Every living thing has a variety of natural instincts, but the one we share alike is the instinct to gather food and material. In this article, I want to talk about hamster stimulation and why it is so important to encourage them to forage in captivity.
Hamsters are endangered in their natural habitat (thanks to the construction of our own needs, sadly). However in the wild, they are known to dig deep burrows where they have several places to sleep, store food, and do other things in. The way that we enjoy sleeping in a bed with a duvet or comforter, is the same way hamsters enjoy sleeping in a bed of nesting material (remember that they use their cheek pouches to carry them, therefore fleece, cotton, and basically most material that are comfy to us are not safe for them–it can also damage their respiratory system) that they forage for in the wild. The way that we have the instinct to go out and get food to keep in our home, is the way hamsters go out and gather food to take back to their home for storing.
Hamsters keep their natural instincts even in captivity. Even if they do not have to fear predators in the safety of your hands, the instinct will not go away, thus the reason they still mostly come out when it is dark. In fact, hamsters are one of the least domesticated pets even after all of these years. Their routine is still very adapted to their instincts in the wild. That being said, the instinct to forage and build their nest, gather food and store it, dig burrowing tunnels–all exist in captivity too and it is our job to provide those capabilities.
Hamsters need the stimulation and enrichment. As humans, we need way more things than these small pets do, and even then we get bored. Now just imagine their lack of activity and enthusiasm when deep bedding is not provided or when we just hand everything to them in a bowl.
Spread their food around the cage. A bowl is handy for smaller seeds such as quinoa or chia seeds, and it is useful for keeping their vegetables out of the bedding. Otherwise, sprinkling their food around the cage is the best way to stimulate their instinct to forage. You can also add timothy hay in their bowl so that they have to search through it to get the food.
Herbs. Right now, finding dried herbs sold in pet stores is quite uncommon, when it really should not be as they are a super beneficial addition. Dried cornflowers, mallows, birch leaves, rose petals, calendula (marigold), and chamomile are just a few to name that you can spread around their home. Not only are they packed with nutrients and health benefits, hamsters love to forage for them and keep them in their nest. They might not eat all (my hamster only seems to love calendula and mallows), but they are a necessary for stimulation and foraging. With the presence of herbs around constantly, your hamster will come to use it as nesting material and may nibble on them here and there as well.
Sprays. Flax, wheat, barley, and millet sprays are all great additions to any setup. Not only can you feed them a spray or few daily, but it will also stimulate your hamster to pick from their stocks.
Allowing your hamster to forage brings great benefit for them. While chew toys are a must, the entertainment for them comes with making sure of these little things which will create an abundance of stimulation, enrichment, and entertainment for you hamster.
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