Why won’t my hamster stop climbing?

[Enyolius]

Hey all! I have a little Syrian (Panda) Hamster named Bolito (spanish for little ball). I’ve had him just about month and a half now? So not very long. I have a few questions, as I’ve been having some problems with the little man.

I started out with a tall, but smaller barred cage. It had 3 levels to it, so it was pretty ideal. He loved the toys and his wheel - and he especially loved to climb the bars! But, even though the pet store owner had told me “Oh, he won’t get much bigger than this!” - he got bigger.

So, I have a 40 gallon terrarium that I stopped using after my gerbils Taiyo & Tsuki passed away. I decided to put Bolito in it. I added bridges, ladders, hide outs, a teter-toter, different kinds of wheels - lots of toys, you name it! I noticed immediately though, he lost all interest in the toys. He just stood outside his house for hours, slept, ate, and stood there some more. He did nothing, and this lasted almost a week!

So, I put him in his old cage with the bars and he went hay wire - climbing everywhere, running on his wheel, playing with his toys. I left him there a few days, then tried the terrarium again. Nope. He just stood there. Like; he looked like the most depressed hamster on the planet.

So!!!!! Today I got him a larger barred cage, it has a 2nd level (barred floor), and these hamster tunnels that run along the outside of the cage - so it doesn’t take up any inside cage space. I added the ladders, bridges, a slide, his teter-toter, his house, some chew toys, wheels - etc. It’s not a tall cage either by the way, only 18 inches tall maybe? But it has a lot of floor space.

I put him in it and he went crazy all over again. Running this way, that way, checking out the tunnels, going on his wheel, running through his teter-toter - you get the idea.

Now, however, he also has been climbing even more - especially upside down. He climbs to the roof, then upside to the center of the roof, and than hangs by one paw until he falls.... and then does it all over again!

I read that climbing is a sign of boredom.... but he seems to be miserable if I take away his climbing (aka a terrarium). I also read though that they can get hurt if they land the wrong way.

So my questions are:

Is Bolito climbing out of boredom? If so - what can I possibly do to clear his boredom? I’ve tried every toy under the sun, and he goes in his hamster ball daily.

Can he get hurt in his cage from constantly falling? If so - what can I do to prevent that from happening, aside from actually taking away the barred cages (and his availability to climb)?

Thank you!

[cypher]

It can take hamsters anything up to a couple of weeks to adjust to a new cage so you probably didn't leave him in the terrarium long enough really.
They will often climb bars & it sometimes out of boredom & sometimes just because they can! You do need to try & stop it somehow as he could be seriously injured if he does fall from the roof of the cage or even from the bars on the side.
How deep is his substrate? It should be at lest 15-20cm preferably more to allow for digging & burrowing, if they can't do this they are more likely to climb the bars.
A lot of toys aren't really of that much interest to them, their main focus is foraging & chewing so scatter feeding rather than using a bowl & hiding food & treats in small cardboard boxes or toys like willow balls an keep them busy & occupied in a good way.
Most love to chew whimzee dog chews if you can get them some will enjoy apple or hazel sticks which you can buy or an occasional dandelion root (not too often though due to it's herbal properties).
If the cage you now have has a barred floor you need to either cover it (cardboard or hemp mat would do) or remove it as it could cause bumblefoot, all surfaces like shelves, levels etc should be solid.
Do you have a photo of your set up? That would help with making suggestions that might help.