How long can I go without cleaning my cage?

[Black_Inky_Eyes]

Basically, with my last cage which was around 850 sq inches, I cleaned it every month and a half. However, with my current cage, it's 119cm by 79 cm and from what I remember is near 1457 sq inches. Obviously, I can go longer without doing a full cleanout but I'm not sure how long. I read somewhere that I can go as long as 5 months but that seems a bit farfetched. I do spot cleans every other day and fluff up the bedding and rearrange the cage toys every 2 weeks. Any advice how long I can go without cleaning the Large Living World Eco Green Habitat?

[Pebbles82]

I can imagine you could go 5 months with spot cleaning, especially if the hamster uses a litter tray. However, hoards tend to really build up in that time, and take over the bottom of the cage, and even if not pee'd on, could maybe get a bit humid and start to deteriorate - so I'd say 3 months for a partial substrate change, at which time you could "prune" the bottom 2/3 of the hoard! I say partial- you could probably still replace half the substrate (the bottom half probably, and mix it in with the new that's added).

I wouldn't spot clean every other day unless it's really necessary as it does seem to upset hamsters if it's done too often - I empty the litter tray every 2 to 3 days but let the hamster fluff up the substrate

I also wouldn't recommend rearranging the cage at all to be honest - some hamsters absolutely hate anything being moved, even an inch. They likethe familiarity of knowing what is where, andit also helps them find their way around as they scent mark everything to create a kind of route to follow. Adding the odd new thing goes down well but moving things doesn't go down well usually. I think of it as their home and territory - we need to maintain it and make sure it's safe and usable but we shouldn't mess too much with their stuff

[Black_Inky_Eyes]

I may have explained that badly. The wheel, bottle, food & water bowls and his favourite hideout which he nests in are never moved. I just rearrange toys and maybe replace the odd one. Is that okay?

[Pebbles82]

I wouldn't do that - I wouldn't move a thing! Our robo gets very upset if I move anything - they get familiar habits. Our last syrian would get completely neurotic if I moved anything even half an inch! They really do need to have a set up and have it left like that for them. It's our human instinct to want to change things and refurbish them but hamsters - if they like the set up - just want it to be familiar and the same - they don't do well with change at all.]

You do hear about people changing things around to stop them getting bored. But it is more just a human thing. I might make the odd change after 9 months or a year - for practical reasons - recently I had to remove levels from our Syrian's cage and have it set up safely for an older hamster - he was not happy at all and went awol for a while. They get over it, but it doesn't help their bond with you and it can be stressful if things change regularly.