Running in circles?!?!

[Robodwarfs18]

The past few days I've noticed Nibbles, my robo has been running around his cage continuously in circles or figure 8's really fast. It isn't just normal robot behaviour running about, he keeps doing it and it's really worrying. He just wont stop. I've also seen him trying to climb the walls of the cage. I have heard the nosie of him running at night but I just assumed it was his feet on the wheel but now I know what it is. Please get back to me ASAP if you know what's up!! Thanks!!

[Teddy001]

Hi Robodwarf,

I have a robo, that runs in large circles or runs around objects in her cage.
The circling could be either an ear infection, although typically when hamsters have an ear infection, they will be off balance and fall over as well as circling.
Does your robo's head tilt to the side

The other cause of circling maybe neurological disorder.
You may want to have your robo checked by a vet.

[racinghamster]

It sounds as though it could be spinning or circling behaviour and if it is, you will need to adapt his cage so that he knows where his water and food are and have everything low down and never move them. Keep his layout simple. Ear infection, or torticolitis, would usually have the robo leaning over to one side and sometimes loss of balance can occur. Spinning is routinely a robo running in tight circles and is neurological behaviour and can`t be cured.

If he has a flying saucer wheel, I would remove it. Sometimes these wheels can trigger this condition due to the side action of running. Give him an upright wheel. He will still be very aware of where everything is in his cage. The spinning is a manageable condition but he musn`t be removed from his cage or stressed. x

[Robodwarfs18]

Thank you guys. My robo isn't tilting his head but what can cause ear infections? (Just want to know) and he doesn't have a flying saucer, he has a silent spinner, which I haven't noticed him using. Could it be because of the cage? Cause he lives in a far too small cage because I currently don't have the money for a larger one and I also had to seperate him in Summer from his brother due to fighting so I stuck him in an old spare cage. But the others have big bin cages and he has a 40x55cm savic cage. Would changing the cage help? (Other than the obvious reason that he SHOULD be in a bigger cage)

Thanks again.

[Robodwarfs18]

Okay I've googled videos of neurological disorder in hamsters and the ones in the video seem to be different from what my robo is doing. The ones I seen were as though they were chasing their tail like a dog in the one place but my Nibbles keeps running in figure 8's or slightly bigger circles around the cage but he occasionally does some circles on the spot, sometimes he does small half turns. I wish I could upload a video of him but I can't.

[Marbleandjasper]

I do notice that some robo's are more active than others for example my hammy jasper tends to stay still and do thinks fast but not zoom speed where as marble is zoom speed I sometimes get worried because she goes so fast on her wheel that when she stops she gets thrown round and round her wheel or even spins of!
And she runs around her cage a lot.
This got a bit better when I added on another cage to the ones she has at the moment bus she is still a zoom zoom

[cypher]

The small cage could be at least part of the problem, lack of space & general enrichment (lots of things to do!) can result in this kind of behaviour, have you checked the wheel works & he can actually turn it (the newer silent spinners don't always work)?
It would definitely be worth trying a larger cage or bin if you can manage it then give lots of toys, hideouts, substrate to dig in etc. & see how he goes.

A vid would help us see what's happening, what's the problem with uploading one? Anything we can help with?

[Robodwarfs18]

Thanks cypher. If I get a tall lidless bin like the SAMLA from Ikea, will it need ventilation on the sides? because it took me alot of work and time to ventilate my other bins. And I don't know how to upload one other than Youtube which I don't have an account on.

[cypher]

I think you probably would need to put some kind of vents in any bin cage tbh, I've never actually done one myself so maybe someone else can give better advice.
You would need to upload your vid to another site like youtube or photobucket to show it here, I'm pretty sure there's no other way.

[WinnieTheHam]

I've always wondered if spinning saucers could be the cause of this stereotypical behaviour, has anyone else thought that before? It could also be a neurological disorder like you mentioned. Has he fallen from a height at all?

As cypher said, the small amount of space could also be the problem. They tend to show these behaviours to compensate for lack of mental stimulation, like when zoo animals weave (sway side to side). I think getting an enclosure which is longer than it is tall would be the best idea, as Robos are very energetic they would benefit from a lot of floor space. You could look on ebay for some cheap bin's or look on second-hand sites for fish tanks or something like that. How much space do you have for a cage? The Detolf from Ikea would be really good for Nibbles :)

If this behaviour doesn't disappear i wouldn't worry too much. Animals in captivity nearly always show some sort of abnormal behaviour. I think it might be a good idea to observe him and see what stimulates him to show this behaviour, note down what he does and maybe come back to us and let us know what you've written. If there's no stimulus for this behaviour i think it's most likely going to be some sort of neurological disorder.

[Piebald]

Winnie some say the running on upright wheels is a stereotypical behaviour. However, I think it is better to try and address it as soon as possible because if it goes on to long there can be changes in the brain. I would have a look for a big zoo zone on eBay or gumtree. You might need to mesh the top but I think you can handle that especially with your dads help. In the mean time I don't know if you should try to give him more enrichment or less because it depends on the cause. You can get a free photo bucket or account and upload a video. It would be good to have videos to show a vet too. X

[racinghamster]

You could look for an underbed storage box that isn`t as tall, but tall enough for a robo as the floor space is more important, then all you would need to do is mesh the lid and not the actual sides. One sheet of small square mesh from a DIY shop and a few nuts and bolts will do the job. Yu would just need to figure out the best way to have a water bottle stand where he`s used to having it situated inside a new Bin cage. Stands can be made or bought using plastic bottles. There are tutorials online. A mouse sized Classic water bottle is large enough for a single robo, s won`t tick up too far in a shallower box.

And yes, I believe flying saucers could be a trigger for spinning in susceptible robos. Not all will show the behaviour, but I`m convinced that the running action on these wheels could cause the behaviour to become conditional. I won`t use one now for any hamster.

A Zoozone 1 for a robo won`t need the grill meshing, especially a spinning robo as they are unlikely to be able to climb. They shouldn`t be given anything remotely high to clamber up onto anyway if they show this condition as they can fall badly. x

[Robodwarfs18]

Thanks everyone. I'll have a look at some things online. I do believe he could be doing it out of boredom since the cage is too small and he only has space for a platform, a wheel, a hideaway and a tube. Thanks again for all the help x

[Robodwarfs18]

Update: Nibbles has started spinning in tight circles really fast almost as if he was chasing his tail like a dog. Also seen him standing on his hind legs, don't know if he was star gazing or not though. Keeps running up the walls and in large circles also. Going to tomorrow I think to get a bin cage so fingers crossed the larger cage will help him. Please let me know if this is getting serious or not.

Thanks :)

[kyrilliondaemon]

Robodwarfs I'd try to not worry about him standing on his hind legs too much. I have a syrian (Calypso) who circles with suspected neurological damage and she can meerkat normally. If your hamster standing on his hind legs seemed normal then it probably was just a normal behaviour and not star gazing, when I had a star gazing mouse it was really clear that his behaviour wasn't normal.

Calypso copes fine with leaving her cage for short playtimes too. She's grown to enjoy the interaction and circles a lot less now she's settled into a cage with lots to do and a routine with feeding and human interaction. I also know of a roborovski who circled and still enjoyed cuddles and time outside his cage, I remember his owner taking extra care to minimise stress during his playtimes but he still had and enjoyed them. With a few precautions and careful care you may find you can still socialise with Nibbles just fine :)
Calypso being ok with handling helps a lot with her routine health checks and I find it reassuring to know that if she ever needs a vet she can be handled safely and without getting stressed about it.

I hope the larger cage does help Nibbles settle down, I'm sure he'll be ok in the end. I know Calypso is a syrian rather than a roborovski but she's living proof that neurological problems don't have to be a big deal for a hamster :)