Is this normal?

[Happyhamster32]

We've had Rosie for about 3 weeks now.
She's a rescue hammy and has really settled with us in the past week, not jumping as much, taking food from us, happy to be picked up.
She has a great set up and has always slept in the smallest house she has, or in her tube.
Today we found her asleep on a shelf having moved her bedding there sometime during the night. It was soaking wet having been dipped in her water bowl, hence Rosies fur was wet.
I've removed the wet bedding, repositioned the water bowl and put fresh dry bedding out for her. But she's still sleeping out on the shelf.
Is this normal?
She's seems ok but none of my other hammies have ever slept in full view before.
I've added a picture.
Any advice gratefully received.
Thank you.

[Ria P]

Could you show a photo of her whole cage and set up please?

[Happyhamster32]

Here's her cage x

[Pebbles82]

So she’s in a hamster heaven with a smaller add on cage? Is the shelf she’s sleeping in in the small cage?

Tubes can be an issue in that hamsters will nest in them and then they get smelly and their nest messed up.

I suspect she found the small house not big enough for a bigger nest (they build bigger nests around this time of year when the evenings get chillier).

Also if you do a clean out they can abandon a house or nest (nest to do partial rather than full clean outs).

Personally I don’t think add on cages work well for hamsters and external tubes lead to strange behaviour. They do much better with one larger area with their nest, wheel and house in. The Hamster Heaven is big enough on its own.

Also the flying saucer in the smaller cage looks too small for a Syrian (needs to be 12”) but the other wheel looks fine.

My suggestion would be remove the second cage and tubing and add a larger house to the HH. Even if it means removing the green shelf on the right. A larger, flat roofed house actually doubles up as a shelf anyway. A shoebox size house is ideal - so you could just make one from a shoe box by cutting the base out and a hole for a door and keeping the lid as a lift off roof. I’m sure she’d nice straight in and build a big cosy nest.

Shoe box is a cheap option. A more expensive option is a flat roof two room house from Rodipet which fits really well in that cage at one end.

I had a similar thing once with a small house like the little carrot house you’ve got. Hamster wouldn’t use it as wanted a bigger nest.

[GhostBella]

Moving bedrooms and bedding is completely normal for hamsters! Mine slept in the same bed from the day i got her untill around 7mths then all of a sudden shes moved house 3 times in 3mths. Iv seen mine sleeping out her cage in her run im plain sight snd she now still sleeps out her cage but has choosen the most ridiculously tiny box where see slept for at least one hole day, half in half out the box and with no bedding until i noticed! Shed always had 3 beds with bedding yet still chooses somewhere else.