Is this normal??

[KristenKeegan]

I have two dwarf hamsters, a male and a female. Lately my male has been building a bed for himself and his girlfriend. The only problem is that he is making it in their litter box, which is the only place they will pee and poop. Is this normal?? I put a few pieces of toilet paper in their cage and he will pull it in the litter box and tear it apart and kick some bedding in there too. They will curl up and spend all day in there. I've tried taking out the toilet paper and bedding and putting it in their house, but within minutes he has it all back in the litter box. I clean the litter box every day and as soon as I put it back it the cage they will get in there and pee and then build a bed on top of it. What do I do? Isn't it bad for them to sleep all day in their pee and poop? I think my female is pregnant and they might be trying to build a nest. Won't that be really bad for the babies? If that is their nest, I won't be able to clean it for two weeks!! That could get really disgusting. What should I do? Please respond if you have ANY advice!!
Also, aspen bedding is ok for hamsters, right? Carefresh bedding is too expensive so I use aspen but my male hamster sneezes all the time. It's not dusty. Will it be ok for the babies? Thank you in advance for any responses!!:agree:

[KristenKeegan]

Is it normal for hamsters to sleep ALL day? My male has hardly moved for the past two days. He'll eat, but that's about it. He usually runs around and is really active. Could he just be tired, or do you guys think something is wrong? Is it ok to give them a bath, and if so, how?

[Mitchandozzie]

if u havent had him 4 long then its normal. hes probably still explorin.

[Mitchandozzie]

and i give my hammys baths by putin a little bit o water in the sink( warm water but not hot or cold) and by kinda just putin it over there body but not the head! they breath through their noses so make sure not to get ne water in there!

[qazwsxedc]

to discourage the nesting in the litter tray remove the tray and nest(bining the nest and soiled litter) every 2 hours if they repeatedly build the nest there and you get rid of it they'll eventually relize its bad for them to sleep there :D :apart: :badpc: :badpc:

[qazwsxedc]

my friend had a sneezing hammy and all he wanted was attention so the aspen will be fine

[Tennisplyer89]

Is it normal?! Well is ur hamster old? if it is it's about to die! or you are handling your hamster too much! why not get him/her some toys and let it play with it and give her some treat, if you dont kno any treat, do you kno cheerios?*of cours* not forsted ones but just regular!!!!!!!! they love it! :)

[Mitchandozzie]

i tjough oz was sick but he just wakes up late cause 1 of us is always takin him out and he only really feels comfortable sleepin on me.

[jbenning]

Hi Kristen, I'm not a vet or a seasoned hamster aficionado but I do have a hamster that insists on sleeping in the same quarters where he (she?) stores food and goes to the washroom. I thought the behaviour was VERY strange until my sister told me that the hamster she had did the same thing.
If you consider a hamsters life in the natural world, there is no human control over hammy's home cleanliness (I'm not advocating poor hygiene on the part of hamster owners, just a different perspective). Furthermore, I think it is very human to have several 'rooms' to separate daily acitivites (eating/sleeping/pooping) into. Yes, hammy pee is foul smelling to us but maybe it smells for a reason. Maybe this is how a hamster naturally marks part of his territory, or maybe in the wild there isn't a convenient separate corner to go and have a pee, or maybe pee just isn't the same issue for hamsters as it is for humans. Watch carefully, your hammy (if he is like mine) will keep the pee in exactly one spot - mine also keeps this spot well buried in other bedding (even though the 'room' in question is very small) so he is never actually laying in his pee. His food is buried in another precise location in the 'room' and is also well buried.
One final thought. If your hamsters are expecting babies, maybe their instincts are kicking in and they are 'setting up shop' getting ready for the big day. Constantly interfering by changing the bedding might not help them to feel 'at home'. Might this be causing stress on your little 'mother-to-be'?

good luck

[jbenning]

Is it possible that your hamster is allergic to something? Dusty or not, there could be something irritating the nose...perfume makes me sneeze.
I find it hard to believe tht a hamster would sneeze for attention - it sounds too much like something humans do.

Just a thought

[Mitchandozzie]

my friends hammy sneezed cause she didnt like the food they were givin them..... maybe ur hammy dont like the food? if u have ny friends with hamsters who eat different food then urs just give him/ her a little bit of that for a day and see if he/she likes it better

[qazwsxedc]

hammys do not snezze all the time it sounds like it they try to get attention by making sounds

[Mitchandozzie]

that could be true. i no corkey makes weird sounds( clicking, chirping) when he wants attention

[o0hamster0o]

Hamster's sleep all the time! It's like when they get up, they get up to pee, poop, eat, and drink. Maybe an occasionally going on the wheel or biting the cage to get out!

:angel2:

[o0hamster0o]

Yeah I have that problem too, why does my hamster Mouse sneeze all the time? Well not all the time...

[Mitchandozzie]

the answers to y ur hammy sneezes are in the previous answers to this post