Won't Adapt to a Bigger Cage!

[LumiZoomi]

Hello there!
So, a while back, I got three rescue hybrid dwarf hamsters from a pet shop that was closing. I ended up having to separate them all, as they would fight non-stop. I put each in a bin cage, and two of them did just fine...not the third. Thackery didn't adjust to a bin cage at all. He wouldn't eat, drink, run, play, or do anything once I put him in his bin, so I put him back in the cage he came to me in, and he started acting normal. A few weeks later, I tried again, and he did the same thing. He acts almost like he's sick, and because he wont eat or drink for days, I worry about him so much. I've tried switching him into a bin cage four times now, and he just won't take to it.
Have any of you ever had a hamster like this?

[Fluffagrams]

How long did you leave him to adjust to the larger cage? Some hamsters can take a little longer to settle into a new cage however if they're reluctant to come out to eat or drink then I can understand your concern.

Some hamsters can find it difficult to adjust to a cage with a lot of large open spaces so making sure you've got enough hidey holes, tubes and things like levels can help but sometimes with all the best will in the world you'll get hamsters that just won't settle in anything too big and in those cases it's kinder to move them to an environment that they feel happier in.

I've had several Chinese Hamsters that have had issues with larger cages and are far happier in something smaller. Don't feel bad though, you've given Thackery the opportunity to live in a larger space and he's just made his preferences known. It's better to focus now on how you can provide him with the kind of enrichment he'll enjoy in the space that he has now.

[LumiZoomi]

I've left him in the cage for up to four days, but with untouched food, the thought of him staying without food longer scares me a bit.
Each of my ham's homes has at least two hidey holes; a plastic critter igloo and a mug, usually. They all have an assortment of at least 2 toys, 2 chew toys, and a wheel, so I think they have plenty of things to interact with. I don't want to overstress him by trying much more, but he is a bar biter, and his cage is less than half the required size in the US.

[AmityvilleHams]

Honestly it depends more on the type of toys.Igloos in general aren't the best either,and they can be extremely bad for bacteria growth and they generally lack the breathability of wooden and cardboard houses.

It doesn't really matter that they have two toys,and a wheel would be mandatory in almost all circumstances anyways.It's more about the quality and enriching ability of the toys,which a lot of storebought chew toys don't give!

DIY foraging toys through the whole cage would be good,as well as some climbing toys and other truly interactive toys instead of the simple chews that pet stores carry.Instead of a mug,try making a DIY clay burrow den or a labyrinth house instead.It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive to do the job,but it does have to be species appropriate.

Bar biting can be a reflection of several things,not just cage size.It can include improper enrichment,boredom(caused by various things),craving attention,and more.It probably is a lack of enrichment though,not even considering the improper cage.

No cage is automatically perfect,it takes time to get things to work just right and you do need a balance of enrichment and size to make sure that boredom and nervousness are both taken care of.

[cypher]

It sounds as though you've tried often enough now to see that he's unlikely to adapt, hams often do take a while to get used to a new or bigger cage but his reaction is quite extreme so if he's happy in a small cage I'd just keep him there, recommended cage sizes are helpful as a guide but ultimately it's up to the individual hamster & we have to be led by what they feel comfortable with.

[Vicki]

Try empty toilet paper rolls. Free and they seem to love them

[Pebbles82]

It sounds to me like he just doesn't like bin cages (ie solid sides) and is less likely to bar bite in larger barred cage. Set up and enrichment can make a big difference, as Amityville says (particularly a house that's nice and dark inside! Like a shoe box with a hole cut in for a door). But it sounds like he just doesn't like bin cages. I don't think our Syrian would like them now either, after always being in barred cages. The small cage will almost certainly be contributing to the bar biting though. Tricky thing is, large enough cages are really expensive in the US. The Marchioro Kevin or Savic Mickey 2XL would both be ideal (particularly the Savic Mickey 2XL which is a bit lower), but they are both over $100 I think.

This one (Savic Mickey 2XL) it's $144.95. I have had this cage and it is a fantastic cage - very well made and easy, solid bars and base and a huge front opening door that makes interacting with a hamster really easy, and doing things in the cage easy. It comes with a metal grid shelf for mice, which needs taking out - really bad for hammies feet. I started with a bare cage and just put a good sized house, a wheel and toys in and if you get a flat roofed house (or shoebox house) it can double up as a shelf. He clearly likes to see what's going on and smell the air

https://www.amazon.com/Lixit-Animal-...vic+mickey+2xl

[cypher]

It may be to do with being bullied too, if he was the submissive one in the original group it may take some time before he has the kind of confidence he would need to be comfortable in a larger space.

[Fluffagrams]

Personally, I'd be inclined to leave him in his current, smaller cage at least for now so that he has some stability and if you want to try another larger cage then give it a go in a couple of months.

One activity my hamsters enjoy is foraging for treats in their cages and when I upgraded Victoria from her 'baby tank' I would hide seeds and things for her to encourage her to explore her cage. It seemed to help her to settle as she would realise that she might find something yummy in a tube or on the top of her hammock. It's something that can work in a smaller cage and is easy to set up. I also use the little boxes that medication comes in to really get them to work for their food (just put a couple of little holes in so that they can smell what's inside) and that one has a double purpose of encouraging chewing of something other than cage bars.

[Pebbles82]

It does sound like an idea to give him a bit of stability for a few days - but I'm just wondering how small the cage is. If it's less than half the US recommended size then that could be pretty tiny! Depends which US recommended size it is. I think the ASPA minimum is "no smaller than a 10 gallon tank" but others say 360 sq inches or 450 sq inches. 450 sq inches is about the size of our old minimum in the uk (eg 70cm by 40cm) so less than half of that would be less than 35cm by 20cm floor space. Which is pet carrier size really.

It sounds like this little ham is less robust and finding it harder to adjust than the other two. A bigger cage does sound like a must for him to have enrichment, even if it isn't as big as the Savic Mickey 2XL. You could put the small cage inside the new one and let him explore from there, to help with adjustment (or at least the base of the small cage).

This is a nice option - not too big, not too small. It's also below the minimum but a nice cage really - still not cheap but cheaper than the other one and less than $80! It has a clear base and bars so he can see what's what and plenty of depth for substrate so he can hide in it.

https://www.amazon.com/Ferplast-CAGE...s=hamster+cage

Personally I think it would be better to put that $80 towards the Savic Mickey 2XL if you can afford it. It's not a massive cage by any means, and has narrow bar spacing. It's easy to fill up with substrate and toys and he may love it. Our Syrian freaked for about 10 days when he moved from a tank style to a cage but after that he loved it and was happy as larry.