I'm looking for some advice on a behavioral change in my female Syrian, Chiclet, who is now about a year and 9 months old, and I'm wondering if the behavior is age-related.
Chiclet used to want to come out of her cage on a nightly basis, and I would let her out for a good hour or more, letting her run around protected and blocked-off areas where I put toys, a wheel, little treats, chewing items, homemade tunnels, and I would sit on the floor in that area. She would run around actively, and seemed to enjoy her out-of-cage time. (One delightful thing she would do is "tunnel" herself between me and the wall I was sitting against; perhaps she found it nice and warm!)
Maybe once every few weeks she wouldn't emerge in the evening, but it was an infrequent occurrence.
For the past month or so, however, Chiclet has not been coming out from her burrow except to eat, drink, and eliminate in the little litter box I have for her. I've often seen her do this, but she always immediately heads right back to her nest.
I had taken her to the vet maybe three weeks ago since I wasn't sure if Chiclet was peeing (I wasn't seeing it in the litter box where she usually goes, and could not find it in her nest). The vet examined her and couldn't find anything wrong; she suggested I keep track of her water intake, which I did, and she was regularly drinking around a tablespoon a day. And in the meantime, within a few days Chiclet was peeing again as normal.
I really don't have a sense that she is ill, but I'm wondering if it's a normal part of aging that a hamster stops wanting to come out for exercise and play, and prefers to stay in their nest/burrow. I've tried to coax her out a few times, but she obviously doesn't want to, and I don't want to stress her any more than necessary.
Every few days I briefly do pick her up and examine her as best I can, but she seems to be fine. The only visible difference I can see is that her ears aren't as perked up as they used to be. And it just seems like she definitely has less energy than she used to.
Just to add, since I know it's wintertime, I do consistently keep my home at a comfortable temperature (about 74 Fahrenheit/33 Celsius), so I really don't believe it's cold-weather-related or torpor.
Does this sound like it may be a normal change related to her age? I would welcome any suggestions/advice. This is my first hamster, and I don't quite know what to expect.
Thank you for any ideas you have....