Lizzy's gone crazy! (on heat?)

[SammyJo]

Lizzy is a completely different hamster today. She doesn't bar chew but she was attacking the bars like a hamster possessed this evening! When I first got her out she's starting rubbing and scenting everything. Even though she's in her playpen with nothing new. She looked like she was having a sand bath without the sand! She's trying to escape too, and I can't keep up! I tried putting her back in her cage but she started trying to pull the door open, going nuts and chattering her teeth. She's not even been on her wheel yet...

She's 11.5 weeks old, could this be her first time in heat?? Will it always be this nuts??

What should I do? Put her back in her cage and ignore the craziness or try and let her burn off some energy in her playpen (where she keeps trying to hurt herself)? I don't have a hamster ball (don't really like them)

Thanks!

[kyrilliondaemon]

Stroke her back. If she freezes with her tail in the air the yeah she's on heat lol
She'll probably calm down a bit with age, but I'd let her stay out. Just try and make sure there's nothing she can catch herself on or anything.

[SammyJo]

OK thanks. I'll see if I can get hold of her and try that!! :mad:

[SammyJo]

Yep tiny tail up, though she didn't really want to stop running for me to test!

I've heard people on here talking about girls being on heat, but this is a lot more than I was expecting!! This is my first time with a female syrian.

I'll just keep up with her and let her stay out for a bit longer. OH is on duty whilst I write this!

Did I read on here that she may be calm/sulky tomorrow? And it's every 4 days?

[kyrilliondaemon]

Ours have never really changed behaviour much when on heat, but yeah... This is every four days now lol

[vanilla-yazoo]

first heat is 28ish days old, but they are less hyper when young, my worst on heat is hush, she mouths the bars, chews, dashes franticly around the cage, the slightest touch to her tail and she is still as a rock, rose and lu freeze but no behaviour change, nancy on the other hand, dosnt act up, but in her prime she stuck the house out! XD

[SammyJo]

That was a long evening! She was insane... It was like someone gave her redbull!

28 days? hmmmm... I was actually away on Sunday night so would have missed her last one. She would have had 4 others though (one of which on her first day so I wouldn't have noticed in her excitement then!)

Is it possible that she just had an exceptionally excitable one? (fingers crossed, please!)
Or is it more likely that she's reaching her peak and going to be mental every 4 days from now on? (oh god!)

[Kissa]

I've never noticed Annie do any typical on heat behaviour, apart from a few nights ago when she went absolutely mental in her cage. Begging to come out, clambering all over the place, then when I let her out burying herself in the blankets on my sofa, begging again when I put her back, chewing the bars... It was truly noticeable because the next night she didn't even come out of her house while I was awake :rolleyes: She didn't do the tail-in-the-air thing, she didn't stay still enough :lol: but I am still 95% sure that she was on heat ;)

[Flamestriker]

Peanut often goes bonkers as well...and she is completely uncontrollable! Her energy levels go through the roof!