Cage Cleaning

[Pebbles82]

So glad he's loving the Barney Jency! Almi - here's my take on excessive sleeping or hiding - purely based on my experiences with our hamster. We have had phases of this and it's sometimes when they don't feel safe or a trust bond has been shaken. For example, when we have a trust bond and there is a regular routine (ie food going out the same time each night and expectation of it, plus cage being left alone mostly without changes) or hammy would come out as soon as the veg appeared, have a drink take some of his food and veg and take it back to bed. He was always quite independent and never clamoured to come out of his cage, but he felt safe enough to come out of his house while we were around and with the lights on.

When something shook that trust - you would never see him at all. He would wait until the lights were out and no-one was in the room before coming out for his food.

Sometimes it could be after a vet visit, sometimes because I had done something he didn't like (eg clip his toenails). They can also forget a bond quite quickly I think (a week is a very long time in hamster years!) and regress to being untame, keeping safe and avoiding people.

We used to take Charlie out for out of cage time every night for handling and keeping up familiarity. This again became a routine he expected and he always climbed back into his sputnik when held back to the cage door. When he was upgraded to a bigger cage, his sputnik was higher than the door and this caused him to be very bothered and try and squeeze up the bars to climb into it. He wouldn't go in any other way for a while, until we established a new routine.

I think they are very much creatures of habit and routine. Any change in that and they hide or reject things.

So I think taming and regular out of cage time is the key to not having a reclusive hamster. And not over-cleaning them as well. Having said that, some are more reclusive than others, depending on personality. Charlie has always been a little bit that way. And when they have a bigger house they can stay inside it more because they can do everything in there - sleep, eat, and have an ensuite bathroom in the corner. And maybe that makes them happy - they come out to forage, and explore at night.

But ultimately I think it's about if they feel safe and they can go into their shells now and then if something or someone upsets or scares them.

I noticed it very strongly after Charlie's first vet visit. Not only would he not come out but he moved his nest to the most inaccessible part of the house. It took time for him to trust me again because he thought I might take him out and to the vets again.

I actually read one article that said Hamsters cope so badly with change that really once you've set up a cage for them you should leave everything as it is forever! I think change does stress them, but they learn to tolerate a little bit as long as favourite thing isn't taken away or moved, and things still smell familiar.