Quote:
Originally Posted by sharonc
I thought all hamsters enjoyed coming out but obviously not.
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Yes, that's what i thought until i met my Henry.
Your hamster may enjoy out of cage time but doesn't know it because he hasn't tried it.
Next time your hamster is out simply pick him up and take him out. Let him run over you in the bath tub or on your bed if you don't have a play pen.
Henry has never asked to come out and won't go in a mug so i can lift him out.
The roof of his house has two sections and every other night i take the smaller one off to clean his toilet. I leave it off for a while and watch his body language. If he stays in his nest, fine, i'll close it again but sometimes he's busy washing or eating from his hoard then after a while starts to climb out. That's when i pick him up unless he heads for the outside loo ,stroke him and quickly check that everything is intact and healthy. He doesn't like the playpen, only sits and sulks so we don't bother with that now. He sometimes likes to run on my bed or listen to sounds from the garden, ears up, stands on his back legs sniffing etc. If he's not in the mood he sits next to me and sulks so i put him back in his cage. I've hamster proofed the spare room which is full of motorcycle gear and last time i had him out a few evenings ago he really was running about which is a very odd thing for my lazy hamster to do. He sat under a helmet washing which looked funny and climbed over and under seats then indulged in his hobby of wallpaper stripping, little devil.
I used to make the mistake and took him out too often but know now that once or twice a week is about right for him.
It took a few attempts until he started to enjoy time out. The first time on my bed he froze so i put him back and waited a few days. Took it slow. Same with free roaming. First time after 10 mins he sat in a corner but now that he reckognises the room and has scented it he's happy to roam and explore...when he's in the mood. If not, he just sits waiting to be put back in his cage.
I'd give it a go. Maybe you can entice him out of his house with a treat like a bit of cheese or boiled egg around 22.30 and then pick him up. Eventually he'll eat his treat while sitting in your hand, out of the cage that is.
Please keep in mind that my method of interacting with my hamster works for me and some people may find it to be totally wrong but hamsters are pets and a certain amount of interaction to suit human and pet is important.