My hamster is stashing his food and bedding in his sand

[Pastacat]

For a while, Topaç has been using his sand bath as a food and bedding stash, I think, because it's under a shade and shadowed by a hide. When I spot clean the pee and poop from the sand, I remove the food, because I'm afraid that he could eat the sand. I usually put the bedding back in if it's not on the pee corner.

He has been acting stressed(climbing and biting the bars) again lately. I think it's because I have been removing his sand stash. Today, I tried to calm him down with some treats and he did take the treats, but he then bit my thumb so hard that he drew blood. I'm currently pressing a gauze pad on the bite. He hadn't bitten me like that in a long time.

 

[Socks' Mum]

For a while, Topaç has been using his sand bath as a food and bedding stash, I think, because it's under a shade and shadowed by a hide. When I spot clean the pee and poop from the sand, I remove the food, because I'm afraid that he could eat the sand. I usually put the bedding back in if it's not on the pee corner.

He has been acting stressed(climbing and biting the bars) again lately. I think it's because I have been removing his sand stash. Today, I tried to calm him down with some treats and he did take the treats, but he then bit my thumb so hard that he drew blood. I'm currently pressing a gauze pad on the bite. He hadn't bitten me like that in a long time.

I am sorry to hear Topaç has bitten you hard Perhaps you could take the sandbath away for a bit and put bedding in the spot for a regular nest. Sometimes they are a bit territorial about parts of the cage. You might be better getting him into a tube and practicing hand taming in the playpen where he is less likely to be defensive ❤ or drawing him towards the cage front with a favourite treat to where he is less territorial ❤

 

[Maz]

I'm sorry he bit you too. It's very difficult when they keep their hoard in a sand potty or sand bath and it has to be removed. To try and train them out of it (and prevent the stress), it's a good idea to put a handful of new food NEXT to the sand bath or potty. Harder to achieve with a sand bath maybe as it's larger. They find the food. They may put it back in the sand - but you keep doing it. Hopefully it trains them to hoard somewhere else. The bigger issue seeems to be that he is also nesting in his sand bath and they like their hoards near their nest.

Do you have a photo of his current set up? Some minor adjustments might help get him back into better habits

 

[Pastacat]

I'm sorry he bit you too. It's very difficult when they keep their hoard in a sand potty or sand bath and it has to be removed. To try and train them out of it (and prevent the stress), it's a good idea to put a handful of new food NEXT to the sand bath or potty. Harder to achieve with a sand bath maybe as it's larger. They find the food. They may put it back in the sand - but you keep doing it. Hopefully it trains them to hoard somewhere else. The bigger issue seeems to be that he is also nesting in his sand bath and they like their hoards near their nest.

Do you have a photo of his current set up? Some minor adjustments might help get him back into better habits

Thank you. I will try putting food next to the sand bath. I attached photos of his enclosure below. The sand bath is under the cardboard shade in the corner.

 

[Maz]

Ah - I'm wondering if that cardboard shade is the darkest area in the cage They always choose the darkest place to nest and hoard. It looks like he has two other houses in his cage but has chosen to use the cosy shelter over the sand bath.

So personally I would

1) Remove the cardboard shelter over the sand bath
2) Move the sand bath to a different part of the cage
3) Put what I think is the large house - over the top of where the sand bath used to be

In doing so, remove and retrieve some of his nest and hoard (even if they are a bit sandy!) and save as much of his nest as you can (even if some bits are still slightly whiffy) and put them in the house that you have put over the area where the sand bath is now.

In other words, swap the house and sand bath around. Also put a new handful of food inside the house after you've moved it over. Change the sand in the sand bath in it's new location - don't put a roof over the sand bath

I don't think this will stress him - it will make him stop and think - and he might be slightly curious and confused but adapt. Also put a big pile of torn up strips of plain white toilet paper outside the house when you've moved it, near the entrance (he'll take it and rebuild his nest on top of the existing remaining nest).

If you have some kind of bendy bridge, you could also put that over the door of the house, so it makes it a tunnel entrance and much darker inside. That tends to work well.

There look to be two large houses in there? One near the sand bath and one cardboard? One at the other end of the cage. Which is the main house? So we can decide which is the best one to move. Whichever it is I would put the sand bath at the opposite end of the cage, uncovered.

 

[Pastacat]

I am sorry to hear Topaç has bitten you hard Perhaps you could take the sandbath away for a bit and put bedding in the spot for a regular nest. Sometimes they are a bit territorial about parts of the cage. You might be better getting him into a tube and practicing hand taming in the playpen where he is less likely to be defensive ❤ or drawing him towards the cage front with a favourite treat to where he is less territorial ❤

I am a bit hesitant to remove the sand bath entirely, because he likes to be in there a lot(he likes digging in the sand) and it seems to be a necessity for hamsters, based on what I've read online. I will most likely start spending time with him in the playpen or bathtub, though. I actually tried putting him in the playpen a long time ago, but he panicked and frantically ran around and tried to chew his way out of it, so I thought it stressed him too much and put him back in his cage. Maybe the bathtub would be different though.

 

[Pastacat]

Ah - I'm wondering if that cardboard shade is the darkest area in the cage They always choose the darkest place to nest and hoard. It looks like he has two other houses in his cage but has chosen to use the cosy shelter over the sand bath.

So personally I would

1) Remove the cardboard shelter over the sand bath
2) Move the sand bath to a different part of the cage
3) Put what I think is the large house - over the top of where the sand bath used to be

In doing so, remove and retrieve some of his nest and hoard (even if they are a bit sandy!) and save as much of his nest as you can (even if some bits are still slightly whiffy) and put them in the house that you have put over the area where the sand bath is now.

In other words, swap the house and sand bath around. Also put a new handful of food inside the house after you've moved it over. Change the sand in the sand bath in it's new location - don't put a roof over the sand bath

I don't think this will stress him - it will make him stop and think - and he might be slightly curious and confused but adapt. Also put a big pile of torn up strips of plain white toilet paper outside the house when you've moved it, near the entrance (he'll take it and rebuild his nest on top of the existing remaining nest).

If you have some kind of bendy bridge, you could also put that over the door of the house, so it makes it a tunnel entrance and much darker inside. That tends to work well.

There look to be two large houses in there? One near the sand bath and one cardboard? One at the other end of the cage. Which is the main house? So we can decide which is the best one to move. Whichever it is I would put the sand bath at the opposite end of the cage, uncovered.

Well, he has four houses in the cage, but the pink and white shoebox is the main house. I think what you suggested might work, but he also pees in his sand bath, specifically, he pees like he is doing a handstand, but with his back legs supported by the cage tray, which is why I put the sand bath on the floor of the cage. If I switch the house and sand bath around, I would put it on a platform, but then I am not sure where he would pee then. I guess I can only try and see.

 

[Maz]

Yes I would try and see - I think it will work. He will probably still pee in his sand bath. If he starts peeing in his house - well it's better than nesting in the sand bath!

With something like a multiroom house you can have a separate room with a corner toilet in with sand in. My hamsters tended to use the toilet inside the house. Nest in one room, bury hoards under the nest, and use the sand in the toilet for peeing (they still pee in their sand baths occasionally). Providing the toilet room was right next to the nesting room! However I did have one hamster who decided to nest on top of his sand toilet! But he didn't have a proper multiroom house - it was a long house with three rooms and didn't quite work.

 

[Socks' Mum]

Yes, it's best not to have a roof over the sand bath with Syrians. Socks also does a sort of hand stand when using his toilet, it must be a boy hamster thing if you use a platform with short legs, the sand bath could still be at the level of the bedding. The multi chamber houses are wonderful. You can also make them from cardboard. Victoria Rachel has a video on how to make one. Socks' first MCH was made from a cardboard box, cut up, with a lid on top. Then when you want access to the hamster, you can lift the lid and wake him up gradually so he is not grumpy. It is very cute seeing how they organise their rooms in the MCH. Socks took good care of his first cardboard MCH and never chewed it at all for the playpen, I found that if I put lots some plastic tunnels, paper bags and empty cereal boxes in, Socks would race through the tunnels and really enjoy himself scent marking them and skidding round the corners at high speed. None of that now though as he is quite old and just goes to his food bowls and water bottles and comes out to be hand fed pumpkin seeds

 

[Pastacat]

Update: I swapped the places of the sand bath and shoebox hide. Also made some changes to the cage, such as putting a plastic box under the pyrex container under the wheel and changing the places of some of the hides. I hope Topaç isn't too angry at me! Though, he seemed curious rather than stressed.

 

[Maz]

I thought he would be curious The other thing is you could add a trail of sunflower seeds leading to the entrance of the shoebox house and a nice smelly treat and some other treats inside - eg a tiny bit of cheese or strawberry. And extra strips of toilet paper OUTSIDE the house - near the entrance. They like to forage for it and take it to their nesting area.

Edit - sorry I can see there is some there! I would add a bit more