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Pebbles82 · 06-07-2018, 03:13 PM

Those are very nice bin cages

How often do you clean him out? That is something that makes hamsters very unhappy, unsettled and stressed if they are cleaned out a lot. It isn't necessary to do clean outs every week or to do full cleans. Sorry if you already know this. If you have a bit more substrate you could just spot clean mainly - I only do a substrate change about every 2 months. Also try and put a bit of the old non smelly substrate back when you do this - sprinkle some on top or mix it into the new - so it still smells familiar. Clean the wheel a different week and any toys a different week again - that way something always smells familiar and their scent trails don't get disturbed too often. They may use a sand bath as a toilet as well which helps keep the cage clean.

How big is each bin? I was just wondering that if they are both a good size, he may be happier with just one space instead of two separate spaces connected by a tube. They generally do better with one larger space with their basic needs in - eg house, wheel, food bowl, water bottle and toys - rather than having things separated in two separate areas.

As Cypher said you could fill up the floor space a bit - maybe have one end with deeper substrate, egg boxes or tissue boxes as hides etc. Does he have a house that's big enough and nice and dark inside? They need somewhere dark to retreat to. You could also try scatter feeding as well as putting food in the food bowl. So maybe half as much as usual in the food bowl and scatter feed the rest - they enjoy foraging for and finding the bits of food.

What kind of cage was he in before? It may be he is not keen on top entrance with a hand coming in. So when getting him out maybe you could put a mug or jug in with a treat for him to climb into and lift him out that way.

He may nip or bite if a) he is in pain b) he's just woken up! c) you put your hand inside his house d) you smell of food!

I assume the cage is on the floor when you said it got knocked? Maybe he is unsettled at the position of it? If it's easily knocked then maybe think about having it somewhere else - eg on top of a cupboard or something?

Could you get a flying saucer as well as a wheel? I added one for our Robo and he loves it!

06-07-2018, 03:13 PM
Pebbles82 Hamster Antics Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 23,533	Re: I'm not sure if my hamster is happy Those are very nice bin cages How often do you clean him out? That is something that makes hamsters very unhappy, unsettled and stressed if they are cleaned out a lot. It isn't necessary to do clean outs every week or to do full cleans. Sorry if you already know this. If you have a bit more substrate you could just spot clean mainly - I only do a substrate change about every 2 months. Also try and put a bit of the old non smelly substrate back when you do this - sprinkle some on top or mix it into the new - so it still smells familiar. Clean the wheel a different week and any toys a different week again - that way something always smells familiar and their scent trails don't get disturbed too often. They may use a sand bath as a toilet as well which helps keep the cage clean. How big is each bin? I was just wondering that if they are both a good size, he may be happier with just one space instead of two separate spaces connected by a tube. They generally do better with one larger space with their basic needs in - eg house, wheel, food bowl, water bottle and toys - rather than having things separated in two separate areas. As Cypher said you could fill up the floor space a bit - maybe have one end with deeper substrate, egg boxes or tissue boxes as hides etc. Does he have a house that's big enough and nice and dark inside? They need somewhere dark to retreat to. You could also try scatter feeding as well as putting food in the food bowl. So maybe half as much as usual in the food bowl and scatter feed the rest - they enjoy foraging for and finding the bits of food. What kind of cage was he in before? It may be he is not keen on top entrance with a hand coming in. So when getting him out maybe you could put a mug or jug in with a treat for him to climb into and lift him out that way. He may nip or bite if a) he is in pain b) he's just woken up! c) you put your hand inside his house d) you smell of food! I assume the cage is on the floor when you said it got knocked? Maybe he is unsettled at the position of it? If it's easily knocked then maybe think about having it somewhere else - eg on top of a cupboard or something? Could you get a flying saucer as well as a wheel? I added one for our Robo and he loves it!