Storing Food

Charlotte333 · 08-07-2018, 02:16 PM

Hi Everyone😊😊

We got our male Syrian hamster Biscuit on Sunday who is approx. 9 weeks old. I know it’s only been a few days but he isn’t storing any food. He’s just been nibbling small amounts of food directly from his dish. Is this normal or should I be worried? Xx

dreamtree1234 · 08-07-2018, 04:10 PM

Hi and welcome to HC! Congrats on giving Biscuit his forever, loving home with you.

I would not worry if he decides to eat directly from the bowl rather than storing it in his nest or house. Some hams prefer to do this always, some alternate between doing this sometimes and hoarding it other times, and some prefer to always take their food to their nests for future nibbling there. Regardless of whatever choice your ham decides to do at the moment, all options are absolutely fine and nothing for you to be concerned about so long as they are eating. The only items of food that should not be brought back to their nest or house are those that are fresh such as fresh veggies, etc. Those foods could get rotten if hidden away and not eaten in a timely manner.

cypher · 08-07-2018, 11:42 PM

Hi & welcome to HC

I wouldn't worry, a lot of hams don't really begin to pouch & stash food until they've settled in & decided on a safe place to hide the food away, a few will use the bowl as a food stash & never really hide it anywhere else, they're all different!

Swirls · 08-08-2018, 06:55 AM

Welcome to HC!

Don't worry, this is a normal behavior, especially for new hamsters! Your ham may do it later on, or just not do it! It tends to be their own personal preference and it depends on their personality if they do decide to store their food, or just eat it out of their bowl! If you do think something is wrong with your ham, then go to the vet!