So I figured I'd make a thread to keep all updates and pictures in place.
This is my Syrian hamster Jupiter, she's been with me since the end of December 2019. She was born somewhere around the end of November 2019, which means her birthday is close to mine!
Jupiter was very shy and skittish at first. She would jump at most sudden sounds and movements around her cage. So for the first week I just talked to her while she hid in one of her hideouts. She would only come out at night, when I was gone (I know this because I had placed treats around the cage and the next morning they were all gone).
Now we're at week 5 and she's definitely warming up to me. When there's a sudden sound her ears perk up but instead of scared, she's curious. I keep talking to her still to make her feel more at ease. She now takes treats from my hand and is actually curious about my hand. She only sat on it once, but that was because the treat was in the middle of my hand. She also nipped my hand a few times but it wasn't really biting, it was more "what is this and can I eat it?" nipping. Whenever it happened I would put on a stern voice and pull my hand away. When I put my hand back and she didn't bite, I gave her a treat. So I'm confident that it's just a curiosity thing. She's also become more active and less shy, showing more of her personality.
Her cage is a 100x50cm tank, which I gave a forest theme. It has three different hideouts, a platform, a sand bath, multiple places to hide behind or under, and a place to burrow. It also has a big wheel but she hasn't shown much interest in it yet. That, or she only uses it when I'm asleep. She's sat in it multiple times and walked in it, but then seemed confused as to why she was walking but not moving any further.
Her favourite things to do seem to be digging and biting things. She's been digging in her sand box a lot, as well as in the corners of her cage. I even once caught her trying to get into the spider plant in her cage to dig in the sand there! As for biting things, she often bites the wooden items in her cage, so I gave her special biting wood which she really seems to enjoy. She also hoards a lot of things to her house. Not just the toilet paper I give her, but also a lot of substrate she uses as bedding. I see her moving the substrate around a lot so I think she's got some renovation plans. She's also starting to climb more and more. The wooden trunk in which her food bowl stands has a perfectly fine bridge to it, which she knows how to use. However, she chooses to climb onto the side of the trunk and lift herself onto the top like that. She's not a picky eater at all and has so far eaten everything I've offered her.
I'm hoping to continue this progress with her so I can soon start on lifting her out of the cage and explore places like the couch or maybe a playpen if I decide to buy one. I'll post further updates here! For now, enjoy some more photos of her.
