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Old 04-28-2021, 11:43 AM   #1
TCDutchman
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Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: The Netherlands
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Question Hamster obsessed with escaping playpen/cage/hamster ball

Hello,

A few weeks ago I decided to get a hamster. I've had hamsters as a kid, and it seemed fun to get one again. I got a male Syrian, Nero, who's about 3 months old.

I bought him a fairly big cage, 30" x 18.5". However, at night he seems obsessed with escaping. Gnawing at the bars, climbing in them trying to push open the hatch. I bought him some toys, but he doesn't seem interested in them at all. When I put him in his ball, he seems obsessed about going to one part of the room, and then dig/gnaw the ball, barely walking around at all.

Then, I bought him a play pen. It's a collapsible hexagonal fabric play pen, with walls made of netting and a plastic-y bottom. It's about 47" across, so big enough for him to blow off some steam. However, even if I put all his toys in there, all he does is tries to climb the walls and dig at/tear the netting apart. I've temporarily stopped using it, because I'm afraid that he's going to make a hole big enough to escape one day, making the whole thing unusable.

I'm at my wits' end. I have no idea why he's so obsessed at trying to break stuff and escape. It makes me feel like he's unhappy or afraid or something. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

FWIW: He also won't stay still in my hands. I can pet him in his cage, but the moment I pick him up, he tries to get out of my hands.
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Old 04-29-2021, 02:54 PM   #2
Ria P
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Default Re: Hamster obsessed with escaping playpen/cage/hamster ball

Hi and welcome to HC!

Does he have a wheel that's big enough for him and working ok?
A Syrian needs a 26cm-28cm wheel to run with a straight back.

Does his water bottle work ok?

Please don't put him in a ball. They are dangerous, very stressfull for a hamster and of no benefit whatsoever.

He is trying to tell you something and sounds unhappy.

Does he have enough substrate to burrow, a big house and bedding to make a nest and keep a hoard?

Does he have hides and shelter to feel secure?

I know these are a lot of questions but i'm only trying to give you ideas of what you could check.

Young hamsters are fast so it's quite normal not to sit still and many hamsters will always be wriggly. Mine are tame but will only sit on my lap while they are eating a treat. As soon as the treat has gone they're off to explore.

Once you have posted a few times you will be able to add photos so people can have a look at your cage if you like.
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Old 04-29-2021, 11:27 PM   #3
TCDutchman
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Default Re: Hamster obsessed with escaping playpen/cage/hamster ball

Hi, thank you!

I don't mind the questions at all, I hope that the following information will shed some more light on the situation.

His current wheel is around 19 cm across. I clean the pin every so often so that it turns smoothly. The pet shop I got him from actually recommended that wheel to me and was one of the biggest they had, but I'll look for a bigger one at a different pet shop soon.

His water bottle works fine. I check it daily and refresh the water every couple of days.

Yeah, I've stopped putting him in the ball as he doesn't seem to like it anyway.

The cage is about 10cm deep. I've filled it about 3/4 of the way with substrate. I see him dig every so often, so I don't think that's the problem. If I fill it any more, half of it ends up outside of the cage anyway, so this seems to be about the max amount I can put in.

He's got a wooden house that came with the cage. It's 16cm X 11cm and 7cm high. I see him sometimes grabbing his house with his teeth and trying to "throw" it? Can that mean something?

I have a bag of bedding material and every so often I spread some of it around in his cage, so he can decide what he wants to do with it. I see him putting it in his cheek pockets and either move it to his house, or another part of the cage.

About a quarter of the cage has a wooden elevation that also functions as a shelter. He spends quite a lot of time there. He's also made his toilet there in one corner and a hoard in the other. He also has moved quite a lot of the substrate there. I think he also uses that as a house?
The top of the elevation has his water bottle and feed bowl. I've moved all his toys that were originally up there, as he uses them to climb on and push against the lid of the cage.

He ignores almost all of his toys except for a ball made of sprigs with a couple of holes inside, which he sometimes gnaws at and sits in. He also has a straw ball with a bell in it which he pretty much ignores and a short hollow log that is usually meant for birds to perch on. He only really uses that one as like a passageway to walk through.

I've noticed that when he's calm, I can cup him in my hands and he'll stay still for about 30 seconds, after that he wants to move again. He is tame though, I can pet him while he's in the cage, and he climbs on my hands, probably mostly because he knows that's how to get out.

I hope this is detailed enough. Thank you for taking your time helping me with him, I highly appreciate it!
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Old 04-30-2021, 06:17 AM   #4
Ria P
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Default Re: Hamster obsessed with escaping playpen/cage/hamster ball

Petshops are a very unreliable and out of date source of information. When i got my first hamster just over two years ago and before i had joined this forum my hamster lived in a petshop cage with a wheel he very quickly outgrew twice.

A 19cm wheel is a dwarf hamster wheel and he may be uncomfortable while running which could make him grumpy.

Wheels are available online like the 28cm Trixie wheel which is inexpensive but there are others.

The house sounds more like a dwarf hamster house as well but he nests under the shelf anyway. I think i know the cage he's in but have forgotten what you call it in Holland. It's the equivalent of the Grosvenor i think.

None of our hamsters like a playpen so i've hamster proofed a room for free roaming time and i set up a hamster playground in the hall with all the doors closed and the stairs blocked off. I put down a spare wheel and various long bendy plastic tunnels etc.

If you would be able to let Nero free roam in a safe environment then i think it may make him happier but there is no guarantee of course.

I sit on the floor with a free roaming hamster and they use me as a climbing frame which is good and fun interaction.

As for bedding for nesting. I find that a hamster's favourite nesting material is a big heap of torn into strips plain white unscented toilet paper left outside their house or sleeping area.

As for chew toys. A Whimzee dog chew is popular with hamsters.

It can be quite difficult to get a hamster's set up right and to their liking which i have found out when faced with a hamster tantrum on a number of occasions.

Cardboard is a great friend and sometimes a piece of cardboard placed on the inside of the cage where the hamster bites the bars helps.
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Old 05-01-2021, 04:36 AM   #5
TCDutchman
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Default Re: Hamster obsessed with escaping playpen/cage/hamster ball

It's pretty disappointing that the petshop gave out such bad advice. You'd think they'd actually care about the animals.

The cage actually came with a smaller wheel included, one that's only 13cm across. Those Trixie wheels look good, though! I like that there are woorden ones as well. I'll try to get one of those to replace his current one.

Yeah, he stopped using his house altogether a couple of days ago. I still leave it in the cage for when he does want to use it, but he's moved all his nesting material to his nest under the shelf. The Grosvenor cage you mentioned is pretty similar to the one I have. I did some googling, and the one I have is called the Zolux Neo Nigha.

I live in something comparable to a studio apartment, so making an entire room hamster-proof might be kinda tricky. I'll try to proof up my bedroom, that would probably be the easiest room to do that in. It's the only room in the apartment with laminate flooring, and I can easily temporarily remove all the cables I have running there.

I give him a toilet paper roll whenever one gets used up, and he likes to tear that apart and use it for nesting as well. I haven't tried the actual paper, though. I'll get some cheap unscented stuff to see if he likes that.

I never heard of Whimzees before, I'll give those a try as well. Can those just stay in the cage with him, or only as like a special treat? I've also places some cardboard over one part of the cage where he likes to bite the bars, but I still have to find a good way to secure it, as he likes to pull on it.

I've also moved his cage to be a bit further away from my desk, and that seems to have helped as well. I've noticed he's a bit less active during the day now that the cage is a bit further away from where I spend most time during the day.

Thank you again for taking the time to help me with this, I really appreciate it!
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Old 05-01-2021, 05:59 AM   #6
Ria P
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Default Re: Hamster obsessed with escaping playpen/cage/hamster ball

Yes, Whimzees are edible and can stay in the cage. Often they carry them to their nest or hide them like a treasure. I get the xs toothbrushes but there are other shapes.

Some Syrians like a sandbath (sand not dust) but don't tend to roll around in them like dwarfs do. One of my Syrian boys pees in the sand and the other sits in it to groom and has the odd dig.

I secure the cardboard with jute string.

It's funny how hamsters often ignore shop bought toys but go mad for homemade ones.
I string cardboard shapes, treats, half a walnut or a monkey nut, a raisin and things like that up using penne pasta as deviders then hang it up in their cage.
They love them and one of my Syrians gets so annoyed when he has to work for his treat that he keeps hopping off his ramp in a temper just to try again a few seconds later. Everytime he manages to free a treat he carries it off to his house then comes back to try for the next one. Keeps him entertained for ages and me very amused watching.
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Old 05-01-2021, 08:06 AM   #7
Dodo
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Default Re: Hamster obsessed with escaping playpen/cage/hamster ball

Hello!

Ria has already provided lots of excellent advice so there isn’t much to add. I highly recommend Victoria Raechel’s videos on youtube to learn about hamster enrichment amd hamster set ups. Your hamster looks stressed but it can also be boredom. You could scatter his food so he works to find it in the bedding. Give him a soil pit for him to dig. Hide treats with hay in an egg box etc. My male Syrian was very distressed is the playpen at 1 st. Now he loves it. I fill with with an old bath towel, some cardboard boxes and wrapping paper piled together to he has a lot to explore. I added a flying saucee, which after some time he really enjoys using. His favourite are large plastic tubes, the expandable ones used for rats, that you can bend to many different shapes. Good luck ��
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Old 05-03-2021, 10:51 AM   #8
TCDutchman
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Default Re: Hamster obsessed with escaping playpen/cage/hamster ball

Thanks for all the advice! I bought him some toys and gave him small pieces of cardboard to chew on, which I think is helping.

I bought a big wheel, but sadly it doesn't fit in his cage. I'll use it for when I've proofed my bedroom. In the meantime, I ordered a flat wheel for him to run on, that should arrive in a couple of days.

I haven't tried the playpen in some time, as it really seemed to stress him out last time. Even with toys and snacks strewn about, all he did was dig and chew at the canvas sides. I'm planning to ease him into it over time, maybe be in the pen with him?
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Old 05-03-2021, 12:05 PM   #9
Dodo
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Default Re: Hamster obsessed with escaping playpen/cage/hamster ball

Definitely go in the pen with him! And let him run on your legs ��. Let him out of his cage for a few minutes only, then increase gradually when / if he relaxes. What cage do you have? It should be big enough to fit at least an 11inch wheel, which is the minimum size for a Syrian. He will be stressed if he can’t get enough exercise. It’s great you bought more toys, recycling cardboard boxes, egg boxes is also a great and cheap option. Good luck and let us know how it’s going!
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Old 05-05-2021, 11:22 AM   #10
TCDutchman
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Default Re: Hamster obsessed with escaping playpen/cage/hamster ball

The cage is around 30" x 18.5" x 13.5" The wheel is about 12" across, so the cage is not tall enough for the wheel to fit in. It could technically fit by removing almost all of the substrate, but that doesn't seem like a good idea to me. I'll look online for a wheel of a size in between his cuurent one and the big one, buying him an entire new cage isn't really an option right now.

A small update about the play pen! I couldn't really comfortable sit in there with him, but I made sure I sat next to it and kept something like an arm in it. I also put his big wheel, a bunch of toys, and some toilet paper rolls and shredded paper kitchen towels in it. I also made a makeshift shelter of an upside down cardboard box with a hole cut out of the side. Today he spent about 30 minutes in it without chewing at the sides once! He did try to climb out a couple of times, but I guess that's normal Syrian behaviour. He did however ignore everything in the pen but the wheel. I think it's safe to say he spent about 95% of the time running in the wheel. He does still seem a little bit jumpy/frantic when he's in the play pen, but more at ease when he's in the wheel (I also saw him cleaning himself while in the wheel). Once I put him back in his cage he went right back to his hideout and stayed there for about an hour before showing himself again.
I'm guessing it's going to be a matter of time for him to become more at ease in the play pen, but I'm very happy that he didn't feel the need to chew at the walls anymore!
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