Female Syrian hamsters... do they get PMT!?

[MaryRobinson]

So, I've noticed some really interesting behavioural patterns from Dora and I wondered whether anyone else has seen the same thing.

I've read that females come on heat every four days (yikes!) and from the evidence of her poor swollen up lady parts for a day every week, this seems to be the case; 5 days with her. I notice that she is very 'hyper' the day before, and also then or the next day will drive me crackers by digging at the carpet in the corners of her play pen. (She doesn't do this any other time!) I wonder if it's a nesting instinct? When she's on heat she also seems to sleep more. (Don't blame her!) and is grumpier the day before, being less inclined to be handled or stroked.

(Am I spending too much time observing her?!!

I've also seen that since we moved her into her brand new IKEA home from the small P@H wire cage we adopted her in, she seems less inclined to get up and sleeps in her cosy Rodipet house much more deeply. I don't know if it's a coincidence as it's winter, or whether she's just happier and less stressed? I don't think it's a problem; she loves her new house and as soon as we put her in there, she stopped moving her bed / hoarde / wee corner around like she did in her cage, so seems more settled.

Anyway, two separate things - would love to hear your experiences of 'hamster watching'!

[SKB_Hamsters]

I also love to study the behaviours of Pumpkin and my past hamsters - and I have learnt a lot from it.

My Pumpkin has a pattern she has 2 hyper days and 2 sleepy days in her 4 day heat cycle. When she has her hyper days she is a right trouble maker (she often enjoys digging more, chewing things up) but also love to be fussed over and cuddled more - this is the days when she normally stands when I'm stoking her. Then the next two days - she is calmer and often doesn't want as many cuddles. Pumpkin also often decided to return to her house earlier in the evening.
Tonight is a hyper day!


I experienced a similar thing with Pumpkin when I moved her into her DIY IKEA cage - when she was initially house in her barred cage she would often wake up if I walked past her cage and often sleep in the doorway of her house but once she moved into her new cage she slept better and more deeply (although still a fairly light sleeper but she doesn't wake up when I walk past her cage).
It sounds like your girl is enjoying her rodipet house and new cage!

[Pebbles82]

I think you're right and it is interesting observing their behaviour! They do love houses that are dark inside and she probably loves the Rodipet house. She'll have less to do in terms of sorting her toilet corner etc, so you could add other interests to get her out and about more. Although I think sleeping more and staying in the house more is very much a winter thing - our Syrian isn't out as much either, except at feeding time if I'm late when he sits on his shelf waiting for the piece of veg to appear!

Is it a detolf she is in? She probably uses all of the space at night during their most active time, but as it's a lot more space than she had before she may feel a bit exposed in the cage. With a large cage it's important to have plenty of overhead cover. The Germans often fit a long shelf along the back, the whole length of the tank - the hamsters can then go from one end to the other under cover if they feel a bit exposed.

Another option is to fill up the floor space with large toys and tunnels but keep one end with very deep substrate for digging in, which effectively reduces the amount of the rest of the floorspace so the amount of toys doesn't get excessively expensive!

I think large cork logs work really well in large cages. Have two in our 100cm Barney. The medium sized Rodipet ones are good. They are light so don't sink in the substrate (in case they're tunnelled under) - they make a nice large dark tunnel for travelling about the cage, and also make an interesting thing to climb over with an interesting texture so the cage floor is less flat and more of a climbing obstacle course in places!

I do tend to stick the cork logs in a plastic bag in the freezer for a week though, just in case there's anything living in them! They often have bits of hard moss etc stuck to them but it's not harmful and none of our hamsters has ever chewed it anyway. I also bought a bag of cork pieces (about 5" square) which you can lean against a cork log to make a hide or another ramp, or stack them like steps.

So I'd go with 2 or 3 large cork logs or tunnels on the floorspace, a different level of substrate at one end of the cage, and if you can, a long narrow shelf along the back. Just a piece of plain pine wood with dowel legs glued on is all that's needed. Although if it's a detolf it could maybe be half the length.

These might give some inspiration

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125312...6/14203399270/

This one is for the shelf idea - not good with no lid!

https://animalhomes.tumblr.com/post/...e-hamster-cage

They do need a platform somewhere really in a large cage - something to sit under and climb on.

Apologies if you know all this already! Winter does make a big difference though, as does room temperature. Ideally the room would be at 20 degrees all the time - if it drops below that they do tend to snuggle in bed. I even have a little oil filled heater on a timer that comes on for an hour or two during the night.

[MaryRobinson]

It’s really interesting, isn’t it!? Thanks guys!! Dora is very particular and if I give her a treat in her home, she grabs it and takes it to plop into her bowl!! She loves collecting any new tissue bedding and stuffing it immediately into her bedroom! So cute!

Aw, thanks so much for such thoughtful replies. Yes, it’s a natural set up so she has lots of digging areas, levels and hides; I love the idea of the cork pieces too so will definitely investigate those as well as the tunnels; I have those wooden half tunnels for reptiles but not cork: good thinking.

I love watching her little personality shining through. Though I’m very glad humans don’t go through a time of the month every four days!!!