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Pebbles82 · 04-01-2018, 03:43 PM

Aw she does sound vocal. Do you clean out often as that can upset some hamsters more than others. Weekly clean outs aren't good as it removes all their scent. Spot cleaning is best with plenty of substrate and a litter tray to help keep the cage clean and then only doing a substrate clean every 2 to 3 months and not cleaning everything else at the same time. Also changing things and moving them round in the cage can stress them and make them more territorial.

Sorry if you know all this already. She is maybe feeling a bit threatened? How is she out of the cage? They are often territorial in the cage, but fine out of the cage.

Bathtub taming might be the way to go. Transport her to the dry bathtub (eg in a hamster ball with the lid on - carry her there in it then set it down in the bath and take the lid off). Maybe have a tube and another toy in there. Let her run around and use an old toothbrush to occasionally try and stroke her on the back. If she jerks and bites it, wait and leave it a bit. Or leave it till another session. It took two months to tame our last Syrian this way. When she gets used to having a little stroke from the toothbrush and doesn't bite it you can move on to stroking her with one finger on the back - just one stroke. When she gets more used to that, try cupping a hand under her while she's in there but only lift her very slightly and just let her walk off again. When she gets used to that you should be able to hold her.

04-01-2018, 03:43 PM
Pebbles82 Hamster Antics Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 23,533	Re: Screeching! Aw she does sound vocal. Do you clean out often as that can upset some hamsters more than others. Weekly clean outs aren't good as it removes all their scent. Spot cleaning is best with plenty of substrate and a litter tray to help keep the cage clean and then only doing a substrate clean every 2 to 3 months and not cleaning everything else at the same time. Also changing things and moving them round in the cage can stress them and make them more territorial. Sorry if you know all this already. She is maybe feeling a bit threatened? How is she out of the cage? They are often territorial in the cage, but fine out of the cage. Bathtub taming might be the way to go. Transport her to the dry bathtub (eg in a hamster ball with the lid on - carry her there in it then set it down in the bath and take the lid off). Maybe have a tube and another toy in there. Let her run around and use an old toothbrush to occasionally try and stroke her on the back. If she jerks and bites it, wait and leave it a bit. Or leave it till another session. It took two months to tame our last Syrian this way. When she gets used to having a little stroke from the toothbrush and doesn't bite it you can move on to stroking her with one finger on the back - just one stroke. When she gets more used to that, try cupping a hand under her while she's in there but only lift her very slightly and just let her walk off again. When she gets used to that you should be able to hold her.