New hamster! What's up with it?

[Kaiden08]

Hi I'm new here and I haven't had a hamster since I was a kid that was awhile ago! So my daughter wanted one and petco had a 6 month old hamster for adoption worker said family didn't want her anymore 😞 So we decided to get her ! She is sweet makes a honking sound let's up handle her but gets skittish... my question is is it normal she constantly building her nest? She puts bedding in cheeks and go on an an on building and brings food too! I don't remember my hamsters doing this to this extreme! I just had to practically pull her from her bed because it needed cleaning...when I put her back in she walked around honking biting her wheel lol and her peanut house then back to building and taking food from her bowl!

[Drago]

Hello and welcome to hamster central!

It's perfectly normal for a hamster to obsess over their nest. All hamsters are very particular about how they want their nests, but some are even more OCD about it! How often are you cleaning? Cleaning too often can stress your hamster out quite a bit so I wouldn't clean more than what is necessary. How large is your cage? Depending on your cage size and bedding depth, you can sometimes go months without having to clean! Remember that you should never remove their nests when cleaning as it will definitely upset your little one. Only remove 1/4 to 1/3 of the bedding at any one time so as not to stress her. As for handling her, its normal for a younger hamster (especially one that wasn't handled much as a pup) to be skittish and aloof. With time she should become more outwardly friendly towards you Good luck and if you have any other questions, please ask!

[Thin Lizzy]

Hello & Welcome to HC.
Cleaning the nest can be quite stressful for hams, try and avoid it and if you really need to, don't use any strong cleaning products as they like to be able to smell their scent. I only use warm water when cleaning the nest and I always keep a bit back to mix in with the new.