What to do about Very Messy Cage

[eswes]

Every morning, I wake up to find Chii’s home like this:

Everything covered in shavings, her water bottle, food bowls, wheel and water bowl all covered up and unusable
I tend to tidy things up each morning and make her food/water visible again, is there too much bedding, it was about 1.5” under the window, should I be tidying it or leaving it how it is?
I got her 2 weeks ago and I’m not sure if its just because this is a new environment for her she does this but I never see her either
I would like to start bonding with her but shes never out even after midnight, I sometimes see her in the mornings in her burrows but she disappears as soon as she realises Im watching,, is there any way I can try bond with her without seeing her?

 

[Maz]

She's been having fun there! Looks like she's been doing a lot of digging or tunneling and thrown the bedding up behind her. She probably wonders who then messed up her cage ha ha.

Two weeks is still early days (for a hamster anyway). I'm not up on Duprasi diet - do they eat veg? If so it's usually the smell of fresh veg around the same time of night every night, that brings my hammies out and then I offer a tube for some out of cage time - that's often a good way to start bonding.

 

[Socks' Mum]

I enjoy the You Tube site Fins and Whiskers. Shine the presenter has Mongolian gerbils, but I think there are similarities. She used food to start a relationship with her gerbils, like what Maz is suggesting. She made a separate section so her gerbils wouldn't bury their wheel as she says gerbils tend to try to take things down into their burrows. I'm sure Chilli will become more friendly as she settles in ❤

 

[Socks' Mum]

Chilli is very cute. Looking forward to hearing more about her. @Daisy has gerbils, she might know more about taming them ❤

 

[Maz]

Actually @Redheaddegu has a Duprasi as well If you have a look at her threads, I believe she has set ups with some areas without bedding

Duprasi, the missing link between hamsters and gerbils.

So, I was planning on another dwarf hamster. I started building the cage. Then I got offered a Duprasi. So please meet Moth…… This a picture of her, just before I set off home.

www.thehamsterforum.com