New Syrian Hamster =]

[Hana]

My friends Syrian hamster had a litter of 11 I think it was 6 weeks ago and my boyfriend got me one yesterday as an early christmas pressie . It's in the imac fantasy I have.
Now I have some problems,

1) I don't know wether it's a boy or a girl :? Therefore...

2) He/She has no name, well it's "Hammy" for now because it just makes things easier. :lol:

and 3) He/She is very very skittish and shy. I went to change his/her water bottle and he/she ran out from its bed and zoomed down into the tube of the imac and just stayed there for ages scared stiff.

I will try and get some pictures of Hammy when he/she calms down a bit but I've never really had a hamster thats been this shy before, I guess my others have always been quite tame. Any tips to help me out for any of these point would be great! :P

I think thats it :)

Hana

[Spuds Mum]

Merry Christmas! what a lovely pressie!
Although there are many taming tips and articles on the hamster info/articles page, one of the easiest things we do with new hams that need to be tamed (not all of them that come to us do) is to place them in a bin cage for a few weeks rather than a normal cage. We give them plenty of bedding but no houses etc. or places they can hide in. By sitting next to the bin cage and gradually stroking the hamster from the top, then letting it run over our hands we find that this really speeds up the taming process.
Everyone has their own 'special ways' to tame, but this is just one of ours. ts also why, when we breed, we like to use a bin cage for the pregnant mum. Once the babies are born and scrambling around, they see the tame mum coming up to our hands and climbing out onto them, and before you know it, they are doing the same!

[Holly]

Oh congratulations, Hana, I'm sure you will love having a Syrian 8) ...what colour is he/she?

I'd go with Pophammy's taming tips in the info section as they are really good - also think about handling her in the bath once she's coming out of the cage willingly - it really gets them used to your scent and if there's two of you in there they have no choice but to climb on you.

Good luck and looking forward to pictures :)

[Basia]

When I use Imacs with new hammies I take the loft and tubes out and just put the top on the bars. It makes less hiding places for them and is easier to access, you can lift the lid off and let them sniff your hand and stroke them. Once they are tame I let them have the loft, by then mine are waiting at the door to come out and play. :wink:

[Matty Day]

set up the cage/tank as I normally would for a settled hamster. on the first day i move the ham in an feed him or from my hand which I put into the enclosure. i do this fro 3 days then i stroke the ham while hes eating and repeat for a couple of days hopefully they should be fully tame within 10 days

this is my personal method hopes it helps you

[souffle]

Great news Hana and welcome to Hammy. It is a pity the breeder did noy handle the babies more to tame them however your little one is very new and make take a bit longer to settle. Use all the taming tips and I know you will succeed. What colour is he/she. When you get to handling use the article on male or female in the article section as there are pics you can look at to compare.

[Hana]

Thanks, I've now taken the second level out of the imac so theres no tube for her to hide in. - Yes her, I think its a girl.

I'm gonna try going in the bath with her tomorow and letting her run all over me.

I don't know her proper colouring but shes brown with a black spot on her head and a black stipe on each of her cheeks, thats a rubbish description but any ideas?

I'll try and get some pictures but the camera kinda freaks her out so you'll just have to be patient.

Thanks for your tips! :)

[Spuds Mum]

She sounds like a golden to me Hana. But Souffle wrote a really good article on the site answering about the different hamster colours - here's a link to it - http://www.hamstercentral.com/user.php?action=viewArticle&a=31
the first photo is of a golden!
Sounds like you will soon be the best of friends - Good luck and let us know what you decide to call 'no name' whenever you decide :D

[Hana]

Oooo thanks for the link, yep definatly a golden! :D

The bath thing didn't seem to work, she just got really freaked out and spent all the time getting stressed and trying to escape. I tryed to cup her in my hands to make her feel more secure but I guess that was the wrong thing to do because she gave me a nasty bite on the thumb and made it bleed. :(

Anyway I did manage to get a couple of pictures, sorry there not the best:
This first ones a bit dark, I didn't have the flash on

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/Hana555/2007_1106Image0001.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r122/Hana555/2007_1106Image0002.jpg

[souffle]

Aww she is beautiful hana and yes, a golden! I love the little faces on Goldens. :lol: She is going to need a bit more time and patience than some but she is only young so give her that time. Here is a link to our 'taming tios'
http://www.hamstercentral.com/user.php? ... ticle&a=44 (http://www.hamstercentral.com/user.php?action=viewArticle&a=44)