before she goes to bed.

and i can't really remove the tubes, she has a small cage and a medium cage which are joined together using those tubes. i am purchasing a hamster heaven today but theres still going to be 2 cages joined together via tubes.

souffle · 01-21-2016, 05:58 AM

Once the Hamster Heaven arrives I'd set it up without any access to the tubes and little top house until she has settled in and she has established a nesting area in the main cage and is using it consistantly. They you can try attaching the other parts but not till she is tame and well set up with her housekeeping.
It is really very unhealthy for them to have the tubes blocked as condensation builds up due to them breathing in the tubes and it gets damp and mould grows which can cause nasty chest infections.