Register FAQ Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
Navigation
Front Page
Forum
Gallery
Wiki

Ads by Google


Go Back   Hamster Central > Hamster Central Forum Topics > Behaviour

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 01-17-2022, 04:13 PM   #1
Gingerblood
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Jan 2022
Posts: 6
Default My Syrian sometimes destroys her cage!

Hello everyone! I am new to hamster central, and a new hamster mom!!! This is my first time (as an adult) to own a hamster. She is a female Syrian, roughly 7 months old. Today I came home and she had ransacked her cage! Stuffing was all mussed up and strewn about. She did this one other time when I had her in an aquarium that was about 300 sq in of floor space. So I decided maybe she was unhappy with the enclosure. I bought her a MASIVE nightangel enclosure that is about 1000 sq in of floor space, but she did it AGAIN! The bedding was all chaotically thrown in her sand bath. I hope this is not a sign that she is unhappy, she seems so content otherwise. And I hope she isn’t telling me she needs more room because, man, where would I put her in something bigger than 1000 sq inches???!!! If anyone knows why she would do this I would appreciate the insight. Thanks y’all!
Gingerblood is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-17-2022, 05:17 PM   #2
Ria P
House of Hamsters
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Wiltshire, UK
Posts: 7,103
Question Re: My Syrian sometimes destroys her cage!

Hello and welcome to HC!

Where did the stuffing come from?

I had a hamster once who kept chucking her bedding into her sandbath. Turned out that she wanted a burrowing area where the sandbath was. I put in a large, free standing platform with the sandbath on top and more bedding underneath the platform and she was happy then.

Maybe your hamster is trying to tell you something or maybe she was just having fun chucking things around.

Does she have a big wheel and lots of enrichment to keep her busy?
Ria P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-17-2022, 05:38 PM   #3
Gingerblood
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Jan 2022
Posts: 6
Default Re: My Syrian sometimes destroys her cage!

She has a very large wheel and TONS of enrichment toys and a few different hides. The bedding that was strewn about all came out of one of her hides. It kind of looks like she pooped up through the bedding from the bottom as the aspen on bottom was all on top. I did notice after closer inspection she has made a new tunnel, so maybe she was just expanding/moving her burrow? She had two platforms and four hides, a sand bath and as I mentioned before she also has a very large wheel. I’d add a photo but I don’t know how.
Gingerblood is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-17-2022, 06:47 PM   #4
Lilafernim
Senior Hamster
 
Join Date: Sep 2021
Posts: 409
Default Re: My Syrian sometimes destroys her cage!

All my previous hamsters have always been calm and clean. I can’t say my current one isn’t clean, but every few nights she just goes out on an all out warpath of moving bedding around. At first I was using a jar to put treats in but she’s now compacted that with bedding, then under her bridge where I’d made a tunnel became filled with bedding.

Then all night she was banging this shelf where she was emptying so much bedding in the one corner it was going through the gaps of the shelf. I actually posted a picture of it, as I thought maybe her house was too small. I now made her one measuring around 30cm x 20cm, and the past couple of nights she’s stuffed it so much with bedding it’s actually burst the sides of the house I made lol.

If by ‘stuffing’ you do mean bedding, as Ria said they may just be trying to make a burrow there so maybe just allow them that corner. Once they get a burrow idea in their head they won’t stop, I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily bad, if there’s nourishment and food and water, it’s probably just a case she wants her burrow there.
Lilafernim is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-17-2022, 07:28 PM   #5
Gingerblood
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Jan 2022
Posts: 6
Default Re: My Syrian sometimes destroys her cage!

Yes I did mean bedding lol. I think you are right and she just wants to burrow there. I guess I need to figure out a way to rework that corner where her sand bath is and see if that helps. This is really on the second times she’s done it, but she was in a much smaller cage the first time so I thought that was the reason.

On the idea of reorganizing her enclosure, should I wait until I do a full clean before removing or adding additional items/bedding? (I do think a couple more inches of bedding would do her good.)
If she is making new burrows, I’ve read it’s because their old burrow may have become soiled. She pees in the sand bath for the most part but maybe she owed in her burrow too? She has been in this enclosure for one month and I spot clean every two days so I don’t think it’s time for a full clean yet, correct?

She seems to me like she is very happy! She comes out for attention and will sit in my hand to be picked up. I sure hope she is, I really love her a lot! I honestly never thought I could be so attached to a hamster, but she gives me so much joy! I hope she can feel that and is happy here with me
Gingerblood is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-17-2022, 07:54 PM   #6
Gingerblood
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Jan 2022
Posts: 6
Default Re: My Syrian sometimes destroys her cage!

Ria I had replied to you as well but I’m not seeing that. Sorry this was my first post lol. Thank you for your input, I think I will take your advice and give the sand bath some height with bedding underneath.
Gingerblood is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-18-2022, 04:29 AM   #7
Ria P
House of Hamsters
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Wiltshire, UK
Posts: 7,103
Default Re: My Syrian sometimes destroys her cage!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gingerblood View Post
Ria I had replied to you as well but I’m not seeing that. Sorry this was my first post lol. Thank you for your input, I think I will take your advice and give the sand bath some height with bedding underneath.
I don't usually reply to people directly because we are all talking together, sitting round a virtual coffee table, lol.

As for cleaning, with a big enough enclosure you don't need to do full cleans. I clean sections when they start to get a bit whiffy but never clean just for the sake of it. My nose is my guide. When my Clarissa threw a tantrum because her cage wasn't right for her i sorted it there and then while she sat on a shelf watching and snacking. I'd just do it. You can take her out and put her in a playpen or leave her in to watch depending on the hamster's personality.
Ria P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-18-2022, 09:26 AM   #8
Gingerblood
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Jan 2022
Posts: 6
Default Re: My Syrian sometimes destroys her cage!

She usually comes out when I’m spot cleaning so I think she’d like to watch me rearrange things. I will take your advise and do it asap. Thanks again!
Gingerblood is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
hamster, cage, floor, hope, syrian

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO v2.0.43 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Copyright © 2003-2022, Hobby Solutions
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 01:35 PM.