How long do you let your hamster keep their stash?

[Hammy_Newbie]

Our lovely Syrian hamster has build up a sizeable food store in her tubes. Most of this came from a hanging corn on the cob and a hanging nutty stick which she completely stripped within 1/2 an hour and took to her tubes, but she adds a few seeds and nuts whenever she is fed. She can still just about get through the tubes but the food has been there a while and I’m not sure how long I can leave it.

She does have the odd nibble from it but it’s getting to the point where I really need to throw it away; however I’m worried she will be really stressed if she finds her stash gone. Any advice on the best way to deal with this would be appreciated. All the food is dry as she tends to eat fruit and veg straight away.

Our previous hamster took weeks to eat hanging edible things so I’ve never had to deal with a stash of this magnitude before!

[Ria P]

What kind of cage is your hamster in?

Tubes can be a problem when a hamster uses them for anything else than to walk through them because you have to dismantle them for a good clean.
Does your hamster sleep and pee in the tubes as well?

It's far better for a hamster to have a big house with a removable roof to keep a nest and hoard in. Then you can check the hoard from time to time. If the hoard is dry and not peed on i just prune it by taking some of the old bits at the bottom out when the hamster is not in the cage but only every two or three months. If the hamster pees on it then i clean the area weekly but always put some fresh hamster mix down so the hamster doesn't feel robbed. It very much depends on the hamster's habits.

Does your hamster have a big house? I'm just wondering why she keeps a hoard in the tubes.

[Hammy_Newbie]

Thanks Ria. She never sleeps in the tubes or pees in them but only uses them as a means of getting about or for hiding her stash. She doesn’t spend much time in the tubes really.

She is in a hamster heaven and has a huge guinea-pig house but she never sleeps in it and fills it with substrate instead. She sleeps in a nest that she’s build under one of the ledges. So I think she puts her food in there because of this, though she does keep a small stash of food hidden in her nest too.

So if she isn’t peeing on the food then you don’t think it’s a problem to leave it there for weeks or months? I have been gradually removing some of it but am loathe to take it all.

[Ria P]

I leave it for months as long as its dry but prune it when it gets too big. If you feel that you need to clean the tubes and remove the hoard in case it looks a bit iffy, simply replace about half of it so your hamster doesn't get upset.

She may move into her house yet. Does she have nesting material? A big heap of torn into strips plain white toilet paper placed near the house may encourage her.
You could post a photo of your set up if you like.

I have a number of Hamster Heavens but take tubes, shelves and penthouse out to create a more natural set up.

There's a thread here called "Let's see your cages" on the Forum under Housing with different kind of set ups. I like browsing there.

[Pebbles82]

Hi there I would also leave it longer Is it blocking the tube and has she been in the cage long? It can take them a while to decide on their habits and nesting. If they feel there isn't enough space under their nest for a hoard then they can look for somewhere else to do one. Our hamster currently has a second hoard in a little ceramic hideout.

Maybe give it a bit longer and see if her habits settle out. I also feel it would help if you were to post a photo of the set up. Looking at that helps see what may lead to certain behaviours. Surprised the guinea pig house wasn't used! Maybe location?

Their basic instincts are nesting, hoarding and foraging. So if they have plenty of substrate under the nest they tend to bury hoards under the nest. If they have minimal substrate under the nest they may look for other places and have a few little hoards elsewhere.

[Hammy_Newbie]

I’ve added a few photos of her cage. I think the set-up could definitely be improved so advice is welcome!

We’ve had her for 2 months and she was a rescue hamster of unknown age but estimated to be between 6 months and 1 year so spent at least 6 months with another owner. I wondered if she got used to sleeping out of a house at her last residence.



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[Hammy_Newbie]

She sleeps directly under the metal food bowl on the right hand side. She can actually still get through the tubes put has to push all the food out of the way!

[Ria P]

It could be that she didn't have a house in her previous home or that her house isn't accessible enough. Personally, i'd remove the green shelf and place the house to the right. Have a look at the thread i mentioned above. On page 1 is a photo of a lovely HH set up for a Syrian with just the one solid shelf and the house to the right.

It's a good set up but sometimes we have to wait and see what the hamster does with it and then adjust it accordingly.

[Hammy_Newbie]

I had a look at the photo and I could give that a try. Would you literally place the house over her existing nest which is in that corner? We are about to go on holiday so I will wait until we are back as I don’t want to stress her out just before she is having to be boarded for a week. I would love her to start using the house as it seems much cosier than sleeping out in the open, especially once we move into autumn and it gets colder. Thanks for the advice.