It’s important to remember where your hamster likes to toilet when you clean and layout the cage so that one area is consistently the toilet. That makes spot cleaning the area much easier and reduces the overall cage cleaning needed. Barred cages are the most popular solution for housing hamsters, but they do not facilitate burrowing as well as tanks, like aquariums and terrariums. Hamster enrichment does not need to be elaborate or expensive. In fact, it will cost you nothing at all to take your hamster outside for some play time and/or bring some items from nature into his enclosure. Pine and cedar shavings: Pine and cedar shavings have traditionally been popular choices for hamster bedding because of their pleasant smell and affordable price. However, these types of bedding contain natural oils known as phenols, which can irritate their sensitive respiratory systems. With buried tunnels and things, I like to do a bit of a mixture. Tunnels at diagonals can be good with sort of one end poking up and looking inviting. Weird-shaped boxes and bits of flat cardboard staggered into the substrate at intervals can be good too, like a sort of subterranean roof.

If a partition isn’t possible, you can create a secondary enclosure that facilitates their burrowing behavior. You will have to remove them from their cage to this second enclosure when you want them to have some quality burrowing time. This isn’t ideal, as hamsters should be able to burrow at their leisure, so consider finding a way to connect the two enclosures so that your hamster can burrow to his or her heart’s content. DIY Burrowing Boxes Hamsters are good at escaping and frequently seek a way out of their enclosures. Burrowing in a corner is likely an attempt to dig out of a tank, as the hamster hopes to create a tunnel to freedom. Why Has My Hamster Stopped Burrowing?There are three different options for creating a digging area. What they all have in common is that they need a good-sized footprint, so the hamster can tunnel horizontally as well as vertically. A large, usable floor area with plenty of space for exploring - there isn’t a lot of evidence to say exactly how big a hamster cage should be but the ‘Veterinary Association for Animal Welfare’(based in Germany) states a minimum cage size of 100x50cm Hamsters are natural foragers, and allowing them to engage in this instinctual behavior will be beneficial to their well-being. Start with treats. You can scatter a few treats throughout the cage. Wooden Visible Hamster Digging Box: Measurement: 11.1 x 7.36 x 7.3 inch(ca. 28.3cm x 18.6cm x 18.7cm). Niteangel visible hamster digging box adopts enclosed design, let your little pet can freely explore and play in the digging box, 2.75 inches top exit convenient small pets in and out, it not only can be filled with bedding for small animals for hidden games, but also be used as a storehouses to store food or favorite toys for hamsters. Any sudden behavioral change is more concerning. While burrowing isn’t essential to survival in a captive hamster, the activity won’t cease without an explanation. Not Enough or The Wrong Substrate

The substrate mustn’t be toxic to hamsters, as some bedding will be pouched or swallowed as food will be buried within. The ideal material will meet the following criteria: A hamster aged 18 months or older is entering the final months of its lifespan, and behaviors will change. Digging and burrowing will be among the first activities to cease.Choosing an appropriate container is crucial to ensure your hamster’s comfort and safety while digging. Opt for a shallow plastic bin or a glass terrarium with low walls to prevent your hamster from escaping. Make sure the container is spacious enough for your hamster to move around comfortably. A minimum of 12 inches by 8 inches is recommended, but the larger, the better. Ensure that the container is escape-proof and free of any sharp edges or protruding objects that could harm your hamster. Hamsters of all breeds have been observed burrowing both in the wild and in domestic settings. Syrians, Dwarf hamsters and Chinese hamsters (the most popular/common pet breeds of the hamster) may exhibit varying levels of interest in burrowing. This can range from an aggressive, insistent interest to no interest at all. Whether your hamster is a burrower or not, you don’t need to worry. It’s not unhealthy for them if they do not burrow, nor is it unhealthy if they love to burrow a lot. How You Can Nurture Your Hamster’s Burrowing Behavior Yes, hamsters are burrowing animals. Hamsters burrow in the wild, creating networks of tunnels and caves wherein they sleep and store their food. This is done for a number of reasons, including warmth and protection for the poor-sighted creatures from predators. Having a hamster in a domestic setting does not strip them of this natural burrowing impulse. Many hamsters will do this when and where they can, including inside their cage. It’s important to use actual sand and not dust. The cheapest way to do this is to buy sand sold as children’s play sand, and bake some in a bread tin in the oven to evaporate water but be careful, hot sand is very hot – do not touch it! For a simpler but more expensive option, many petshops now sell chinchilla sand and ReptiSand. Knowing this, you’re probably wondering how you, as a hamster owner, can help facilitate healthy and happy burrowing for your pet. You might not observe your hamster burrowing much, if at all, and wonder if it’s normal for them to be disinterested in this behavior. You may even wonder if they are burrowing too much, or for any unhealthy reasons. By reading on, you will have all of these questions and more answered.

Assembly was easy. Holes were well aligned and properly drilled, though the screwdriver was a slightly different size then the screws. Otherwise tolerances and quality of construction was high. It would of been nice if the screws sat flush. The glue was of substandard quality. One of the tubes had become separated into a clear liquid and a hard white substance. Mixing inside of the tube was impossible. The second tube from the other box spurted and uneven application. Resorted to using my own wood glue to ensure a tight seal. I would not trust the enclosed glue and would use the included screws instead.Using more than one substrate is the best way to create a digging environment that will provide good structure for burrows and textural interest for enrichment. Digging Safe Material And Transparent Design: the five sides of the hamster burrow box with durable material, the spacious hamster hideout provides hamster with enough digging depth and width, the front with transparent acrylic board can observe the position and movement direction of the small animals at any time. In addition, we have polished every corner smooth of the small animal digging box to get your pet away from from harm when digging and exploring. For something more enclosed, a side opening glass cookie jar is good, although some species of hamsters may need a wooden bridge in the entrance to help them get in and out.