behaviour after cleaning cage

Question
Why does our syrian dwarf hamster often behave wildly after we clean out his cage and 'house' seeming to trash everything? Cheers

Answer
Hi Simon,

Your hamster is confused, since all of his scent marks in the cage are gone.  Every time you clean the cage, it's as if he's being placed in a new home.  So he frantically tries to mark it once again, so that it feels like "home."

To help prevent this confusion, leave one item in his cage unwashed (not the food bowl or water bottle - rather, something like the wheel or a toy) each time you clean his cage.  Obviously, you'll have to rotate this item, since it will eventually need to be washed.  This will help assure him that it's still "his" cage.

Have a great day!

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask :)

Kelly