Hamster lying under his wheel

[hanval123]

Hey! I’ve had my boy now for 5 weeks and everything’s going great! Tonight I just noticed that he burrowed down underneath his wheel and lay under it for about 5 minutes. He looked a bit squashed but seemed reluctant to move as if he was actually comfy. Is he just resting after I’ve handled him?
Also is itching part of their grooming routine?

[Ria P]

Hi and welcome to HC!

Yes, hamster do scratch when grooming. They often wet their paw and then have a good old scratch. Some more than others. Used to worry me a bit at first. As long as their coat and skin looks healthy there's nothing to worry about.

As for the wheel. They sometimes choose odd places to burrow. Make sure the wheel is safe and can't topple on top of him. The wheels of my hamsters sit on top of secure, flat roofed houses and platforms and one is attached to a barred cage. Anything heavy needs to be securely supported in case the hamster burrows underneath.

Was he possibly hiding or chosing a place where you can't get to him? Hamsters don't always want to come out and they are quite good at expressing themselves. One of my hamsters will barricade his door with substrate from the inside of his house or coconut hut when he wants nothing to do with us humans.

What species of hamster do you have and what's his name?

[hanval123]

That makes me feel better! Thank you!
He’s a dwarf hamster and his name is Jiminy 🙂

[VOESSY]

Hello and welcome to the forum.
Off-topic but I just have to say that name is one of the cutest ever.

[hanval123]

Thank you! I think he likes it too!