Zak

[elusive]

I try not to worry & just enjoy our time together but it isn’t always easy! I think he is just getting a bit tired sometimes now though.

Not quite that old! He was around 9 months for his first Christmas here.

 

[Maz]

Ah ok! My maths isn't great lol.

 

[elusive]

Don’t know what’s got into Zak’s little head but he abandoned his house a few days ago, he has one of the Getzoo three roomed houses & has lived in it all his life, except when I first got him he would get in a huff sometimes after cleaning & sleep under the shelf where his sand bath is but that never lasted long.
He’s made himself a lovely little pile of a nest next to the sand bath & I’ve seen him collecting bedding to take it over there, again something f’ve never seen him do as he was always content with what was already in his house, shows they don’t lose the instincts though.
He made me laugh yesterday evening when he went off down his tube obviously intending to go to his sand bath & had forgotten he’s blocked it off! Had to come back out & go the long way round.
I don’t think anything’s bothering him he seems totally content so maybe he just wanted to be a bit closer to his food & treats!



Here he is getting every last bit out of one of his crock treats, I didn’t manage to catch yesterday but often when he sits more upright holding it like that with his tongue going back & forth he looks like he’s playing the harmonica!

If he gets a bit of the biscuit in his mouth he just spits it out!

 

[Member ID2]

Aww, what a lovely and cute little boy! Zak looks incredibly well for a hamster of his age. He's enjoying that biscuit filling.

I wonder if he'll move back in his house again soon. Maybe he just fancied a spot of camping.

 

[elusive]

. Maybe he just fancied a spot of camping.

 

[RainbowBrite]

He is so beautiful! It is funny he just eats the middle and throws the biscuit part away. Lol.

 

[elusive]

New improved recipe
Just went to put fresh cereal in for Zak & found he’d added some pine nuts to yesterdays left overs! You have to wonder what goes on in their little heads!

 

[RainbowBrite]

Haha, is he asking you to remove them?

 

[elusive]

He might rather be wondering where they went!

 

[Maz]

He really does look like he's playing the harmonica on that video. . And I've just seen the neatly arranged pine nut topping - that is so creative! He is being quite the little artist! I wonder what that is about? Maybe he puts his special things in one place. I had something similar a while back. I found a very neat, quite large, pile of sunflower seeds on top of Pip's house. I took it as - stop giving me so many sunflower seeds - you can see I have too many and I've not eaten them! But who knows what it meant!

Raffy puts his favourite things in special places - so maybe that's what it's about? Cereal? Yummy Pine Nuts - yummy - put the yummy things in the same place.

 

[elusive]

Aw Pip that’s funny they do have ways of letting you know don’t they! They do generally have favourite places to put things, usually places we’re not supposed to know about & they are clever. I thought that Zak’s arrangement was quite creative too, I think he may just be a bit confused at the moment as he usually takes everything down into his burrow & house but now he’s living upstairs he needs to find new places!

 

[Maz]

Ah yes, that's probably it.

 

[elusive]

I have been a bit concerned about Zak this last week or so, since he moved out of his house he’s been out & about less & less in the evenings & I haven’t seen him running in his wheel at all in the evening although he was in there when I got up yesterday & obviously isn’t having any problems with it.
He’s looking a bit wobbly now & has lost interest in food & treats to some extent, I know these changes are inevitable sadly but he’s been so active & appeared so youthful I can’t help but be concerned now.
He still seems a bit confused to & keeps going around the entire cage (he’s still agile enough to get around everywhere) sniffing everything or just walking around with his nose in the air sniffing, I’m usually pretty good at understanding my hams behaviour but I’m really not sure what that is about!
He’s still full of surprises, I spent some time with him as usual when I got up then he went back to bed, I went back an hour or so later when I was having breakfast go give him some yoghurt & saw this…

He’s decided to make a new nest in his sand bath!
He was clearly struggling a bit to carry large mouthfuls of tissue across the cage so I sat there tearing up loads more & putting it within easy reach, I could hardly keep up with him & he was at it for ages!

I think he’s asleep in there now.
What next I wonder

 

[RainbowBrite]

Oh sweet boy. He was so busy and intent on building a nest. Could it be due to an old age forgetfulness? Perhaps he has forgotten he does not usually build a nest there.

 

[Member ID2]

Yes, i know what you mean.
He's comfortable and he's happy so all you can do is wait and see.
He looks well and he's very active for an old man though. Everybody would be wobbly and a bit senile at his age so i don't think that's much to worry about.

 

[elusive]

I think you’re right there Beryl.

I don’t think he’s forgotten RainbowBrite, I think he’s probably just a bit unsettled out of his house & I’m still not sjure why he moved ot of there, I think his tunnel entrance has collapsed a bit so I did a quick spot clean in there & opened a hole where the door is, he did have a look inside but didn’t take the hint. He may have been peeing in his new nest & decided to move out! I didn’t want to spot clean both at once as he seems a bit sensitive to any cleaning now but I’ll have a look soon.

 

[RainbowBrite]

What a clean and tidy boy.

 

[Maz]

Such a difficult time, but he is still hamstering. I wonder what the nest in the sandbath is about. Sometimes they are doing something logical - maybe he wants to be closer to his wheel? If he is aware that walking around is not so easy? Is the sand bath nearer the food or water?

 

[elusive]

I’m really not sure, he’s no nearer anything really & he’s walking about fine just slightly wobbly but not struggling or anything, who knows… maybe he just wanted an en suite toilet or something!

 

[Maz]

I wonder if he will stay there or move back. I thought it looked quite close to the wheel on the photo but maybe no difference as you say if the house is nearby as well. I know older hams used to struggle with the round doors on houses sometimes and I used to cut the bottom bit out so they didn't have to climb through but don't think your houses are like that anyway are they?

Ensuite toilet might be a good guess.