Aww - cleaned her out for the first time!

[casuconsulto]

I got my Molly-hamster on Sunday, from a lady who was rehoming her via FreeAds, along with her cage. So for the first couple of days, I didn't want to clean her out as I didn't want to change everything at once and figured she'd feel more reassured if her cage still smelt of her, etc. But these past couple of days she's proven herself to be an obsessive bar chewer, and her cage, despite having three levels, and a wheel (which she doesn't actually use) provided very little in terms of mental stimulation. These past two nights I've been putting cardboard tubes in, hiding bits of food, putting her out in her ball etc. to try and give the bars a bit of a break. But today I figured it was time to clean the cage entirely, and to go on my hamster shopping spree.

I put her back in after cleaning/jazzing it all up a bit and she seemed all happy and hyper. =^^= After she'd gotten over being woken up during the day and put in her ball whilst I cleaned (she wakes when anyone comes in the room anyway, but only to blink sleepily at them before curling back up and dozing off ) she was scampering around investigating all her new toys and stuff for quite a while. She had a great big fight with her new bedding (which I'd switched from the cotton-wool type stuff she came with, to some shredded soft papery stuff) and has now vanished into the middle of it and has tired herself out. So I'm hoping now she has more things to occupy her, she might not chew the bars so much... Last night she kept popping her doors open with the chewing...

But even if she does, I'm ready for her tonight! I built her a hamster playground in a plastic bin - so I can send her there for a bit, too.

[haziebabie]

Aww sounds like she is going to be really happy with you!! What a lucky hamster!!

I have a bunch of toys I intend swapping around in Mavis's cage every clean out just for a bit of variety. I'm sure it does them good, then the toys she doesn't have in at that time will be her out of the cage playtime toys!

[Spuds Mum]

Oh I do hope she enjoys her nice re-modelled home
Good for you changing from the fluffy bedding, this can cause problems when hamsters pouch or digest it, and can wrap round tiny little limbs causing damage, the paper stuff is brilliant, Im sure she will soon get used to it!

One little thing though - if she is managing to pop her doors open with chewing - I would take immediate action to make sure she cant escape when you are not around by clipping them with a bulldog clip, a peg or a padlock - its always better to be safe than sorry, and once they escape, they are darned difficult to find