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Old 02-03-2019, 04:54 AM  
Pebbles82
Hamster Antics
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
Default Re: My hamster won't exercise

If you've only had him 3 weeks and he's had a cage change, he just needs time to adust. It can take a full two weeks after moving into a new cage, before they feel settled and may feel nervous and hide away. But hang in there as he will turn the corner and suddenly be more active.

They really are aware of the cold and do tend to stay in the nest more in cold weather.

Does he have a nest big enough? If his nest is in a coconut hut it might not be big enough to keep warm so it's really important, in this freezing weather, to ensure the temperature in the room is ok - even overnight if there's a frost. eg heat on for an hour or two in the middle of the night.

Our hamster is a bit the same at the moment, with the cold weather. Sometimes don't see him for 3 or 4 days and then he wants to be out and starts foraging for anything remotely suitable for a nest! Chewing at the cushions on the sofa or pouching any bit of paper etc (so it needs keeping an eye on what they can access!) He is constantly making his nest bigger - it's an instinct when it's colder in the air.

During the first two weeks in a new cage also, it's usually recommended not to disturb anything, or clean anything or move anything.

So if you've done any cleaning that may have set back his settling in time. For now just leave everything and add a big pile of torn up strips of plain white toilet paper, somewhere in the cage where he can forage for it and add it to his nest.

If he doesn't have a very big house, you could add a shoebox house or similar (under a shelf)? Cut the bottom out and a hole for a door and keep the lid as a lift off roof for checking inside without needig to take the house out (so the nest doesn't collapse).

Adding the odd thing they like is ok, but taking things out doesn't go down well in the settling in period.

Something like a shoebox house will give somewhere dark to go, which they need and you'll probably find he moves in and builds an enormous nest. So keep putting loads of toilet paper strips out.

Once he feels cosy and organised he'll be more interactive. And then you can start with taming more.

In the meantime, if he uses a litter tray, just empty that every 5 days or so and leave everything else. If he doesn't use a litter tray and has a pee corner/place, just spot clean that maybe once a week - take a handful of the pee substrate out and replace it with a clean handful and mix it in so it stills smells familiar.

Don't be too zealous over the spot cleaning at this stage. Poops are fine to be left unless they really start takig over the cage (they sometimes eat them or hoard them for extra nutrients, which is normal).

Weekly clean outs aren't necessary or good for the hamster as it's stressful and messes up their normal habits. If you have enough substrate in and a litter tray you can easily go 6 to 8 weeks without doing a clean, and even then it's best to do a partial clean and not clean everything at the same time.

They scent mark the cage to claim territory and find their way around so if all their scent marking goes in one go they feel lost and stressed and want to escape.

So if and when doing substrate, don't clean anythig else. You can do the wheel a different week, and any other items a different week again. Toys often don't need cleaning often at all.

Always best to leave their nest and hoard alone - unless it's pee'd in. They naturally refurbish the nest themselves if you keep putting toilet paper strips out.
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