obsessive water bottle licking

[emma g]

I've had rose for just over 2 weeks, she is a dwarf Russian hamster. For the last 3 days she is obsessively licking her water bottle. She's in a bin cage and has a water bottle in a wooden cube. I've changed her water bottle to a small 'mouse' size bottle but she just licks the top. She climbs on the cube to lick the plastic bottle. I'm very confused as to why she would do this, and concerned she might start chewing it. She is drinking from the bottle spout and I keep checking it is working and that's shes not chewed any holes in it. When she did it tonight I had just changed the water - maybe it was cool?!? She had a drink then spent the next 5 mins licking the bottle and has now gone back to bed. I've not seen her chewing it, just licking. Any ideas as to why she would do this or advise on what I can do to stop this behaviour?

[Pebbles82]

It might be something to do with wanting to get cool as it's been hot and humid recently. I shouldn't worry about it, or try to stop it, as long as she can't fall and hurt herself on anything. You could put something in the cage to help her cool down maybe. Something ceramic or terracotta, so she can sit somewhere cool - a large mug or terracotta plant pot or something. You could put it in the fridge for a while each day before she wakes up if it keeps being hot and humid. They do do some funny things!

[cypher]

Is there any condensation forming on the bottle when you put the cool water in? If there is she may be licking that off, they can get some odd habits sometimes but as Serendipity says as long as she can't hurt herself by falling or anything it sounds pretty harmless to me.