Hamster in Heat?

[aimsdavies]

Hiya!
I have posted a threat regarding this behaviour before, passing it off as my hammy scenting her things, but I believe that it’s due to a different reason.
I’m a new hamster owner, buying my first hammy just over a week ago and still coming to grips with how to care for them. I believe I’m doing decently as far as things go, but I’m still totally clueless in some aspects of their care and behaviour.
For example, I’ve said previously that Puff seems to rub her head and body along objects in her cage. I believed and was told that this may be her scenting objects as marking her territory, which seemed completely possible. But I’ve only just discovered that Puff is a female, a telling sign by the fact that there are no (noticeable) testicles and I do see paralel lines of nipples running down her stomach. I then found out that female hamsters go into heat / mating seasons every 3-5 days. I’ve noticed also that (today especially) she has been acting a little differently that usual. When she woke up she was completely normal, yet later on in the day she was acting totally out of character, or the character I’ve seen her in. At the moment, Puff is completely calm as she usually is.
Hopefully the video works, but I will upload screenshots if need be. Baisically, she’s biting her cage bars even though she has a 48 x 100cm Barney cage, toys and plenty of chew toys. Secondly, she seems totally hyper and running about. Thirdly, I do smell a strong smell coming from her cage. Lastly, she’s constantly rubbing her body along things and her tail seems to stick up as she does this. Is this normal for a hamster possibly in heat, or is it an indication of a deeper issue?
Thank you!

https://vimeo.com/273120126

[CookieBlossomBella]

a strong smell is just Puff in heat.
Although you have a large cage, in the wild hamsters have all the space they want and so therefore you have provided Puff with a large environment, she may not think it is big enough for her. So basically, i think Puff may think she deserves more space than she has (I am not 100% sure if I am correct though, I would see what other members say before you do what i say). Maybe upgrade her cage to something like the ikea detolf. I think it gives around 900 square inches of floorspace and is a fairly affordable cage at around £60

Again, i am not totally sure i am right so i would wait to hear from another member first.