Impossible to spot clean + biting bars

[peculiarplanets]

I'm running into a little problem with Jupiter. I can't spot clean her cage witout removing her nest because her spot is in her nest. She's had nests in different places and her spot always moves with her. So in order to clean it, I have to break apart her burrows and I feel like she doesn't like it.

Then there's another problem: Since a few weeks she's been climbing onto things so she can bite the bars of the cage lid. I feel like she may be bored so I take her out free roaming in the hallway a lot. She seems to like it but after a while she starts digging corners in the hallway or tries to dig or chew the bottom of the doors (the slit is too narrow for her to go through). She keeps trying to climb things in the hallway (not that there's much to climb) and after a while I feel like she's maybe stressed so I put her back in the cage and the bar biting begins again. She's very tame and doesn't mind being handled, but she's fast and won't sit still. I feel like she's got a lot of energy but the hallway really is the only big space I can offer her (and it's a really big hallway). I have tried making boredom breakers from toilet paper rolls but she's not too interested in them it seems.

So bottom line: how do I clean her cage without stressing her out and how do I help her become less bored?

[Petite]

I don't know if this is possible, but could you encourage her to have two nests? Then when you disturb one, she can resort to the other, until you disturb that one, and encourage her to return to the first by putting some nesting material in it taken from the one that you're cleaning. May be worth a try?

Could you make changes to the layout of the cage so that she can't climb up to chew the bars? What makes you feel she is stressed in the hallway? Perhaps a play pen in part of the hallway might be an option worth trying?

Very long tubes (ie the type from rolls of wrapping paper) always held a fascination for Theo. Three of those in her playpen would keep her occupied for a good long time. You could have a whole maze of them in your nice big hallway!

[Chicleteer]

Jupiter is a Syrian, right? I used to give my Syrian free-roaming time in my hallway (it’s pretty large, too) and one thing she loved to do was run through tunnels I made of the boxes you get when you buy ten cans of soda or seltzer. I would cut them lengthwise and turn it from a square into a triangle, taping it so it would hold together, and then have several of them along the walls. She used to love running through them and would go from one to the next to the next, over and over. It did seem to occupy her... I also did try toilet roll treat boxes, which sometimes caught her interest and other times did not. (Oh well, you do your best.)
Also, no matter what I put out there to interest her, she would invariably chew on the door bottoms or dig in corners (I have carpeting). It’s just what their nature is, I guess.

[peculiarplanets]

Originally Posted by Petite

I don't know if this is possible, but could you encourage her to have two nests? Then when you disturb one, she can resort to the other, until you disturb that one, and encourage her to return to the first by putting some nesting material in it taken from the one that you're cleaning. May be worth a try?

Could you make changes to the layout of the cage so that she can't climb up to chew the bars? What makes you feel she is stressed in the hallway? Perhaps a play pen in part of the hallway might be an option worth trying?

Very long tubes (ie the type from rolls of wrapping paper) always held a fascination for Theo. Three of those in her playpen would keep her occupied for a good long time. You could have a whole maze of them in your nice big hallway!

Her nests have mostly been burrows so far, so that means I have to create two burrow spaces. Might be worth a shot, but it leaves less room in her cage for other things. The cage is an aquarium and it has a small glass wall which is meant for a filter. She tends to climb on that so I guess I'll have to move everything away from there to make sure she can't climb on it again.

I'm not sure if she's stressed but she starts digging corners furiously or tries to climb on the walls (which obviously isn't possible). It makes me wonder if she wants to get out of there..

The tubes might be an option! I'll try and see if I can make a maze for her

[peculiarplanets]

Originally Posted by Chicleteer

Jupiter is a Syrian, right? I used to give my Syrian free-roaming time in my hallway (it’s pretty large, too) and one thing she loved to do was run through tunnels I made of the boxes you get when you buy ten cans of soda or seltzer. I would cut them lengthwise and turn it from a square into a triangle, taping it so it would hold together, and then have several of them along the walls. She used to love running through them and would go from one to the next to the next, over and over. It did seem to occupy her... I also did try toilet roll treat boxes, which sometimes caught her interest and other times did not. (Oh well, you do your best.)
Also, no matter what I put out there to interest her, she would invariably chew on the door bottoms or dig in corners (I have carpeting). It’s just what their nature is, I guess.

I have some large cardboard rolls from the carpeting I used for three other rooms. I can try and make a tunnel system out of that. She's not very interested in the treat box, so maybe I should try and find another boredom breaker of sorts. I just hope he digging corners and chewing door bottoms isn't a sign of stress. She does it so furiously and with such determination that I worry about it.

[Ria P]

I'm wondering if it would help to make a raised lid so Jupiter can't reach the bars.
I have heard that some hamsters, especially female Syrians, can be hard to please.
She lives in a wonderful habitat and gets out of cage time so really, you are providing everything she needs and she shouldn't be bored.
It could be Jupiter's personality and instincts rather than the environment that causes her trying to escape.

Have you tried a corner toilet with sand placed near her nest with some of the peed on substrate in it?
Not saying that it will do the trick but may be worth a try.

[peculiarplanets]

Originally Posted by Ria P

I'm wondering if it would help to make a raised lid so Jupiter can't reach the bars.
I have heard that some hamsters, especially female Syrians, can be hard to please.
She lives in a wonderful habitat and gets out of cage time so really, you are providing everything she needs and she shouldn't be bored.
It could be Jupiter's personality and instincts rather than the environment that causes her trying to escape.

Have you tried a corner toilet with sand placed near her nest with some of the peed on substrate in it?
Not saying that it will do the trick but may be worth a try.

I can try the corner toilet trick! And what do you mean by a raised lid?

[Pebbles82]

She sounds very active and full of energy! She has escaped once before so seems to be trying it again. As Ria says, she has a lovely habitat. I have a similar issue with Pickle at the moment who pees and nests in the same house compartment. The way I resolved this with other hamsters was to give them a large house that fits a corner litter tray inside and it worked a treat. Or you could try as Ria suggests - putting a corner litter tray in her cage. However hamsters tend to only use a litter tray if you put it in the place they choose to pee. But it's worth a try. Not sure if your set up is the same still but maybe you could put a large house on the right hand side. It would mean losing the sand dish but you'd have the litter tray with sand in, inside the house.

I've found if you give them a house that's big and dark inside, they just move in - especially if you put a bendy bridge over the door as that makes it dark inside and provides a tunnel entrance. eg a shoe box house - I think I mentioned that before - cut the base out of the shoe box and keep the lid as a lift off roof and cut a hole for a door. If you cut the hole at one end of one of the long sides, that works well as the other end is darker (they tend to nest furthest away from the door) and put the litter tray at the back opposite the door. I would just take our her house and sand bath and put the big house there with the litter tray in. Keep back some of her nest that's clean and put it inside the new house and a big pile of toilet paper strips nearby (but not in the house) and a couple of treats in the house - she'll probably just move in and rebuild her nest and use the litter tray Because then she can nest and pee in private in her house and have separate areas for doing it.

It's a bit of a change but I am sure she will find it a good change and the change of habit also helps them develop new habits.

I get these litter trays

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trixie-Corn...qid=1582574044

[peculiarplanets]

Thanks a bunch! I will give it a try when I clean her cage next time. Probably this Sunday. However every time she has chosen burrowing over the houses so I hope she won't do that when she has a bigger place.. Burrows are hard to put a litter tray in. I'll see if I can change the set-up properly. She loves to dig so maybe I can still fit her new digging box in

[Ria P]

I have seen raised lids on detolfs on a german forum. Instead of the lid lying flat on the aquarium those lids have sides making them high enough for the hamster not to be able to reach the top bars or mesh.