Kayte clean&cozy tunnels

[Veer]

My dwarf hamster does not burrow in her clean and cozy at all. she only makes a small hole underneath a house or something like that.

maybe i didn't press the bedding enough and it is too loose to tunnel in it?
what do you think? should i mix something like hay with it?

i would also love to see pictures from your enclosures with kaytee and tunnels in it.

thank you!

 

[Maz]

It's possible she is tunneling but just in the middle and not near the front You could try firming the substrate up a bit if it doesn't disturb her too much, but she has a lovely multichamber hide there, and it may be she is happy with that as her burrow. I find they sometimes dig down under the house though.

 

[elusive]

It could be that you didn’t pack the substrate down enough or it may just be that she’s not really one for tunnelling that much, some don’t.
My Chinese hamster tend to do it a lot & manage just fine with Kaytee alone & I don’t pack it down that hard.
I wouldn’t mix hay in with it, hay is a bit of a hassle, it can have sharp bits you need to pick out & can be a source of mites so needs to be frozen for at least a week before use.
You could try mixing some aspen in with it maybe.
Is she burrowing under the house? That’s the most common place to find burrows also under platforms, ot all hamsters will make tunnels or burrows that can be seen from outside the tank.

 

[RainbowBrite]

I found kaytee was brilliant for making tunnels with. I just made sure I pressed it firmly. I have my first dwarf hamster and sometimes I cannot see his tunnels because he makes horizontal ones rather then vertical like my previous hamster. He also seems to make tunnels under a layer of bedding. My previous hamster made very clear tunnels.

 

[Veer]

Thank you, will try to press it some more, and will look for tunneling from underneath the house.
Can you show me some Kaytee tunnel pictures form your dwarfs? Would love to see how they burrow in it.

 

[RainbowBrite]

I am using a different bedding now, Fitch. Hopefully somebody else will have a picture for you.

 

[Maz]

I think you don’t always get to see tunnels . You might see a tunnel entrance hole but the tunnels will be deep in the substrate.

 

[elusive]

I’m not sure you could get a photo of a tunnel really, my new Chinese has just started a new one under her wheel but all that’s visible is a small hole in the substrate, even that sometimes gets hidden as the top layer covers it sometimes as they move it around.

 

[Maz]

The only time I knew there were tunnels in our Robo's cage was when he would appear from under the substrate in a different location He seemed to just have the one between his multiroom house and another hide in the cage. But he seeemed to stop using it - maybe because he had a big cork log in between them and would run under that instead. I think the main thing is that they have plenty of substrate under their multiroom house so they can burrow down.

 

[elusive]

It does vary with species, I’ve never found my Russian hams to be big burrowers although there was usually one or two under something I never found much in the way of tunnels unlike my Chinese (& probably some robos although I don’t have experience with those) who have tunnels going right across the cage & burrow entrances in several places.

 

[Veer]

But when you have a hamster that does not like to burrow, do they still need a minimum of 20cm deep bedding in the whole cage? Just to give them the possibility to do so?

 

[elusive]

I would say so yes, some don’t start burrowing straight away in deep substrate but may do a some point & it’s best to give them the opportunity.

 

[RainbowBrite]

I would also say yes. You can never be sure if they may decide to burrow one day and I feel it is important they have the choice.

 

[Maz]

But when you have a hamster that does not like to burrow, do they still need a minimum of 20cm deep bedding in the whole cage? Just to give them the possibility to do so?

I think the 20cm deep is more than about just burrowing as well. It's enough to be able to enable them to bury hoards under their nest or elsewhere, and also means the cage needs cleaning out less, which benefits them from lack of stress and upheaval. And gives them the opportunity to dig and move the substrate around sometimes even if they don't actually tunnel. You could maybe add a starter tube to see if she starts tunneling. That;s a tube pushed into the substrate at and angle with part of it visible at the top - it encourages them to go down the tube and then they can start digging tunnels from there maybe.

 

[RainbowBrite]

I tried taking a picture of my hamsters tunnels for you. I am not really sure if they are clear enough but thought it may be helpful. I do not use kaytee though.

 

[Veer]

Thank you! I also see holes like this, but i am not sure if it are just holes or tunnels

 

[RainbowBrite]

Thank you! I also see holes like this, but i am not sure if it are just holes or tunnels

They are tunnels. Looks like she is making tunnels. You do not have anything to worry about.

 

[4melyon]

My dwarf hamster does not burrow in her clean and cozy at all. she only makes a small hole underneath a house or something like that.

maybe i didn't press the bedding enough and it is too loose to tunnel in it?
what do you think? should i mix something like hay with it?

i would also love to see pictures from your enclosures with kaytee and tunnels in it.

thank you!

Is that a camera in your hamsters cage? I was wondering if this was something ppl do. My little guy is brand new and it’s been hard to catch a glimpse of him. Esp for my kids who go to bed early! If it is, any set up you would recommend?

 

[Veer]

yes it is! It has nightvision and detects movement. I can see everything she did during the night, watching the video's on my phone app in the morning.
I have a metal lid on the tank, the camera is attached with magnets.
It is a tapo camera. I think it is the c100.

 

[Maz]

A nightcam is really useful! Mine is outside the cage, opposite it. They are infrared so they record at night and you can see what the hamster has been up to. It's also useful for seeing if there is a problem (I once saw that a wheel was jammed from watching on my phone in bed And another time it helped catch an escaped hamster!

There are various types sold on Amazon. My current one is a Eufy one. It's difficult if a hamster gets up late and the children don't get to see it. However dwarf hamsters sometimes get up during the day as well as overnight. My dwarf gets up at lunch time sometimes for a while and then around tea time, then maybe disappears until late at night. Maybe your hammy is still just settling in. It can take a few days for them to adjust to a new cage.