Moving bedding around all of a sudden?

[Vierville]

The last two days I've noticed Nanuk (winter white dwarf hybrid) and to a lesser extent Norman (Russian dwarf hybrid) moving their substrate (Kaytee Clean and Cozy) and bedding (torn up toilet roll) around their cages in their mouths a lot. I've never observed this behaviour before.

As an example, Nanuk will gather up a few pieces of Kaytee and take them into his sand box house, then he will emerge and fetch some more and take it into his wooden house, then he will be in there a bit before emerging and fetching some more paper or substrate for his sand box house. He has been doing this throughout the day.

He's been at this for two days now. I've never noticed this kind of behaviour before. Does anyone know why he's doing this?

I was thinking it is weather or season-related? The weather here has been around 32 degrees C for a while and it dropped to about 25 degrees C the last few days but this kind of fluctuation is not uncommon here.

I'm intrigued.

[Ria P]

I'm intrigued too. Sounds like they are building nests. Have you been able to peek inside their houses to see what they are doing with all that paper?
I've seen our Syrian Henry carry paper to his house to insulate the inside walls but that's an unlikely purpose in the heat you live in. He also gathers paper to take to his coconut after he's cleaned it out. Maybe they are having a good tidy up? Have they chucked anything out?

[Charlie Dunn]

Our dwarf ham Boo will move bedding around in his mouth from one bed to the other as the mood takes him. In fact I saw him do it today! He has several beds and they get larger and smaller - he clearly has a plan but I am not privy to it!!!!! X

[peculiarplanets]

My hamster Jupiter has been with me for 4 weeks and I've witnessed her doing this almost every night for the past week. She tends to take it to her house, so maybe she just wants make it more comfortable there?

[Engel]

My hamsters all pouch bedding to form a nests, if anything I encourage it. It's a form of enrichment and a natural behaviour although not every hamster does it.

[Vierville]

They are such funny little creatures

I haven't looked inside the houses but Nanuk's sand box house has a tunnel leading to it and looking down the tunnel I can see that he had completely blocked it off with Kaytee. I can usually see all the way into the sand chamber.

I'm glad that they can engage in this instinctive behaviour, bless their little hearts.

[MaryRobinson]

Definitely instinctive. Mimi tends to grab a mouthful of Carefresh to take back to her bed after getting up to use her sand pit. (I love this working from home thing; i get to see all her little behaviours throughout the day!!)

If i have her out and am wearing anything with dangly bits or ribbon on, she often tries to pouch those up to take home too! One time she got into my box of ribbons and I thought I was going to lose them all!