Why is She Doing This?

Nyctoyo · 01-09-2018, 10:21 PM

So I’m making a bin cage for Pearl and decided to put her in the bin just to compare size and have her run around to see how she’ll act when I finish it.
It’s a good size and she seems to like it (she’ll like it more once there is bedding in it) but there is one thing she does while in it that bewilders me.
She tries to climb the walls but since she can’t she does an odd movement where her paws are on the walls and she moves to the side.
I suppose she is use to her current cage that has bars so it confuses her that the bin doesn’t?
Or she’s just curious?
She knows she can’t climb it but does the movement over and over again.
Maybe when the bin is done and has the wire mesh/hardware cloth, which I believe she can climb, she’ll stop since she can climb it?
Does anyone else’s hamster they have in a bin cage/tank do that or use to?
Why do you think she does it?

cypher · 01-09-2018, 10:50 PM

I have one of mine in a bin cage & he did that quite a bit at first, still does now but only occasionally, I think it's just exploring the boundaries & totally natural behaviour, nothing to be concerned about.

Lexieshamster · 01-13-2018, 12:00 PM

Nevie used to do that a lot when I had him in a tank. I thought he did it because he was confused at being able to see through the glass and was investigating whether the walls were solid / trying to get out. I moved him into a bin cage (which was much more opaque) and he stopped doing it.

Stardust79 · 01-15-2018, 02:24 PM

My new addition, who was in a small barred cage when I went to get her, she was bought home and put in a plastic ZooZone 2 cage. She was clawing at the sides of the plastic a lot to start with. Dwarf hamsters I have noticed like to do this anyway sometimes, not sure why, but even when used to being in a bigger cage, they do this. But a majority of the time, they are just getting used to new surroundings. I adopted a Syrian in a very tiny cage, moved her to a much bigger cage and she appeared to be afraid of the large space. However, all of my hamsters who have done this, within 2-3 weeks love their new space.