Oftentimes, we see out pets doing unusual things and we brush it off as just them being funny and weird. However, some behaviors that we don't look further into may be a sign of stress, discomfort, or injury. In this video, the dwarf hamster is shown behaving as if it is doing the monkey bars at a park, not a normal behavior for hamsters as they are land dwellers and burrowers. Watch this video before reading the rest of the post, and comment below what you think the causes of this behavior are.
I hope you enjoyed the video! There are multiple reasons why this hamster might be monkey barring, but the most obvious two are that the enclosure or cage that the hamster is in is WAY TOO SMALL even for a dwarf hamster! This can lead to stress and boredom for the hamster and, as a result, the monkey barring or constant chewing and shaking of the cage bars. The second more clear reason is because there is NOT NEARLY ENOUGH BEDDING for the hamster to do its natural behaviors and burrow. The cage itself doesn't allow the space for adequate bedding either.
What should we take away from this video? Always do your research before taking in a pet. Diet, living space, enrichment activities, etc are all things that should be taken into account. If you are unable to provide this for your pet or at least try to the best of your abilities, it might be better to consider a different pet. Hamsters are popular for being "easy" pets, which is FAR from true. They require a minimum of 450 sq inches of horizontal floor space (stacking enclosures on top of each other does not count), toys, a proper diet, and vet check ups as well, and the costs for these can get quite expensive. We want to give our pets a safe, healthy, and happy life and studying an animal's behavior can help us better achieve that!
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