Grumpy Hamster

RJS · 10-04-2018, 06:51 AM

So I've had Theodore for three months now and I'd say all has been pretty good. I'm learning the ropes and he appears to be content with the routine we've settled into. Each night I'll wait for him to wake (around 10pm) and then take him downstairs to his playbox I call Theordoreville ... here he runs around for a couple of hours before its time for me to go to bed. Last Thursday though, I noticed that he seemed a little "off" but he still had a good time in his box so I thought nothing of it after I'd taken him back to his home

I always look in when I get up in the morning and he's usually already asleep (5:30am) but on this day he was awake and working on a "project". He had built himself a fort and for the first time, was not sleeping in his house. This didn't concern me much but what did, was that he'd peed all over his treats shelf and his treats! This he'd never done before .. so before leaving for work I cleaned the shelf and left a new treat.

On Friday night, he still seemed grumpy so I decided to leave him alone for the night. On Saturday morning he'd moved his fort to a different spot in his cage and sprayed substrate everywhere .. and once again he'd peed on his treat shelf. Cleaned it but left no treat.

Saturday night - same thing but much bigger fort! He'd pulled substrate from every corner of his cage. It was impressive ... but the good thing was no pee on the shelf ...

Sunday night I decided to give him a third night alone ... he was still ignoring me so I figured it was best to no push it. Since he hadn't soiled his treat shelf I left a treat ...

Well on Monday Morning the massive fort was gone and for the first time in four nights he was back sleeping in his house. Substrate had been replaced and his cage looked like it had been raked level! Once again - impressive. Since Monday, he's been his old self .. comes to see me when I approach the cage and climbs out onto my hand when I open the door. He's back to enjoying Theodoreville and its like it never happened

I'm scratching my head ... no cleaning was done, no changes were made, no new food or routines ... but something set him off.

Anyway, I don't expect to ever know at this point and I guess all this was to say - what amazing, complex little animals - little bodies big personalities! I can see why having a hamster can be so addictive!

And so it goes ...

mzwiwy · 10-04-2018, 08:16 AM

So interesting! Thanks for sharing!

mangoandmimi · 10-04-2018, 02:06 PM

Hamsters can do such strange things sometimes! Can be hard to tell what’s set them off too. Chocho is currently doing a similar thing - heaving all bedding into an underground shoe box and seemingly making a second nest for no apparent reason. Sometimes it’s the temperature that does it or maybe they had a little scare.

larry ben kenobi · 10-04-2018, 06:31 PM

omg my friend's ham, a male syrian, does this every time she changes his cage -- builds the forts, pees on his treat bar or puts it in his potty. when i was hamsitting him he peed on his hoard whenever i tried to remove fresh food he hoarded. my female syrian never hoards fresh food, but we have more of a routine of eating it during out of cage time.

theodoreville sounds adorable though!

Chicleteer · 10-05-2018, 05:46 AM

Thanks so much for this message and your story! It makes me feel better about life with my own hamster. Chiclet has lately been “moody” and doing similar unpredictable things despite my best efforts to do everything right. I’ve been scratching my head over it and trying to second-guess my ham over and over, getting absolutely nowhere… I wish you well with your Theodore! Good luck. Little bodies, big personalities… Yep, that’s surely says it all!

JennySTL · 10-05-2018, 08:38 AM

They really are such fascinating little creatures! Thank you for sharing this...makes me feel better about my Teddy's quirkiness!

Rads · 10-05-2018, 11:24 AM

Love the fort building, Ghost can be quite moody especially after I have to give his cage a clean, he normally behaves after a cage clean like a stroppy teenager, he had pulled down all his ramps and bridges , scattered his bedding about and made two new nests, and has also made a labyrinth of tunnels. I have no idea where he is when he wakes I just have to watch for a little head poking up from his Kaytee substrate or listen for his wheel to start squeaking.