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Old 10-11-2018, 06:05 PM  
Pebbles82
Hamster Antics
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
Default Re: Taming a very skittish jumpy hamster - Need help!

He does sound very scared. He's only a baby really Our current Syrian was hand-tamed when we got him (breeder hamster) but he still got startled very easily as a baby and jumped at the slightest noise.

I would go back to square one and leave him alone in the cage for a few days. Can you rig up a playpen big enough for you to sit in as well? If you have the floorspace and can afford to buy one, this one from Zooplus is very good (sat in front of me right now!). I used to sit in it with our hamster and he'd run over my foot - you have to keep away from the edges though or they use you to try and climb out!

It's just going to be time and patience with this little guy I think. He sounds very active as well as nervous - he will settle and mellow as time goes on I reckon. But right now just take it slowly. It's frustrating when you want to handle them but worth the time and patience.

It took 2 months to tame our last Syrian. He was really quite neurotic and didn't like coming out of the cage at all really, but once he was out (after he was tame) he used to go to sleep on my knee or sit on the sofa between us!

I did bathtub taming that time and stuck with it. A couple of times a week. They can't come to any harm in there - they usually just slither up and down the sides trying to get out and you can occasionally stroke them on the back wth one finger. When he stops reacting to that you are nearly there.

Shower tray could be tricky as it doesn't have high sides - so maybe try the playpen idea? Taming bin I havent found great as your hand coming in feels like a threat in a smaller space.

He sounds very excited, scared and a bit maverick They freeze when they hear something - it's quite spooky.

Is there anything else that could be stressing him out generally? Is his cage big enough? Enough substrate in it? A house that's dark inside? If he can develop normal behaviours in his cage he'll be more relaxed out of it. Normal behaviours include enough substrate to be able to dig in or burrow down in/bury hoards in, enough space to roam around at night, a wheel big enough so they can run without bending in the middle (ie the back) - a shelf to sit under or on. House ideally should be open underneath and sat on top of the substrate so he can burrow down and bury hoards. A cardboard shoe box makes a good sized house. They need a large-ish house so they can build a big nest in winter to keep warm. Cut the base out and use the lid for a lift-off roof to check inside and cut a hole in one side for a door. If you put a bendy bridge over the door it makes it darker inside and they like the tunnel entrance.

Temperature is another thing. It's getting colder - our hammy doesnt like coming out when it's cold and they panic and want to get back to the cage and get snug in bed. He likes it when the heating is on!

Also cleaning - have you cleaned him out much? That can really stress them, especially initially. There's no need to do weekly cleans - if you have at least 4 inches depth of substrate you can just spot clean the wee corner - and if you use a litter tray the cage stays clean and dry and you just empty the litter tray.

I go a couple of months or more without changing the substrate by using a litter tray - they tend to use it if you put it in their chosen pee place. Also don't clean everything at the same time. You can do the wheel one week and any other toys at a different time as and when they need it. It means there is always something familiar smelling. Also don't move things around in the cage or change things - they scent mark to find their way around andit stresses them. I also leave the hoard and nest alone - if you do have to remove them if pee soaked then always put new food back to replace the hoard in exactly the same place and try and leave a bit of the old nest behind - a dry bit even if slightly whiffy.

Their nest and hoard are their most important things - so they do get stressed if those are taken away or interfered with - occasionally it's necessary but mostly they can just be left alone.

Has he got plenty of nesting material to build a big nest? Torn up strips of plain white toilet paper are best for nesting - just put a heap somewhere in the cage for him to forage for and take to his nest.

Sorry if you know all this already. This is the playpen

https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small...g/73299/453205

Our current Syrian was very skittish for quite a while - and he was already tamed! It was the change of environment and getting used to new people I reckon. Plus noises! Every time the back door closed he hid. But he did like running around in the playpen with lots of toys in. They are funny when they're like this - make the most of it as they can get very laid back in later life! I found it a real shock to go from a slow old Syrian to a baby again!
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