Hamster keeps climbing bars and presses nose through them

[MSteben]

Hi guys,

I am a new winter white hamster owner.

I have two brothers in a cage that is about 18"x24" . They have two wheels, and plenty of enrichment.

I have had them for a bit over a week now. I have one (named Walter) that is very hyperactive and as I approach the cage, he climbs relentlessly and presses his little nose through the bars. I think he is trying to say he wants to come out to play. Of course I do about half an hour out of the cage at night for both of them with treats and a hamsterball or on my lap, but of course I cannot always let them out.

Should I be worried about this? My assumption is that Walter is really curious and wants to come out and explore but I am also worried he needs his own cage.

Thanks for your feedback

[mangoandmimi]

That is a small cage especially when there are 2 of them in there, and relentless climbing is generally a clear sign they need more room. Obviously if they are climbing a lot it's not ideal as you'd need to set it up safely to try and prevent falls etc. The current cage wouldn't be big enough for even one of them either and unfortunately winter whites do not do well together, they should be considered a solitary species really. Especially as they mature you're likely to see squabbles occurring and with winter whites they can be quite loud too. So the best thing to do would be to separate and find 2 new cages - size wise I think 100x50cm of floor space or more is a good amount of room for each of them, I wouldn't go smaller than 80x50cm or equivalent generally. You might want to look into tanks which are likely to be a better option for you - a 75 gallon would be a good size for example, it allows for both enough floor space and deep enough bedding (at least 6-8 inches of it)

The play time out of the cage is fine, lots of hams love time out of the cage but as he settles into a larger space you will likely find he isn't so demanding. I would also stop with the hamster ball as they're dangerous and stressful for them - just the playpen is fine.

[MSteben]

Thanks, I'll try to make improvements.

Take note: Every single source I read online about winter whites said they can live together but to have an extra habitat "in case". I intended on getting a larger cage regardless, but even the information on minimum cage sizes is conflicting! So all this to say, there is so much misinformation out there even for someone with the best intentions!

[mangoandmimi]

There is a lot of outdated info unfortunately. I wanted to clarify - winter whites are currently not universally considered solitary like Syrians are although it is becoming more widely accepted now especially in Europe. Even in the wild they are often alone and only come together to mate. Yes it is technically possible to house them together but it isn’t in their best interests as they don’t benefit or thrive off each other’s company. The spare cage “just in case” relies on the owner being able to read both hamsters behaviour and split them up at exactly the right time, and even then there have been many cases of fights occurring out of nowhere or when you aren’t watching, and the result is injured hamsters or worse. So yes technically they may be able to live together for some time but the odds are low and you have to ask yourself if it’s a chance worth taking.

The minimum cage size you will find varies from country to country, if Canada follows the US it is probably 450 square inches. On the other end of the spectrum the German minimum is about 800 square inches which is what I choose to follow myself with my own hamsters. But lots of dwarfs also do fine in cages about 600 square inches so it’s up to you I suppose.

[Isleofhamsters]

Your cage is too small. In my opinion a single dwarf needs about 450sq inches of floorspace so the cage should be a lot bigger than what you have.
Make sure there are no platforms as they can lead to territorial issues and you should have two of each item in case you need to separate them.
Hope this helps