[Shadow Cat]

... before she destroys my bedroom!

I made a pen for her using storage cube sides joined together with cable ties. I put a mat down so she doesn't eat my carpet. I put loads of hides and tunnels and toys and chews in the space while also leaving room to run about if she wants. But all she wants to do is to chew her way out.

I try every evening that I'm home (that will be all of them for the foreseeable future) but the experience seems to stress us both out. She attacks the edges of the pen with such ferocity no matter what I do. I don't know how to make her comfortable. I can't just leave her alone until she calms down, she won't give up until she's escaped. She can lift the damn thing up too, she's surprisingly strong.

She's too feisty to hold, that's another issue, only this to say that nothing I seem to do makes her calm. She has a large cage with plenty of enrichment but still seems restless. I figured she was after more out of cage time but when I take her out of her cage (in a shoe box because she won't let me pick her up) she seems even more stressed until I put her back.

I understand that hamsters need out of cage time but she seems to hate it so much it's upsetting.

Does anyone have any tips because honestly I'm completely lost.

Thank you