Unsuitable bed

[BethandLil]

You may have seen in my posts that I recently upgraded Lil's house - a lovely big wooden one recommended by Serendipity

Well Lil has decided to set up shop in a teeny ceramic pot I leave in the cage for if she needs a cool down.

Although it has been warm for the last month, it hasn't been for the last few nights which is how long she has been nesting there.

I try and coax her towards the wooden house when I put her back in her cage but she's not very interested.
I've put shredded tissues in and also a couple of treats to incentivise the move in.

The pot is tucked under the pink shelf in her cage but isn't totally in the dark.

So do you think-

A) She knows what she's doing and what she wants and there must be a reason she has chosen the pot (i.e she's hot) and I should leave her to it

Or

B) I should remove the pot and put that bedding and food cache in the new house to force the transition?

I'm inclined to leave her to it (I think I may be a meddling mum!) but everytime I look in and see she's squished in that tiny pot it looks like she's sleeping rough next to an abandoned mansion!

[cypher]

They can do daft things sometimes!
It's usually best to just let them get on with it & sort themselves out tbh.
Which house did she have before? It may just be that the house is new & it'll be a while before she takes to it, if she still won't use it after a couple of weeks or so it might be worth considering something different.

[BethandLil]

She just had the two very small built in hideaways on the platforms in her cage.

One is still there and the pot has always been in there, just in a new location.

You would suggest buying a different house rather than removing the alternatives ?

[cypher]

I wouldn't be in too much of a rush to do anything really, the new house should be much better for her than the hideaways on the platform so just give her a bit more time to get used to the change & see if she'll take to it.

[BethandLil]

Cheers. Fingers crossed!

[Pebbles82]

I should also leave her to it - it sounds like a combination of heat (our last hammy used to spend all night in a ceramic pot when it was hot) and also adjusting to the change. She has probably investigated the house and is making her mind up. I think it helps to add a bendy bridge over the door, which makes a sort of tunnel entrance and makes it dark inside - whenever I've done that, a hamster has moved in But she may not move in straight away if it's hot.

[BethandLil]

Ah yes, I remember you saying about a bendy bridge.
I'll do that.

[AprilPearl]

Don’t know if this will help, but Quigley ignored his house until I took some of the bedding out. I think he didn’t realise he could go inside until the door was completely open!

I wouldn’t say it is something to worry about. She has the option, and sometimes hams like to do their own thing. She may well discover her house in a week or two

[Pebbles82]

It makes a ramp onto the roof as well Try putting some more food inside it as well - maybe a treat and some hamster mix. And a pile of bedding near the house.

[BethandLil]

Thanks for all the tips guys. I'll try them out asap