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Old 07-01-2018, 11:45 AM   #1
Avelia
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 7
Unhappy unhappy in detolf cage?

hello,

just 3 days ago I got my Syrian hamster a detolf cage, she was in an Alaska cage. Every time she wakes up she's constantly trying to escape her cage for hours. I always let her out of her cage everyday and give her attention/alternate toys. her cage has deep substrate and no end of hides and toys. I'm just wondering if its her wanting to come out and play or is she unhappy? I have dwarf hamsters in a barney cage and they never display this behaviour is it a Syrian thing? I want to give her the best life possible and make sure she's not unhappy.
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Old 07-01-2018, 09:56 PM   #2
cypher
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Default Re: unhappy in detolf cage?

Three days isn't long enough for her to settle in the cage really it can take them a while sometimes & going from a barred cage to a tank will be very different for her, if this behaviour continues & she seemed happier in the Alaska then you could just move her back.
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Old 07-03-2018, 02:36 AM   #3
Pebbles82
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Default Re: unhappy in detolf cage?

Hello. A cage change stresses them initially - usually reckon on 10 days to 2 weeks for her to settle. I would stick it out. Did you move her cold turkey? Some hamsters get very stressed by that (and I'm speaking from experience too!). If doing a cage change it's usually recommended to move all their old bedding across and try and put toys and houses etc in the same place/layout (also without cleaning them) so it all stills smells like home and familiar. These days I also do a transition period - let them play in the new cage a couple of times before moving over - some people do some people dont' and it can depend on the hamster but I've found it helps them settle much quicker. (Like they had a choice lol!)

I'm not sure moving her back to the Alaska now would help if it has all been cleaned out. The important thing now is not to clean anything for at least 2 weeks. Let her re-scent mark. If you have anything you took out of the old cage and didn't clean - an old toy or hide eg - then pop it in.

Now she's been in it 3 days, give her some out of cage time when she looks like she's trying to get out, as you are doing, but stick it out. Check the wheel is working ok and she can access food and water (sometimes they are trying to tell you something when they're stressed). Check the water bottle is working ok.

Also it's very hot at the moment so try putting a ceramic mug in on it's side - somewhere cooler to sit. There is a thread on here about keeping hamsters cool in hot weather.

What tends to help distract them from everything being different - is distracting things like scatter feeding - so you could scatter some food in her cage over the substrate as well as continuing to put it in her food bowl. Also something like a treat parcel to destroy so she can get at the treats. You can make one out of a toilet roll inner, or I also have a hyacinth ball and stick pumpkin seeds under the outer folds so they have to work at getting them out.

If it's a bit exposed in places she might be feeling scared as well. Does she have a house that's big enough for a nest and hoards and is dark inside? A shoebox can make a good house - cut the floor out and sit it on top of the substrate (ie open underneath) and cut a hole for a door near one end of the long side (means the other end is darker inside) and if you put a bendy bridge over the entrance it makes a tunnel entrance and it's darker inside - she may settle more if she has a large dark place to retreat to.

I had this with our last hamster Charlie when we moved him to a larger cage from a small perspex Rotostak thing. It was quite upsetting at first as he was so scared and would sit and shake. We almost put him back in the old one but didn't because he had been getting stuck in the tubes. So we stuck it out. By day 10 he was happy as larry and really enjoying the cage and the space.
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Old 07-03-2018, 02:43 AM   #4
Pebbles82
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Default Re: unhappy in detolf cage?

Cleaning: Even after two weeks I wouldn't do full cage cleans - just spot clean occasionally - you can do this for quite a long time (a few months). With larger cages there is more substrate and no need to change all of it. Also when cleaning any other things, do them at different times. So if the wheel needs a wipe, do it a different week from the spot cleaning, and do any toys etc a different week again. I would also leave the nest and hoards undisturbed. With the shoebox house, the lid can be a lift off roof so you can check inside. If the nest and hoard are pee'd in after the 2 weeks you may need to remove some of it - but replace the hoard with new food in the same place - and put new strips of plain white toilet paper in a pile somewhere else in the cage so she can take them to rebuild her nest. Try and leave a bit of the old nest behind. If it isn't pee'd in just leave it - I leave nests and hoards for a long time - it's their security.

If you use a litter tray with Chinchilla bathing sand in it can also help keep the cage clean and you just need to empty it every 5 days or so. She will use it if you put it in the plac she has chosen to pee. If she chooses a corner of a large house then put the litter tray inside the house.
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cage, unhappy, toys, detolf, give, shes, syrian, play, wondering, life, make, wanting, display, behaviour, thing, hamsters, dwarf, barney, attention/alternate, alaska, wakes, time, hamster, days, ago

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