Cage Cleaning

[Almi]

Let's face it. Our hamsters have to sit in their cages almost all the time. When it comes to hamster cages, we always say: bigger is better. However, bigger doesn't automatically mean better. Bigger is only better if you make it better. More space does not automatically equal more stimulation; it only does because it allows the caregiver more space to offer stimulation. To a hamster, there's not much difference between a 30 and 50 gallon tank if they're set up the exact same way. The only difference is the amount of empty space the hamster can navigate.

I've been pondering this lately: which is better, cleaning often, or cleaning seldom? Obviously, larger + more bedding = cleaning less often, but I feel cleaning less often also equals less stimulation. Maybe a smaller (but not too small) cage could potentially be better if it means the caregiver is willing change it around more often to keep the hamster stimulated.

A cage clean means you take everything out and put it back in, giving you a chance to completely rearrange the cage as well as add new items. When you do this, it gives the hamster something to do; it stimulates them. They want to explore the "new" cage, they want to make a new nest, they want to recollect food. I'm sure everyone notices that their hamster suddenly seems to spring to life in a fresh cage.

If you're not cleaning the cage often because there's a lot of space and bedding, is it truly more stimulation? Even though the hamster has more space, nothing ever changes or becomes new to them. To a hamster, spending 6 months in the same setup is the same as you spending 20 years in your house and never moving anything around or getting anything new for that amount of time. A smaller house that changed regularly would probably be more interesting.

For example: kids and toys. I could give my kids ALL of their toys 24/7. In record time, they'd take every single toy out, explore it, and then forget about it. Or, I could keep most of the toys in a closet, and only give them some at a time. Even though they're getting the same toys, it's better because the toys are always changing. When they don't see a certain toy for a few months, that is a long time to them; suddenly it's new again. But if I left it out for them all the time, it would never be new. The idea is to give them "the whole world," of course; but a little at a time, not all at once.

If you have a large cage that you don't scoop out for months, do you constantly change the cage around? Or, do you think it's overly stressful for the hamster, and you think it's better not to clean often? I'm interested to see what you guys think.

[Drago]

I clean my cages once per week and I keep their set ups generally the same, but every month or so I try to switch it around because I do agree that it's boring for them to have the same set up for months, plus it's more interesting to see different ways to decorate your cage! The only things I don't switch around are my hams water bottles, food dishes, and wheel (if it's attached to the sides of the bins, if not I try to move them too) I think changing the hams environments too much causes stress, but it can also stress them if it's too constant as they may begin to feel bored and trapped. Sometimes I'll change it more often if I notice my hamsters are more fidgety and trying to escape as I take this as a sign that they need an environment change.

[Crayolalaura]

Yes this what I think too!
I had the iMac fantasy cage for my Syrians with lots of levels but cleaned them out fully regularly and changed up their upper levels (always left the ground level, where they slept, the same for some continuity and familiarity) and they seemed to love it! They loved exploring new toys/ or re-exploring as I'd altnerate. They enjoyed the new places I'd hide the treats etc

With my dwarf I have upgraded to the Alaska cage and I only plan to spot clean mostly but still intend to change round her area every 10-14 days- providing she is ok with that. If she doesn't like change then I can just do little bits at a time rather than big full on changes.
But yes I do think to myself they must get bored with the same stuff

Of course if you have a play pen set up for them where they have additional toys that works great too rather than changing their house around if that stresses them out

[AmityvilleHams]

I personally just change out a larger toy at a time occasionally,and clean the cage(80 cm x 50 cm temporary bin setup,will be larger and then be even more enriching and more suitable for my Syrian)every 3-6 weeks halfway.While it is the "same" substrate,you're not going to be doing anything healthy by giving hamsters completely new substrate every week or so.That would actually be counterproductive as it is stressful and would do more harm than good and could also cause illness or put hamsters more at risk for parasites and such

It is however fine to do things like adding a new larger toy on occasion instead,or switching these out.Smaller toys and things that aren't so intimidating can be given or changed more frequently,such as having a few different types of chews instead of just one or two.

It's not necessarily true that bigger is more enriching automatically,and that's just common sense I suppose.Think of it this way though,lots of enrichment and minimal open space.A cage could be a square meter in floor space and it would still be boring until there was proper enrichment added,but that being said there are many different things involved with enrichment that if combined do far better than having one or two on their own such as having a large amount of floor space,having a good and varied diet,having lots of enriching chews and toys,deep substrate that is appropriate to burrowing,etc.

[Pebbles82]

Some of it depends on the hamster I think. Some hamsters HATE cage cleans and get very stressed! I agree adding new stimulation now and then is good - I add a different kind of treat or stick pumpkin seeds into the edges of a hyacinth ball, or occasionally add a new toy. The general rule of thumb though is that Hamsters don't like their environment changing and have familiar routes and habits. Our Syrian's favourite place was his rat sputnik and he was often found napping in it late at night. If it moved even a centimetre at cage clean time he would be freaked out!

I think age makes a difference too. Our hammy handles it much better now he's older and more used to it happening. So whether you clean it out every two weeks or every 4 months, it shouldn't matter if it's a smaller or larger cage really.

So personally I would go with adding stimulation but not overdoing the cleaning. Out of cage time in a playpen regularly can also give stimulation and exercise, with the cage being a cosy familiar retreat afterwards.

I think some hamsters are ok with swapping things around, but others would find that very stressful as they find their way around by scent.

[Crayolalaura]

I see a lot about not changing the substrate and doing full cleans often- but I was doing it with my Syrians and my mother has done it with all hers (she hasn't been hamster-less in 36 years and all live a minimum of 2.5 year minus one which had cancer quite young)
So I don't know.
It makes complete sense to NOT disturb their house often and I actually agree with it, but going from personal experience I've not known there to be any problem with doing this. It doesn't seem to make them ill or distress them
It might do with some odd few
And perhaps some people may say they've never known a hamster to not be distressed by it.
Can only go by what your hamster is comfortable with.
Same with hamster balls! I believe I knew of only two hamsters of my mums that hated the ball so they never went in. The others jumped for it. Just put cushions in places they're likely to bump into as best you can cos all that knocking and banging definitely can't be good for them! (That's just Syrians though, dwarves may be more sensitive)
I see a lot of DONT DO THIS DONT DO THAT and a few bits of it is stuff that has been done for years that hasn't really been a problem. Sure things like using newspaper as bedding, and tiny cages, the stuff done in the 80s and 90s with hammies really aren't healthy or enriching but even then, hammies still lived long and without illness (well not the newspaper thing, that dangerous full stop but you know what I mean) However, we as hamster carers feel it's important our hammies are HAPPY too. Hence the large cages, the extensive research, the toys, the love and care
A hamster could live 2.5 years in a tiny cage, but is it happy?

but when it comes to some things- like cleaning and exercise balls- really you can test the waters and see what your hamster thinks and how they respond and go by that

[chesca_27]

I clean Larry-Jasper's cage out every month or so but only replace dirty bedding. After cage cleans, I keep the same toys in but rearrange them (unless something really hasn't worked out) in the cage. I will then swap some of the toys out a week later and rearrange them after every 1-2weeks depending on how bored Larry-Jasper is. Larry-Jasper lives in a 80 by 35cm cage.

Larry-Jasper gets very stressed by having his nest changed but he is naturally a laid-back hamster so is ok with toy switches. He really enjoys climbing on new toys so gets bored of them quickly.

I really don't recommend changing the substrate frequently as it really can stress them out. Also cleaning more frequently in smaller cages isn't a great solution! They have less space for toys and are going to naturally be more stressed with a smaller amount of space.

I disagree, I think using hamster balls is a problem for the hamster. Most are very flimsy, too small for the hamster's back not too arch, have poor ventilation and can hurt the hamster with the ventilation holes. In addition, there is no way for the hamster to get out for food or water or to tell you when they've had enough. Syrians can use a ball on the ONE CONDITION that they are able to have regular breaks for food and water and the hamster actually climbs in themselves. Balls are totally unsafe for dwarfs as it is a huge risk for their tiny feet.

[Almi]

I love that people here have common sense, are open-minded, and recognize that not every situation is or can be equal. The insightful replies are appreciated.

Since we have several hamsters and other pets in the house, I try to be fair to everybody, and that includes the main caregiver (myself). I tend to go for the middle path. Syrians are usually housed in 29, 30, or 40 gallon tanks, and dwarfs are housed in 10, 20, or 30 gallons. I take into consideration the individual needs of the hamster when I set up a tank. I try to use every inch of space in every direction, and fill it up with furnishings and substrate. I bury things so that they will have to uncover them or burrow around them. I feel satisfied when I create a setup and the hamster doesn't uncover every inch of it in one night. I don't switch items out between cleanings as a rule, but often they will get different items and a brand new layout each time the cage is cleaned. The tanks are cleaned out completely an average of every 6-8 weeks. If I set up a cage with less furnishing and/or bedding, I'm more likely to add or switch things between cleanings. If I set up a large cage with a lot of bedding, I'm more likely to clean it less often.

My hamsters always seem "stressed" after I clean their cage. All stress is not bad stress though, and stressed does not necessarily mean unhappy. I think it would be more accurate to say that they are "stimulated." Stress usually indicates something negative. Having to make a new burrow can be stressful, but if you have unlimited time to do it in a safe environment that is familiar to you, it'll probably be more fun than stressful. I think that some hamsters don't react to change as happily as some of them do, but as long as the cage isn't changing at a dizzying pace, I think that changing up the cage is absolutely good stimulation for your average healthy, single hamster.

I think it would be interesting to discuss out-of-cage stimulation on its own thread, if we want to talk about cage size, playpens, and hamster balls.

[Pebbles82]

Wow your hammies sound to have lovely set ups! The whole topic of stress is quite complex I think. I read around about the subject quite a lot when we first got our hammy. German opinion I read was that when they seem excited and extra active that is usually a sign of stress that isn't a good kind. But as owners we can tell usually when a hammy is happy or not and there are degrees of stress too. I think 6 to 8 weeks for cleaning sounds a good middle ground. I personally don't change all the substrate at the same time, to leave some familiar scent, but I know others do or just sprinkle a bit of the old on top.

Hamster balls is always a big topic! My view is - they need the space in the cage at night when they're most active.

[AmityvilleHams]

I think stress is one of those subjects that nobody can seem to agree on completely.Same with cage size and hamster balls,but I personally tend to lean more towards the German way on a lot of things although there are definitely things I wouldn't agree on.

One of the biggest problems I see is that if a hamster makes it known their cage is too small for them,people don't always listen to their hamster and assume it can't possibly be an issue of cage size just because it meets some random minimum.

A sign of stress that might get ignored would be pacing.This can often be mistaken for an excited and happy hamster but the opposite is likely true This can happen in any cage size though,whether it be the current American minimum(450 square inches)or 80 cm x 50 cm or even 100 cm x 50 cm.At the end of the day,it comes down to understanding that even if you get a decent size cage that doesn't mean you'll never have to upgrade.Unfortunately,tons of signs of stress and signs that a cage is inappropriate in some way often get ignored