Hamster showing sudden signs of boredom

[Pickles]

My hamster Olive has recently started to show signs of boredom by scaling on the lids of her cage and constantly trying to find a way out. I have her in an ikea detolf and have pretty much kept her cage design the same for the two years I’ve had her, and up until now she was perfectly fine. I’m not sure if I will get an other hamster after she passes away hence I don’t really want to spend a lot of money on a new cage but of course I want her to be happy in the limited amount of time I have left with her. Also she has been waking up a lot earlier recently and I don’t know if that has something to do with it or it’s just signs of her aging.How can I help her be happier? Here are some photos of her enclosure. ( sorry her cage is a little messy right

 

[Maz]

Hello and welcome Do you mean she gets up to the lid and kind of crawls along the inside of the mesh? Was there anything happened just before this behaviour started? Maybe a cage clean or something. That can unsettle them. Also it's very hot weather right now and maybe that is bothering her. Does she have anywhere cool to sit? (I think I can see a terracotta plant pot in there).

If it started before that then it won't be the heat. She is not that young if you've had her for two years. How is her health generally?

Does she get out of cage time as well? Do you have a playpen area?

Sorry for all the questions but it might help work things out. Maybe in her old age she is wanting to be out and explore more.

 

[elusive]

Hello & welcome to the forum.
I was wondering much the same as Maz, either something has unsettled her or the heat is bothering her, it is unusual for a hamster of her age to suddenly become more active & bored with a set up.
You could try adding more enrichment to the cage, things like millet & flax sprays, treat toys, cardboard boxes, tubes or other things with treats hidden inside or stuck on them to give her more to do.
Does she seem ok in herself otherwise, still eating ok & enjoying out of cage time if she has it?

 

[Pickles]

Hello and welcome Do you mean she gets up to the lid and kind of crawls along the inside of the mesh? Was there anything happened just before this behaviour started? Maybe a cage clean or something. That can unsettle them. Also it's very hot weather right now and maybe that is bothering her. Does she have anywhere cool to sit? (I think I can see a terracotta plant pot in there).

If it started before that then it won't be the heat. She is not that young if you've had her for two years. How is her health generally?

Does she get out of cage time as well? Do you have a playpen area?

Sorry for all the questions but it might help work things out. Maybe in her old age she is wanting to be out and explore more.

Hello & welcome to the forum.
I was wondering much the same as Maz, either something has unsettled her or the heat is bothering her, it is unusual for a hamster of her age to suddenly become more active & bored with a set up.
You could try adding more enrichment to the cage, things like millet & flax sprays, treat toys, cardboard boxes, tubes or other things with treats hidden inside or stuck on them to give her more to do.
Does she seem ok in herself otherwise, still eating ok & enjoying out of cage time if she has it?

Thank you for the welcome, and the tips. Olive is usually pretty healthy besides a few signs of older age. I don’t think it’s the heat. Where I live we have only had a few hot days so far this summer and when it does get to hot in the house I will turn on the air conditioning. I try not to do a deep clean of her cage unless I have to, usually I just clean out her nest/ were she poops and pees but that hasn’t bothered her before. I try to take her out of the cage when I can but the last few months her schedule has been a little messed up either she wakes up really late at night or at 5:00 in the afternoon so it’s not daily or sometimes weekly. I will try to get her out more often and add a few more enrichment toys to her enclosure. Thanks for the tips!