Rearranging cage - how often?

[Enh98]

Just curious - is there a rule of thumb when it comes to how often to "re-decorate" a hamsters cage? Do they get bored after awhile or is it best to keep things the same for long periods of time? If you do move things or add new accessories is it a good idea to keep some items in the same place (ie hidey house where nest is, food or water, etc)? Just wondered what everyone does to keep their hamster entertained without stressing him/her with constant change.

[JenAndPikachu]

I'd also love to know the answer to this! I see a lot of hamster youtubers who do a whole knew cage theme each month but I don't know if it would maybe stress them out?

[cypher]

It will depend on the ham to some extent, some are more amenable to change than others but I've found that once we've worked it out between us & got things just how they like it none of mine have every really appreciated me interfering & rearranging things! It is their territory after all & I tend to respect that.
If I have space I do try to keep a small area in the cage where I can maybe swap out one or two toys now & then but generally keep new things for them to explore to the play pen or play area which they seem to enjoy.
I'm sure a lot of people have fun coming up with new themes or arrangements for their cages but I'm not so sure that many hams would be happy with it!

[racinghamster]

I tend to have my cage layout stay the same as my hamster now and the hamsters I`ve had in the past, do seem to have a memory of where everything is. That doesn`t mean you can`t add or change things in small ways, but I would avoid frequent changes or removing a toy like a cardboard egg box if the hamster really loves it. These do need changing because they get chewed or worn or peed in! So that`s fine. But by all means enrich your hamsters life but without having any changes that could cause your hamster to worry about a predator (you!) having been in his domain and dared to move his stash or his favourite toy! Have fun, but remember too that your hamsters cage is his territory, his `safe place`. x

[Shannonmcn]

Last time I wanted to do a big cage change around I only did one half of the cage at a time over two weekly spot clean days which seemed to work okay. It definitely depends on your ham, mine is generally pretty chilled out with nest-cleans being the only time I get the stink eye.
Start with small changes and keep a good eye for signs they might be a bit distressed till you get to know what they're likely to tolerate, I know there are some hams who hate any kind of change at all.

[Fluffagrams]

May hates too many big changes and once when I'd tried to put a level in, she got so freaked out by it so now if I change anything in her cage, it's usually only one thing that she's either had before or I've introduced to her at playtime.

Meat and Stitch were a lot more laid back about new things and were usually quite excited to explore new things in their cages so I don't think there's a definite answer. It just depends on your hamster's personality.

[Oonaghspets]

My hamsters don't really mind if I change the toys around every 4/5 weeks (along with the cage Clean) but I normally keep a fair amount of old, clean substrate so it seems more like home. Plus I do usually keep the bed in the same place because thats were their food hoard is and I don't want them to stress out.