New Hammie Behaviour

[DonnaB]

I adopted a rescue Syrian hamster yesterday and I'm curious about her behaviour. Its been such a long time since I last had one, I've almost totally forgotten whats its like and what 'normal' is.

About 3 weeks ago she was supposedly 8-10 weeks old and she was only split from her sister yesterday, and there had been no fighting, so I guess she is quite young.

I only really handled her to transport her from carrier to cage, but on first handling, she squeaked and chirped, presumably out of fear and kept trying to lay on her back and get away from me by going in circles, in what seemed like a very submissive position, with no biting or aggression. I know shes obviously going to be stressed by the travelling and moving to somwhere new with new people, and also the loss of her sister, but does this sound normal-ish. ??

I plan on giving her a few days to settle down before I handle her again, but I dont remember my last hammies acting like that.... but its years ago. The poor girl didnt have a very good start to life and she was dumped in a park with her sister, so I want to do my best for her. Any comments and advice greatly appreciated.

:)

[I_am_plankton]

That is normal behaviour to a scared hamster. Give her a few days to settle in and get used to you before you start taming her as she is still young.

Here are some tips I have written in an article:

Taming is a gradual process that requires time and patience. You may find the hamster is scared of you at first so to help get it used to you follow these tips: speak to it softly in your normal voice and pick a name and stick to it and call it by the name every time you go near, offer small treats from your fingers to get the hamster used to your scent and taking yummy morsels from you, and slowly stroke it’s back as it eats to get used to being touched. If the hamster does not want to be touched at first then persevere but don’t stress the hamster out by trying to pick it up if it is not used to you.

After a few days, encourage the hamster out of its cage using an exercise ball or empty clean tub such as an ice cream tub. Either place it near the open door of the cage or take the top of the cage off and place it on the bottom of the cage so the hamster can climb in of its own accord. Take the hamster to your bathroom and use a dry, empty bath tub with the plug in the hole or somewhere secure and hamster-proof such as a downstairs toilet. If using the bath tub, sit in it and open the exercise ball/place the tub on your lap and let your hamster crawl onto you. Don’t make any sudden movements or noises and remain calm as hamsters can sense fear. Gently stroke the hamster and let it sniff your hands. Offer it a flat palm to see if it will crawl onto it. Let the hamster roam you freely to get used to you and being stroked in a different environment.
When you have tried this for 4 or 5 days then you can start to attempt to handle your hamster (less time if your hamster is confident and not scared). Always handle a hamster close to the floor in case it jumps and be ready to catch it if it does. It is a good idea to handle it the first few times in the bath tub (remember to put the hole in the plug) or secure area. Pick it up slowly, supporting the underside and the top of the hamster or cup it in both hands (most hamsters new to handling do not like being approached from above). Slowly let the hammy wander from hand to hand and use one hand to stroke it to let it know that you are not a threat. Continue with this until the hamster no longer appears frightened. Don’t force the hamster to do what it does not want to do, and take it at the hamsters pace rather than your own.

When you are confident that your hamster is becoming tame then you can start to pick it up from its cage and handle it as normal.

Remember that every hamster is different and that it often takes a while to tame a hamster, it is rare to tame a hamster in less than a month (dependant on age). Don’t give up if you feel you are failing at it, persevere and you will see results.

[DonnaB]

Many thanks for that... I assumed it was normal behaviour, but its must be 14 years since I had a baby hammie, so its good to get some advice and back-up. :)