is this normal?

[HarleytheHamster2017]

My hamster Harley has been grooming herself an awful lot lately and it's worrying me. I know that hamsters groom themselves sometimes, but my Harley has been grooming herself too much and too often. I have been asking my family about it, but they assured me that all hamsters groom themselves to stay clean, which i know & understand. But it seems to me like Harley grooms herself too much, cause i see her do that a lot lately and I clean her cage a lot and clean it with soap & water too, hope that's okay, just to get it fully clean & not be dirty for her, without just cleaning the bedding. I also cleaned the bedding in her cage & i changed her food, water, & washed them too & also her exercise wheel. Everything seems to be fine for her. But she still has been grooming herself too much too often. Should i be concerned? Or is she REALLY okay? I care about her so much!

[AmityvilleHams]

It does sound like you're most likely overcleaning,which shouldn't be done regardless of grooming habits.It just leads to a poor immune system(beneficial bacteria getting stripped from the environment,which leads to inadequate if any exposure that would be necessary for a healthy immune system),and stresses hamsters out quite a bit as their scent will always be taken away.

Cleaning really only needs to be done every 3-6 months in adequately sized cages,although with ideal square meter and larger cages and deep enough substrate you'd only need to do a deep cleaning yearly if at all.

Avoid using chemicals and soaps,these really aren't necessary and often do more harm than good.So called pet safe cleaners along with soaps,even if marketed as a natural product,are rarely if ever completely safe.Simply cleaning with vinegar and water is more than adequate for cage cleaning unless you have a hamster that gets a serious contagious illness,and in that case there are ways to clean a cage out without using harsh and dangerous chemical based cleaners!

[Drago]

Do you notice excessive itching, bald or flaky patches, or irritation on the skin? Does she seem aggravated at all? It's mostly likely perfectly normal. I worried over my diet hamster grooming too much as well, and thought that she perhaps had fleas! However, hamsters often spend just as much time grooming as a cat. Rodents are notoriously cleanly animals so it's not really a surprise at all. I would stress yourself out over it

I wouldn't recommend cleaning the cage often, or with soap+water. Maybe one deep clean once a year would be okay, but no more than that is necessary. Hamsters don't see like we do, they use their noses so when their cages get washed and their scent disappears, they can become nervous and show obsessive behaviors (interestingly enough, I've found obsessive grooming can stem from stress!). How large is your cage? How deep is the bedding? Depending upon these two factors, how often you must clean will differ. Some cages can go an upwards of 6 months before needing a cleaning so over-cleaning can really do more harm than undercleaning. When you do clean, only remove 1/4 to 1/3 of the bedding max. You should be spot cleaning daily, which means removing the urine soaked bedding so you can avoid fungal infections and ammonia burns if your hamster were to lie on it. From now on, I wouldn't clean the accessories in the cage either. The wheel can be wiped with a damp cloth once a week or so if your hamster pees in it, and you feel it's necessary, but it really won't hurt them. Cleaning the food and water bowls weekly is perfectly fine though, and is actually very good. Good luck with Harley If you ever have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

[Crystalroborovski]

I would think she's fine, unless she's showing any signs of illness. Is she just grooming or is she scratching? Check her over for red, flakey or irritated skin. My key Lime was grooming more than usual the past couple of days, but he seems to be doing better now.

As for cleaning the cage, a thorough clean like you described isn't necessary nor very healthy for your hamster. The only instance in which you would need to do that is if your hamster had a bacteria or viral illness. You can just spot clean every few days to keep the cage smelling fresh and replace substrate in sections rather than emptying it all out. This causes stress for your hamster as you are wiping away all of their scent. Here's a good video on cleaning by Erin's animals:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5jVnEjrXbww
If you have more questions about cleaning just ask

Try not to worry too much. If she isn't scratching or showing signs of sickness don't be too concerned. Just monitor her and keep us updated. Good luck, and stay calm

[HarleytheHamster2017]

Thank you everyone for the advice & help with this. I have seen Harley stick her feet in her mouth & scratch herself lately. We always thought that her doing that was normal. I did clean her cage with soap & water last time, and her bedding, food dish, wheel, etc cause I thought that giving her a clean cage would be good for her. I'm so sorry! I'm sorry Harley.*tears up sadly*

[Drago]

The foot in the mouth thing is normal grooming behavior too Hey don't feel upset over it, Harley won't hold it against you! You thought you were doing what was best, and she will always feel loved by you. If you ever have any other questions, please feel free to ask

[HarleytheHamster2017]

Thanks Drago.

[AmityvilleHams]

Nobody is perfect,so making mistakes is nothing to feel terrible over as long as you're correcting those mistakes as good owners do I know I've done many things wrong regarding pet care in general,as have pretty much all pet owners!