I came across this article. It covers all the species of hamsters, their burrowing and mating habits, and think it might help to understand some of their habits when we set up their cages
It seems not all of them burrow and dig tunnels - and some do shallow ones and some deeper ones. The mating bits are fascinating - especially for winter whites!
Welcome to the British Hamster Association Web Site
I found this bit particularly interesting/helpful to hammy behaviour. We talk about them scent marking but it's quite intricate!
Quote:
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All the Russians use special marked highways that cover long distances. They are marked by scent, as the hamsters are small and cannot see very far ahead. They have at least six chemical signals coming from glands behind the ears, at the corners of their eyes, the entrance to the pouches, the abdomen, from the faeces and urine and in the females, from the vagina. They carry a map of the routes in their heads. They mark the entrances of their burrows by ritualised grooming, rubbing their paws over the ears, around the eyes and by scratching and rolling. The scent is transferred to their furry paws so that every step they take is marked. This scent lasts at least eight days. Another hamster coming to a grooming place will roll there to add its own scent.
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