Hamster saving food

Question
I have had a dwarf female hamster for 7 months. One month ago she started to put all the food in her cheeks and moving it (or better to hide it) in to her bedding. She does this all the time...There is no food in her plate anymore. There is tons of untouch food in the corner of her cage under the bedding. Is this happening because she is saving for winter? how should I clean the cage? should I remove the old food? should I keep putting more food in the plate? Thank you very much!

Answer
Hi Maria,

Hamsters are natural hoarders.  They will always hoard food, no matter where they are.  Also, sometimes if you give them a cold piece of food (like a grape), they'll put it in their pouches to warm it up before they eat it.
As for the untouched food - continue to clean your hamster's cage every week, and remove all of the food.  If food is left in the cage for too long, it will become moldy and unsafe for the hamster to eat.  And yes, you should keep putting food in her plate every day.  Also, make sure you are giving her about 2 tablespoons of food a day (as most hamster food packages will have written on the back).

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

Kelly