Hammy

[Maz]

Good thinking!

 

[Zara]

Jack does that. When i part clean his cage he will move and sleep elsewhere. He rotates from his house to the corner under a shelf next to his wheel.
Maybe if you'd take the tube out and clean it, he may move back in his house.

Thanks Beryl, that’s comforting to hear. Hams has been out tonight and is acting just as always. I’ve laid a little path of seeds and a tiny piece of raisin right in his nest tonight. He popped his head in but didn’t go right in for the raisin? Then he just took his stuffed little pouches back to the tube. I’ll give him a couple of days see if he returns and if not give the tube a clean. I have to do the open end every couple of days as that’s where he wees and he must surely realise I’ll keep cleaning that section as I always do, maybe he’ll get bored of the disturbance and realise it’s quieter back in the shoe box

 

[Zara]

Oops looks like the piece of babycorn I popped into the toilet roll feeder must’ve fallen through as Hams has chewed the bottom to retrieve it, made me chuckle this morning. There were other bits of babycorn stashed around the cage but he clearly wanted more.

 

[RainbowBrite]

That was a very clever way of getting more corn!

 

[Maz]

What a great idea for a treat feeder! You should add it to cardboard creations section!

 

[Zara]

Hams moving out of shoebox bed update…… I’ve lost the battle in attempting to coax Hams back into his original nest. My efforts to remove bedding/food etc from the bendy tube he has now settled in, have all been met with him spending the night filling it with everything possible . He’s no longer weeing near the end of the tube, but has started using the sand tray! (after 11 months ), but nice he clearly doesn’t want to be weeing near where he’s sleeping, clever boy; so I’ve given in and am leaving him to sleep in the tube. It looks kinda cosy and is a large tube so he has space to move about. But I do hear him digging about in the day and obviously there is no where to go as it’s not open at the bottom like the shoebox was.

I’ve decided tomorrow I will clean the corner of his enclosure where the shoebox is and remove the contents. I’m going to replace the majority of the bedding with fresh, mixed in with some of the old substrate I pull out after I’ve cleaned it through removing any food bits. Wish me luck! I’m thinking if it stills smells of him but in a fresh kinda way, he may start to explore the area again.

 

[Member ID2]

Jack sleeps in his big wicker tunnel in the summer, has slept in the corner under a shelf during the cold spell and now that it's getting warmer he's back in his house!

Did Hams run out of space for himself in his house? It will be interesting to see if he moves back in after a clean out. I'd leave a big heap of toilet paper strips outside his house to encourage him to build a new nest.

Of course, he may well pouch the nesting material and move it into his tube.

 

[Zara]

Yes, maybe he just fancied a change of scenery, guess I’ve just got so used to it being his bed. As you mentioned above, his nest has become super packed with bedding over the colder months, so maybe he has started to feel a bit squashed in. It‘ll be great if he keeps using the sand tray though

 

[Maz]

I think I would probably remove the tube and put a house where it was and stick his nest and hoard in the house

 

[Member ID2]

Or replace the plastic tube with one that "breathes" like a big wicker or seagrass type tunnel.

 

[Zara]

Thanks all, going to do the little clear out of the old nest tonight, see whether he takes a look back in the box.

I’ve also got two large rat tubes that I use in the play pen which have large ventilated holes. I could move the current tube nest/hoard into one of those and place it in his enclosure? Not sure what he’d make of it as they are clear plastic so wouldn’t be as dark as the red bendy or a sea grass or wicker tunnel but I could load up some Kaytee all around, over it or is that clearly not going to help with ventilation either?

Maybe I’m over thinking it, if he was too hot in the red bendy tube he could always sleep in his square tissue box where he normally cleans himself before he comes out to roam. I’ll see what happens after I’ve cleaned his old sleeping spot tonight

 

[Member ID2]

He won't be too hot this time of the year. I don't think there's any point in exchanging one plastic tube for another because the ventilation holes would soon get covered by substrate.
I'd exchange it for a natural tube before the summer but he's probably moved out of it by then.

 

[Maz]

I'd just take the tube out and put a house there lol. I like to train them to use the house! A tube could be attached to bars somewhere perhaps - leading to a shelf or something, rather than at floor level. So it's more of an access thing and less cosy elsewhere.

 

[Zara]

Just a quick photo of Hams who’s out in his pen at the mo, pottering around finding bits of fresh veg I’ve hidden.

I was completely stunned at the volume of food in the nest when I cleared it out. Lots of the bedding was still all clean so I’ve added fresh in the bottom about an inch and a bit thick and then I placed all his clean but older bedding back in on the top to keep his scent, it’s deep but not as compacted as before but I thought if he moves back in, he can add to the layers in his own way.

I’ve placed a small bit of his old hoard, with a bit of new food hidden away and when he went back in his cage, for the first time since moving out of his nest, he went back into the shoebox to look round. He’s still sleeping in the tube but the last few nights, it looks like he’s moving food into the nest now, starting a fresh hoard .

pictures a bit blurry

 

[Member ID2]

Will be interesting to see what he does. Did you leave him a heap of torn into strips toilet paper? That always goes down well.

 

[Zara]

Yes, there is a pile near the entrance, looks like he’s taken some in and left them inside but by the entrance. Perhaps he’s figuring out a new design.

 

[RainbowBrite]

Aww Hams is so cute. It is lovely to see him enjoying his playpen.

I remember when I spot cleaned and found Orkos hoard. It was huge too.

 

[Zara]

Food delivery today!! looking forward to trying something new. picture is from the freezer

 

[Maz]

Ooh lucky Hams You'll be well stocked up there for a while! I also have one freezer drawer full of hamster food and treats.

 

[RainbowBrite]

I envy your big freezer! I am looking forward to hearing what Hams thinks of the new food.