Hamsters have evolved over many years to survive in harsh conditions in their natural habitats. They instinctively store food to ensure they have enough rations to survive. Normally this food storage will be within their nest – their most secure place.
Hamsters will regularly empty their entire food bowl and move the goodies to where they perceive to be a more secure place.
Many hamster owners make the mistake of completely removing all the stored food and completely replacing all the bedding during each cage cleaning session. This makes the hamster anxious as the security they have worked hard building all week has been disturbed.
The best thing to do is to replace some (but not all) of your hamster’s bedding each week and make sure that a small amount of their stored food is also left within the nest box (unless it is soiled or wet in which case remove it). Not doing this can make your hamster hyper protective of any newly stored food which can involve them marking their stored food with urine to stop any scavengers (in this case you!) from removing their store in future.
Your hamster is happiest when he is allowed to store and keep his food exactly where he wants it for future use. To give your hamster a more entertaining way to scout for their food we have the most fabulous boredom breaker dispensers which release a small amount of food at a time – these keep hamsters busy for hours emptying the food out piece by piece!
Where does your hamster store his food? How do you handle your cage cleaning each week? Let us know via facebook or twitter.
