It is 2am, do you know where your hamster is?

[Catherine]

I thought I knew the answer to this question. I know that Robin gets out and frolics and then wakes me when he wants to go back home. We play a round of hamster hide and seek at 2am, but it is all in fun. At least it is fun for him.
I did not know what he did while he was out and about. It seems that the back of his bin touches the side on the microwave cart. He can just reach the tea shelf. He has been slipping behind my tea pots and getting into my boxes of tea. He chewed a hole in one box, opened up the tea bags and made himself a nest. Another bag he has made a hole in and is spreading the tea around. I do not know what his long term plans are, but his short term plans are a real mess.

He is such a character.

[Bock]

I certainly hope he's not been consuming the tea? You might end up with an unusually hyper little hamster on your hands, haha. He probably enjoys the herbal smell and the coziness of the teabags. He sounds like a fun little critter!

[Catherine]

Maybe that is why he was so wired up. He has been eating my tea. He certainly has been running around like crazy. Of course dwarf hamsters usually act like that.

[Catherine]

So I went to make tea this morning and the little hamster was sitting in the empty spot where the tea box had been. I feel bad for removing it and cleaning up when clearly he is setting up the area as a nest. So I put the box back, but I replaced the tea with nesting material. If Robin wants to sleep there sometimes I can handle that. I had a hamster live under the bookcase once.
He just looked so sad.
I hope he goes back and checks it out. At least I would know where he is at 2am and maybe he can learn to get back into his bin on his own. I don't mind not getting up at 2am.

[AnimalFamily]

This is hilarious! Maybe if he insists on having tea you could buy some non caffeine, herbal teas for him, lol.

[Catherine]

He can't have my favorite peppermint tea. I could give him some camomile or maybe some extra herbs that I dried. He's a hamster. He won't know the difference. Or will he?

[AnimalFamily]

The chamomile might make him nice and sleepy/relaxed. It might be a nice change to have a mellow hammie!

[Catherine]

He was in the tea box again last night. Now he is stocking it with seed. I think he plans to hibernate there. The funny thing is how crowded the tea box situation is compared to his nice big bin.

I guess he likes to be his own hamster.

Years ago I had a wire cage of hamsters on my desk. I had the hammies out on the desk while I cleaned the cage. I set it all up and Heidi watched me and then went in the open door and started moving stuff out and putting it behind my file box. I said to her "Heidi, you can't live outside the cage". Then I thought about it and why not.
I left the door of the cage open and they lived on my desk. We had some fun times. I used to eat at my desk and they would join me and sample my dinner. I can tell you for sure, hamsters do not like fish.