Male Syrian smelling previous female Syrian.

[GilbertTheHammie]

Hello, someone just gave me their old hamster cage. It's a very large cage with multi levels. There used to be a female Syrian hamster who lived in there until she passed. I think my male hamster smells her and is going nuts. He is licking everything, rubBing his body over everything, doing weird movements I've never seen him do. I don't know if he's horny or just freaking out thinking there is another hamster in the cage. I feel bad for him. Any advise?

[Pebbles82]

I can believe it - ours went a bit like this after he'd stayed on holiday where there was a female hamster who kept making a beeline for his cage when she was out of hers. I reckon he could still smell her on it and things settled down after I cleaned the outside of the cage.

What did you clean the new cage out with when you got it? It might not just be that it was a female hamster - I have heard that hamsters can still sense or smell death in a cage, so it will need sterilising really if it hasn't been already.

A large cage with multi levels sounds quite high - just wondering if it is safe from drops and falls. It sounds like you need to take your hammy out and put them somewhere safe to sleep during the day (eg a pet carrier if you have one). Take everything out of the cage, discard all bedding and substrate, and clean everything down with a solution of white vinegar in warm water - about a tablespoon of vinegar to a litre of water. Wash all the shelves in it thoroughly, wipe down the bars, inside and outside, and clean the whole base inside and outside with the vinegar and water solution. Do the same with all cage contents. If there is any wood, it might be best to discard it because that soaks up smells and it's almost impossible to get rid of scent that has soaked into wood.

So basically clean the whole lot with the vinegar and water solution thoroughly and discard anything perishable. If there is a house the previous hamster used, it might be best to discard that too and get another house (an upturned shoe box with a door cut in it would do). It will also need rinsing thoroughly afterwards. I found the shower was the best thing for that - I took all the pieces up to the shower after cleaning them, including the base, and showered them all thoroughly to get rid of any scent. The vinegar scent will still be there a bit for a few days, but won't be overpowering after a good rinse.

Dry it all thoroughly, then put it all back together, put new substrate in (3 to 4" minimum) a new house, any toys you have salvaged (although to be honest even plastic toys can absorb an aroma - if I were you I wouldn't keep any previously used toys and just put a cardboard toilet roll or kitchen roll tube in for now as a toy - slit them down the side so they expand if the hamster is a bit big for them). Then scatter some hamster food on the substrate - this will distract your hamster from the change by giving it food to forage for. And hide a few treats here in there - in the wheel, on a shelf or something. The wheel will also need disinfecting.

But before you do all that, could you post a photo of the cage, because if it is too small widthways, you might save yourself a lot of time and effort by replacing it. The minimum RSPCA recommended size is about 75cm by 45cm continuous floor space - ie the base of the cage should be this size or bigger. Levels are less important and hamsters are generally better with a lower wider cage. If the floorspace is big enough, then levels can be a bonus, providing it is set up safely, as hamsters can have quite serious falls and injure themselves.

Rubbing himself on things may be him just scent marking his new territory (they tend to pee everywhere at first as well, then it settles down). Licking things sounds unusual.

[GilbertTheHammie]

Thank you so much for the advise, I'll double clean everything. I'll post a picture of the cage below. I took off the hammock.