New cage = weirdness!

[hayleyk]

So Miss Juliet got her new Detolf a week ago and whereas she used to be a lovely social hamster, coming to the bars to see you when you came into the room etc in her old cage, since she's had the Detolf she's been a miserable moo! Not interested in coming out really, preferring to hide in the Ikea file thingy that I took the bottom off and put down as a 'house' for her. She even bit me yesterday morning when I went to say hello which she has never done before :( I'm sure she was just sleepy but previously it didn't matter if she was sleepy, she'd happily accept little strokes and come out of her bedding to see me. She has also started peeing in her bed (and on her food!) which she never did before and now she stinks. Unfortunately because she stinks so much and I'm worried about ammonia burn I had clean the cage yesterday and whilst I didn't do a complete cage clean (far from it) she was not happy at all when she went back in - running too and fro and grooming like a lunatic. After a couple of hours she settled down and came out to see what was going on, had some baby porridge and was yawning and stretching so I think she was happier after a few hours but I daren't go see her this morning for fear of getting chomped again!

I'm guessing this is all territorial behaviour and if I leave her be for a few weeks she might revert back to her happy little self but it breaks my heart to see her have this wonderful cage with toys and hidey holes and all sorts yet she seems not so happy with it all :(

[cypher]

I guess there's two main possibilities, one she just hasn't had time to adjust yet & needs longer to settle or she's one of those hamsters that just don't like tank style cages, some seem to prefer barred cages, maybe they feel trapped in a tank & like the air flow in a barred cage. There's also the problem of only accessing from above with a tank so she might be frightened by that.
Only time will tell if she will settle in the detolf or not, you could give it a while longer & see how she goes but if it's upsetting both her & you maybe it's time for a rethink?

[hayleyk]

Hmm. I think I will give her a week or so and see how she goes. I may also get some wallpaper/background to cover the back of the glass Detolf, see if that makes her any more secure.

[Nancy's Hamsters]

Some can't adjust to big open space cages too. Could you place her back in her old cage just to see if it is the wide open space that is making her feel so insecure she is biting when before she didn't? If this is a Dwarf you might want to test her sugar too as I have found when they have a sugar low Dwarf Hybrids turn very nasty and aggressive.

Only other thing I can think of is are you sure she was not pregnant and she has babies in the nest? Hamsters guarding a litter can be like a chain saw to intruders.

[Pebbles82]

She's bound to be unsettled by a cage change I reckon - some are more than others. Charlie is terrible with any kind of change. I reckon give it 10 days and she'll be back to normal. We moved Charlie from a Rotostak set up to his current 80 x 50 cage when we'd only had him 3 weeks and he was very young. His behaviour was so weird even my other half was worried about him and we'd stand there at night and say "oh dear what shall we do?" He suggested covering the cage up with a sheet, like people do with birds - but we didn't resort to that in the end. It's the change in environment. It was the other way round for Charlie - he went from something very enclosed with solid sides and a low dark lid - to a bigger environment with air coming in through the bars - he actually seemed scared of the air and would sit there and shake. The only think he liked was his new big wheel. It also set back taming and he gave me black looks and wouldn't take treats from me. This went on for 10 days! We were even thinking of buying another enclosed type cage like the rotostake. Then suddenly on day 10 he was happy. Exploring his cage, having fun, climbing bars, taking treats again. At night he would run in his wheel and then let himself fall off when it was going really fast and land in the substrate where he would lie down as if sunbathing happily. He really loved his new environment then. Weeing on things is also a sign of stress due to change - and she'll be marking her new environment too. I wouldn't clean the cage at all for the next two weeks, not even spot clean - just put extra substrate over any really smelly bits. And avoid handling her for a few days and let her find her feet and she'll interact with you when she's got herself together. I know what you mean though - it was like Charlie was angry with me and he showed it! Like - how dare you disrupt me like that and change everything! Try putting a potty tray where his food bowl currently is if he is weeing in the food bowl - and put the food bowl somewhere else. If she still does it then trying scattering the food about the cage for her to forage and don't have a food bowl for a bit. At one point I started hand feeding Charlie when he was out of the cage (that was more for taming) but you can't do that right now. I agree with Cypher too, that she might not be used to your hand coming from above - I still use a tube to get Charlie out - a cardboard or plastic tube with a bit of food in one end - he walks into it and I lift the tube out, but put my hand over both ends in case he tries to back out or run. Also maybe hide a few extra treats in the cage and chews to distract her - Charlie is easily distracted from something that has changed if he finds a delicious treat or chew stick somewhere. I still have to put treats in his wheel after I've cleaned it or he won't go near it. It's interesting that they don't feel safe without a lid on though - someone else on here has been having a similar thing. It is just adjustment - humans are just the same - I am slow to adjust to change, some people don't bat an eyelid.

Just thought - does she normally use a potty litter tray? If not this might be a good time to try one now she has found a wee corner. When Charlie was in his new cage he kept weeing in his food bowl. He was partly marking his new environment, but also the food bowl was inset into the shelf and it was in the corner - so he thought it was a toilet because it was in a corner. I put his potty tray over the top of it and put the food bowl somewhere else which sorted that, except the shelf was that dune shelf from the hamster heaven and it's not flat so when he sat in the potty tray it would slide down the shelf lol! And then he'd push it further down to see what was underneath. When I first came on here I was constantly stressing about him pushing the potty tray out of the way and pulling the little food bowl out of the shelf. That left a hole in the shelf and I think he wondered where it went, but in the end I broke the ladder on that shelf and was happy to get rid of it lol!

[candice clews]

Thankyou for the advice need a little more money and then i will get it xx

[Pebbles82]

You can use anything as a potty litter tray for now, but I must admit the corner shaped ones do the job well as they are higher at the back. I got this one. You can put chinchilla sand in it and a bit of wee'd on substrate to attract her - or just substrate for now if you haven't got any sand. It's £3.95 and free postage.

Hamster Potty corner Litter Tray for Mice Hamster Gerbil Cage House. Size: 16 × 7 × 12/12 cm: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00178PJ3M?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage)

[Thin Lizzy]

Give her a little longer to adjust! Some hammies find anything new overwhelming at first. It's a big change she's had to get used to and will be very scary.

[hayleyk]

Some can't adjust to big open space cages too. Could you place her back in her old cage just to see if it is the wide open space that is making her feel so insecure she is biting when before she didn't? If this is a Dwarf you might want to test her sugar too as I have found when they have a sugar low Dwarf Hybrids turn very nasty and aggressive.

Only other thing I can think of is are you sure she was not pregnant and she has babies in the nest? Hamsters guarding a litter can be like a chain saw to intruders.


She's a Syrian Nancy :) no babies, I did double check although she was surrendered to rescue at a week old and has been there ever since, separated since 8 weeks and she was 5 months when I got her so I think we're safe on that score *phew*!

[hayleyk]

Thank you all - I'm giving her some space at the moment to get used to it all and I think I will do the tube trick when I get her out as I am wondering if me coming from higher above to get her out is becoming an issue. I sat and tried to look at it from a hammy point of view and I think the all round glass view might be a bit overwhelming. I've popped a duvet cover over the top and back of the cage to see if that gives her a bit of security and that seems to be going down quite well - she was very interested when I put it over her and came out and had a big stretch so we'll see. I will give her a week or two to see if she settles and will talk to her gently and not reach into get her but use a tube instead. She does seem a bit calmer today :)

[Thin Lizzy]

Hayley you're making progress by making these little changes. Hopefully Miss Juliet will settle down and adjust.

[hayleyk]

I hope so, otherwise I will pop her back into her old cage but it would be a shame as she has so much room in the Detolf. Still, the hammy wants what the hammy wants :) she's spun her flower pot round and made a bed in it over night so she's obviously still adjusting if she's changing her living space.

[cypher]

Sounds like she's starting to make herself at home then!
I do hope she settles but like you say, what they want they get :)

[Pebbles82]

Thinking at it from a hammy point of view, I think maybe they think they have been taken somewhere interesting to play and are waiting to 'go home' then after a while realise they're not going home and panic a bit and then start making temporary accommodation arrangements. Maybe!

[hayleyk]

Thinking at it from a hammy point of view, I think maybe they think they have been taken somewhere interesting to play and are waiting to 'go home' then after a while realise they're not going home and panic a bit and then start making temporary accommodation arrangements. Maybe!

Could well be! I don't know what goes on in those little noggins lol :) we have had huge success today with the cover on the Detolf - she's still not coming out when I go in the room but I think that cage is quite well soundproofed! She is however coming when I open the lid and call and she was wanting to come out so we had playtime in the bath where she was all over me like a rash! I think I'm forgiven :D it's going to take time but I think she's settling now :)

[Pebbles82]

Glad to hear that! I know I was really upset when Charlie rejected me! And so pleased when he started to trust me again. But it was ages before he trusted being out of the cage and always wanted to get back to it again asap - as if he thought his home might be taken away if he left it. That got easier when I followed a tip on here to do spot cleaning while he was still in the cage so he could see what was going on.

[hayleyk]

Glad to hear that! I know I was really upset when Charlie rejected me! And so pleased when he started to trust me again. But it was ages before he trusted being out of the cage and always wanted to get back to it again asap - as if he thought his home might be taken away if he left it. That got easier when I followed a tip on here to do spot cleaning while he was still in the cage so he could see what was going on.

I think that is what I will be doing for a few weeks as I can't bear upsetting her again :( She's stopped peeing in her bed so she smells better at least lol!

[racinghamster]

hayleyk, what size of barred cage was she in previously and for how long? Adjusting to a different style of living accommodation can unsettle them, but given that she now has a bigger floor space, it would be a shame to revert her back again if she`s slowly adjusting. I use a Gabber Rex tank and Perspex caging all the time as I prefer them to barred cages purely for bar chewing and climbing issues. Whenever I`ve moved a hamster into another cage, I`ve always just taken all the shavings, bedding, accessories and placed them exactly in the same positions they were in the old cage, or as near to it as possible, so the layout itself seems the same to the hamster. This helps with the adjustment.

Don`t worry too much though, I`m sure things will settle soon and at the end of the day, if she`s not happy, you can always switch back again, but give it time. x

[hayleyk]

hayleyk, what size of barred cage was she in previously and for how long? Adjusting to a different style of living accommodation can unsettle them, but given that she now has a bigger floor space, it would be a shame to revert her back again if she`s slowly adjusting. I use a Gabber Rex tank and Perspex caging all the time as I prefer them to barred cages purely for bar chewing and climbing issues. Whenever I`ve moved a hamster into another cage, I`ve always just taken all the shavings, bedding, accessories and placed them exactly in the same positions they were in the old cage, or as near to it as possible, so the layout itself seems the same to the hamster. This helps with the adjustment.

Don`t worry too much though, I`m sure things will settle soon and at the end of the day, if she`s not happy, you can always switch back again, but give it time. x

At the rescue she was in a very small glass fish tank type affair and then at mine she was initially in a bin cage with mesh so she could see out but it wasn't totally open by a long chalk like the Detolf. I think whoever said about her being worried by all the open space was right as she does seem happier with the back and top covered. If that's what suits here then I'm good with that, whatever makes her happy :)

[racinghamster]

Too true. It`s possible that she`s just been overwhelmed by all the space!!! x

[Thin Lizzy]

That's great she's stopped peeing in her bed.
She's getting there, she's just taking her time.

[hayleyk]

Well a week later and she is all happy again! It was definitely the strangeness of all that space and ever since I covered the back and top of the cage she is back to her usual happy self so all is well that ends well :) So pleased to have my cheeky monkey back <3

[cypher]

Great news! :)

[Pebbles82]

Excellent - it's a tough week though isn't it?!!!

[Thin Lizzy]

So pleased for you and your little one!

[hayleyk]

Excellent - it's a tough week though isn't it?!!!

It really is!!! I'm a right slave to this tiny little 170g creature!