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Old 05-28-2016, 09:38 AM   #1
Baby Grrr
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Unhappy My hamsters over hoarding

Hey guys it's been such a long time since the last time I've been on... update I got a new hamster, his name is Misha... any who, I cleaned out his cage today and I found a ridiculous amount of food in his home part of cage. What should I do to stop it?
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Old 05-28-2016, 10:14 AM   #2
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Default Re: My hamsters over hoarding

Maybe feed a it less often or give less food when feeding. They need a hoard. Remove food that has gone bad from the hoard. If you have to remove the whole hoard replace with fresh food.
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Old 05-28-2016, 10:31 AM   #3
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Hi there. It sounds pretty normal to me I sometimes wonder what to do with the enormous hoards as well. I don't think it would do any harm to reduce the amount slightly from underneath As your hammy is quite new he is probably still a little but anxious that there may not be enough food one day so he is stockpiling lol. Once they get more relaxed and recognise that food is put out for them all the time - he may hoard a bit less. Always leave most of the hoard if you can or he may start peeing on it if he thinks someone is stealing it! But reducing it slightly from underneath could be a plan. As long as he is happy

As CMB says maybe put slightly less in his food bowl each time - but enough that he doesn't think there will be a shortage! I find the more food I put out, the more he hoards! If it's there, they will hoard it. I put about a tablespoonful a day out - put half in his bowl and scatter the other half in his cage - they have fun foraging for it.

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Old 05-28-2016, 10:46 PM   #4
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Default Re: My hamsters over hoarding

Some hoard more than others & it can seem a bit much sometimes but they do need to have a good stash to feel secure so don't remove too much!
How much are you feeding & how often?
A little Russian will probably only eat about 1 teaspoon of food a day, sometimes a little more so if you allow for maybe two teaspoons a day that should be about right.
Be careful about not over cleaning the cage or removing too much nest material when you clean as well as leaving the hoard intact as this can make them feel a bit insecure & may lead to hoarding even more.
I mostly leave the stash alone, just check for any fresh food like veg & remove that if you find any.
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Old 05-28-2016, 11:15 PM   #5
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Default Re: My hamsters over hoarding

Normally, when a ham comes home for the first time, they are quite nervous and/or are unsure as to whether there'll be more food.

If they are nervous, they will hoard a lot at the beginning to make sure they have a steady supply of food and don't have to come out in the open to collect more. If they are unsure as to whether there'll be a steady supply of food in the bowl then they'll hoard as much as they can to make sure they don't run out.

I find that, after a week or two, they settle down and reduce their hoards. Some are just super-hoarders though!
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Old 02-18-2017, 12:49 PM   #6
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Default Re: My hamsters over hoarding

I agree with the others who have already commented. One of my hamsters hoards the food as soon as I put it into the bowl, I decided not to feed her as often, this has made her eat the food and not hoard it as much, resulting in less food waste
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Old 02-21-2017, 05:55 AM   #7
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Default Re: My hamsters over hoarding

Hoarding is normal. To stop the food going to waste I'd only feed when there's none in the bowl or hoard store. Keep checking the hammy store
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Old 02-21-2017, 06:02 AM   #8
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Default Re: My hamsters over hoarding

I agree with the above answers, it's normal behavior for a hamster to hoard. I wouldn't limit his food to when his store is emptier as this will only encourage him to hoard away more due to the fact that he may think food is scarce and that he must compensate. Some hamsters love having huge stores. My ham Duncan takes his entire bowl of food and hides it and will only eat it after everything has been properly cached away. As serendipity said, giving half in the bowl and scattering the rest is a very good idea! This encourages natural foraging, will lower his hoard, and then you won't need to limit his food intake. Best wishes
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Old 02-21-2017, 07:14 AM   #9
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Default Re: My hamsters over hoarding

Hoarding is entirely normal behaviour!

Inky will immediately hoard anything in sight, regardless of the necessity of it! I just keep an eye on her hoard to try and stop it from becoming too ridiculous in size. I scatter feed a small handful of Harry Hamster a couple of times a week, but when I come to clear her out there's still a substantial hoard left behind.

To be honest though, half of that might be miscommunication between me and Inky's dad - and she'll tell anyone who will listen that she hasn't been fed or played with in at least a month (regardless of the reality!) so I suspect she has been fed twice before now....

Anyway, in essence, feed less! They don't need a full bowl constantly, and indeed many of us scatter feed (sprinkle food around the cage) as that way they have to search for it.
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Old 02-21-2017, 11:04 AM   #10
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Default Re: My hamsters over hoarding

I use lab blocks and seed mix and some times I don't give them any seeds forcing them to eat their lab blocks. Then I'll give them only a little seeds so they still have the pleasure of stashing food but also eating from it once the seed supply is stopped of limited.
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