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Old 10-20-2019, 04:14 PM   #1
babysecretyoyo
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Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Bristol
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Lightbulb My first hamster (roborovski) doesn't do nesting

Hi, this is my first time posting here. This is my first time having a hamster and it is a roborovski. Adopted it because it has been in the adoption place for almost a month and no one wants it (it is such a cute and nice little boy) just because the description of him shows he needs extra care which actually was that he was bitten by other robo in the cage where they sell them, so he was to have some bite injuries on his back but they are all cleared by the time i notice he is still in the store available for adoption. He is about 6 months old.

I brought him home and have him in my DIY bin cage, he seems to be happy, having thick Kaytee C&C + Carefresh white mixed together as bedding. He loves burrowing. But I never seen him stuffing his pouch or using his hideout (it is a Kaytee igloo hideout which is quite large). He eats straight at the food dish. He just normally sleeping in/under the bedding after he burrows in. I have some kitchen towel/paper strips in his cage but he never use them for nesting.

Are these normal?


Another question, I have seen a lot reviews comparing bedding Fitch vs Carefresh, but no Fitch vs Kaytee. How is Fitch comparing with Kaytee?
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Old 10-21-2019, 10:59 AM   #2
Kyrkogrimr
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Default Re: My first hamster (roborovski) doesn't do nesting

There are some hamsters that prefer open nests, from what I can tell, so that is a possibility to consider. However, you might want to try him with a few different types of hideouts in case he is a particularly discerning (picky) little guy. I've seen lots of people use cardboard boxes to good effect; I recently had a cage set up where I buried a cardboard box under the substrate and covered the entrance with a bendy bridge for privacy and Cadmium loved it.

You might want to think about the materials the hides are made of or the layout; some hamsters can be very uncomfortable in a hide that only has one doorway, so maybe try a hide with multiple exits?

Failing that, a deep layer of substrate might be his preferred option; I've had cage set ups where Cadmium has ignored every single one of her hides in favour of a burrow she dug herself.

As for the igloo, is it opaque or translucent? Being able to see unclear shapes moving around outside might be unsettling? Or I may be anthropomorphising there Also worth noting that an igloo has one entrance/exit - I'd probably try offering him something with two or more exits.
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Old 10-21-2019, 11:13 AM   #3
babysecretyoyo
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Default Re: My first hamster (roborovski) doesn't do nesting

That sounds like a good idea! Yea the igloo is super large compare to its size and translucent almost transparent with only one exit. Maybe I should try to DIY a cardboard corner hideout with more exits.



Quote:
Originally Posted by Kyrkogrimr View Post
There are some hamsters that prefer open nests, from what I can tell, so that is a possibility to consider. However, you might want to try him with a few different types of hideouts in case he is a particularly discerning (picky) little guy. I've seen lots of people use cardboard boxes to good effect; I recently had a cage set up where I buried a cardboard box under the substrate and covered the entrance with a bendy bridge for privacy and Cadmium loved it.

You might want to think about the materials the hides are made of or the layout; some hamsters can be very uncomfortable in a hide that only has one doorway, so maybe try a hide with multiple exits?

Failing that, a deep layer of substrate might be his preferred option; I've had cage set ups where Cadmium has ignored every single one of her hides in favour of a burrow she dug herself.

As for the igloo, is it opaque or translucent? Being able to see unclear shapes moving around outside might be unsettling? Or I may be anthropomorphising there Also worth noting that an igloo has one entrance/exit - I'd probably try offering him something with two or more exits.
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Old 10-21-2019, 12:45 PM   #4
Pebbles82
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Default Re: My first hamster (roborovski) doesn't do nesting

I think this is quite normal with robos - they burrow under the substrate. He probably does have a nest down there - eventually I found a cosy burrow lined with the torn up toilet paper strips I put out. So put toilet paper strips out They are so tiny it is hard to see if they have pouched anything. Our robo ignored all houses until I got him a labyrinth house with rooms and it was dark inside - mimics a burrow - and he moved into that. However he kept two nests - one in there and his original one near the wheel underground. I called it his emergency nest! If I did anything in his house - ie spot cleaned he would move out and into the other nest. If I spot cleaned near the wheel he would move out and back into the labyrinth house
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Old 10-21-2019, 01:51 PM   #5
babysecretyoyo
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Default Re: My first hamster (roborovski) doesn't do nesting

Yes the Igloo is large compare to its size, translucent almost transparent and only one exit, maybe thats why he never use it. Maybe I will try to use cardbox to make a two way house for him. Is glue made of flour and water strong enough to hold cardbox pieces together? He's not much of a chewer.
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Old 10-21-2019, 01:52 PM   #6
babysecretyoyo
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Default Re: My first hamster (roborovski) doesn't do nesting

Yes! He does mainly sleep under those two spots but he don't drag the pieces of kitchen towel under, he just burrows and sleep like a cute baby when i see him in the corner turning around to find his comfortable position hahaha
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Old 10-21-2019, 03:29 PM   #7
Ria P
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Default Re: My first hamster (roborovski) doesn't do nesting

I also have an adopted Robo who has a nice wooden house which he uses as an entrance to his underground sleeping chambers. He goes into his house and then his tail disappears down a hole.

My other adopted dwarf ignores his house completely and has a few entrance holes leading to his underground layer. He made little caves under a table and a bridge.

My Syrian however loves his house, he built a huge, cosy nest and never sleeps anywhere else.

Just go along with whatever your hamster choses to do and don't worry about where he sleeps. He'll sleep wherever he feels most comfortable.

After spot cleaning my Robo moves into his coconut for a couple of days and then moves back underground.

All perfectly normal hamster behaviour.

Substrate: i use Kaytee clean & cozy now and have tried various others. It's absorbent and soft, ideal for hamsters who like to burrow and it's economical because it expands a lot when fluffed up. Great stuff.
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kaytee, time, fitch, bedding, cage, hideout, comparing, nesting, hamster, roborovski, adoption, carefresh, happy, loves, pouch, burrowing, mixed, c&c, thick, stuffing, white, food, strips, towel/paper, kitchen

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