Thought I'd start a thread as this evening, Buddy did something that I feel shows hamsters are capable of smart thinking. He was free ranging in our living room (very hamster proofed) and I'd left him some broccoli and babycorn on the floor. He filled his pouches to the brim and then came over to where we were sitting on the sofa and put his paws up as if to ask to be picked up. What he wanted was to be taken to his cage so he could unpouch his grub into his hoard. I thought perhaps it was a fluke but he did it again 5 minutes later with another bit of broccoli! I am a proud ham-mum right now!
Anyone else got a smart hamster, I'd love to hear your stories!
My Myachick is just so lazy that sometimes if I do not wake him up and take him to his downstairs to pee, he would just pee in his nest. So everytime I wake Myachick up and place him at ground floor of his cage, he knew it is his pee-pee time and he will pee, like a spoiled child
Another thing is once he gets into his coconut hideout in the playing cage after waking up, he will not get out. Since I placed some treats inside and he decides to eat treats first and groom himself and fall asleep again! I wanted him to get out to play, so I used some treats to attract him out. The first I managed to get him out by a corn, and the second time and so on I never managed to. That is to say, he knows and remember his experience and he learns from it. IMG_0149 copy.JPG
My male syrian That I had many years ago had a very precise evening routine. I found this out when I was not at work one week. He would wake up at a set time and come out of his house. 1st stop was his pee corner. Then he had a long wash. Followed by food and water, before sitting on his house ready to come out. I could set my watch by his timings.
He was also an escape artist. He got out quite a few times, but somehow climbed into my bed and scratched my leg gently to wake me up, just so he could be taken back to his tank.
Most of my hamsters knew their names and came when called. Most would also come and sit next to me in their ball when they had had enough running about or wanting to go back to their cage for food, water or to go pee.
Newt also stands up and wants to be lifted out when he's had enough playpen time or has full pouches Our last Syrian Charlie, could understand human speech, I swear! Nod for yes
Arun and Gopal know how to charm me into putting them into their play boxes. Gopal with his deep black eyes as he gazes at me in the begging position and Arun by the way he whizzes over to his cage door when I say 'who wants play box time'?
Robin and Kashi both know that my voice in the room means food so will get out of bed to come and see me multiple times a day.
All my hamsters (syrians) respond to their names. One of my past hamsters, Ferdi, escaped under the bath. I sat and called her and was very relieved when she appeared, slightly dusty but unharmed.
Every single one of my Chinese (except Cora) will always rush up to a certain place in their cages just after I’ve put them back in their cages after playtime because they know that is where their seeds will be coming. For most of them it’s their hammocks but for Matthew, it’s his train. If the seeds aren’t there straightaway, they’ll actually sit there and wait for them.
Joshua, my Robo, doesn’t seem to be quite as bright as the Chinese in that respect and tends to just find his seeds later.
Somehow, Georgia had manged to climbed to the top of her 12 inch wheel a few times. In her attempts to escape her cage(when she used to live in the 29 gallon before moved to a converted display case), but I always kept a weight on the lid. I think she might had also figured out if she pees, she'll be placed back into her cage while I clean it up. She had literally peed right next to me during play time at least 3 times and once on my bed.
But for some reason she thought its a good idea to use her nest as her toilet .