House for Aggressive male hamster (possible cage rage?)

barrattg · 06-01-2019, 01:13 PM

I have had a male hamster adopted from a rescue store at 12 weeks old, at first he seemed territorial and will bite anything in his cage, I feel that his cage is big and enriched enough (change out toys and add sticks to chew, has balls and a wheel, 2 bridges and a place to hide). Is it possible that he's still experiencing cage rage, any suggestions would be appreciated.

I have the following attached house for my hamster dimensions are (99x31cm x42cmheight).

I have tried bonding by sitting in a corner with him blocked off on my floor, and though he seems less bitey while in the corner, he'll still nibble stuff, and while in a large pop up playpen he will dig and bite corners and try to jump out.

He seems happy enough when in a hamster ball, but still tries to bite anything he bumps into.

Does anyone thing a much larger cage would be beneficial, or any ideas to get him to be less aggressive and more sociable would be good.

Thanks!

alpacassei · 06-01-2019, 01:46 PM

89x31cm is actually pretty small. The dimensions work out smaller than 70x40cm

I’d try upgrading to a 100x50cm cage tbh

What species is he? I have alot of experience with aggression in Russians but not so much with the other species tbh and all species behave very differently

barrattg · 06-01-2019, 01:51 PM

The measurements are taken from bottom of cage, so actual width is larger as it tapers upwards, It seems to be an extremely large xmas tree storage box that has been changed into a hamster cage. (edited as length is 99 sorry ). Unsure why image isn't posting. He is a syrian.

alpacassei · 06-01-2019, 02:01 PM

Ah, I know which box you mean! I use the same one as a transition cage for nervous hamsters. It’s definitely on the smaller side for a syrian though. I’d upgrade to something like the Barney https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small...r_cages/189303

Hopefully someone who has more experience with Syrians will comment soon with advice!

barrattg · 06-01-2019, 02:05 PM

Thanks for your input, I was going to just build one out of some diy material to make it huge.

Pebbles82 · 06-02-2019, 01:30 AM

Are you in the Uk? Assume it is a Syrian Hamster we’re talking about? The floor space is quite important to allow normal behaviours and exercise and adequate enrichment. So the depth of the cage is quite important - even if the sides slope out near the top, it is the base he is using for digging/roaming etc.

If you’re in the uk there are some great cage choices that aren’t too expensive. In face 80 x 50 would be better than 90 x 30 due to the proportions. 100 x 50 would be good. Or bigger if you think you can do that, but with a very large cage it’s important to set it up so there aren’t large open spaces to much or exposed from above too much - lots of floor toys and large tunnels and a shelf or platform is good.

If you’re thinking of diy have a look at the London tutorial on YouTube (ikea hack) although I think it can work out a bit expensive.

I would upgrade him ASAP, give him a couple of weeks to settle without disturbing anything then start again with taming.

I wouldn’t swap things around or change them - that is more likely to make things worse. So unless something is broken or there’s a safety issue, best to leave well alone and just “spot clean “ the pee area every few days avoiding big clean outs. You can easily go 6 weeks or more without cleaning everything if you spot clean. When you do change the substrate, try to replace a bit of the clean old (sprinkle on top) so it still smells familiar. Don’t clean anything else at the same time - so wheel and any other toys can be done as and when needed infrequently.

The other thing that can drive them crazy (apart from messing with their “stuff”!) is anything scented or strong smelling. There is no need to disinfect the cage unless there has been illness or disease. A warm damp cloth is fine or a tiny bit of washing up liquid in the water for cleaning. But then rinse well.

Edit! That should say Linmon - not London!

Pebbles82 · 06-02-2019, 01:32 AM

They din’t do well with any kind of change or removal of their scent, hoard or nest. They czar be left alone for quite a long time unless pee’d in. So also best to leave the cage in the same location all the time too and not move it.

barrattg · 06-02-2019, 05:30 AM

Brilliant, thanks for the response, bought the barney cage will be arriving soon, and ill follow your advice re: retaming etc.

Pebbles82 · 06-02-2019, 08:54 AM

He'll love that

Our Syrian is in it. It does take quite a lot of substrate to fill the base but the more you have in, the less often you need to change it so it actually works out cheaper. I go 3 to 4 months before needing to change the substrate. Our hamster uses his litter tray so I just empty that every few days and refill it with sand

(Needs to be chinchilla bathing sand although some people use childrens play sand from argos which is also sterilised).

So my big tip would be a litter tray. Wait to see where he chooses to pee in the new cage (often a corner of the cage/under the shelf) and put the litter tray there and he should use it.

I use these - they fit well in a corner and the high back means everything stays in the litter tray.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trixie-Corn...VR6S0AM6KMDWZZ

The other thing is to check his wheel is big enough. Most people use an 11" or 12" wheel for a syrian. The diameter needs to be 8" minimum. The Barney does come with a basic 8" wheel though which would do to start with but it might break quite quickly as it's a bit flimsy! The 28cm Trixie wheel is popular either the plastic one or the wood one - the wood one needs painting with plasti-kote to waterproof it though.

When moving him to the new cage, it's important not to clean anything and to move all his old substrate across (on top of the new substrate as the new base is bigger and holds more), plus his nest and hoards if dry. And try and have things in a similar layout - eg house on right, wheel opposite left etc, so it's familiar for him.

I tend to let them play in the new cage first and then move them over the next day - that way they seem to settle much more quickly in the new cage, but it can take 10 days of skittishness before they settle down in the new cage.

So I put substrate in the new cage - maybe 4 or 5" deep, the new items that come with the cage and maybe a tunnel or hideout from the old cage in it, scatter some food and let them have some time in it, but then move him back to his old cage for the night. Then next day, put him somewhere safe (pet carrier?) and transfer everything across from the old cage to the new. The new cage already has the substrate in from when he played in it and will also have some of his scent in after playing in it, so just spread the old substrate on top. That really helps them adjust.

Then don't clean anything in the new cage for two weeks apart from emptying the litter tray (or spot cleaning the pee area). It'll be fine