HELP?! Please help me with my new Hamster

D'Artagnan · 04-26-2013, 05:28 AM

Hi,

I bought a new baby black syrain hamster yesterday (6-8weeks old). He is called D'Artagnan. I love him already. I had a syrain hamster when i was younger (about 13 years ago) He was so friendly and playful. I don't ever remember having to tame him. However, I have brought D'Artagnan home and he is absolutely terrified. I placed the cardboard box he was in from the pet store in his cage and just let him come out in his own time. He has hardly come out and this morning I noticed he has brought all his bedding from the bed into the cardboard box. this is clearly where he feels save. I opened the cage to give him new food today and I had to move the cardboard box... the wee thing woke up and was so frightened he hid at the back of the box.
I am so worried I have frightened him too much and worried he gets wet tail. I dont know how to make him feel safe.

We live in a small flat so i keep going into the room he is in and the noise firghtens him. Pease help. Will he be ok? Do I just let him stay in his cardboard box?

samzyzg · 04-26-2013, 05:59 AM

He just needs a little bit of time to settle in, is there a place in the flat where use don't use frequently? If not try moving him to a corner of a room where use don't venture as much. Maybe even covering part of his cage with a blanket to give him a wee bit of cover.

Just start talking to him gently until he gets used to the sound of your voice first.

I'd leave the cardboard box for now, however if it gets too bad from wee and such then i'd consider moving it and replacing it with something similar for him to hide away in.

D'Artagnan · 04-26-2013, 06:48 AM

Thank you for your reply. I will place a towel over half of his cage so he has more shelter and cover when we come in the room. I am just worried that he gets wet tail from being so frightened?! Is it normal for new hamsters to be so frightened? My last hamster wasn't this nervous.

There is already a bed that came with the cage but he has taken all the bedding out of it and put it in his cardboard box. I think I will buy a bigger bed for him and then remove his box but put some of the bedding from it into the new bed so it smells familar for him. Does that sound ok? I am worried that if i take it out it will cause him more stress by doing so.

Amethyst_ice · 04-26-2013, 06:55 AM

This new little guy has had alot of change and while we are all anxious to cuddle and play with our hammies, patience in the beginning will deffinately pay off.

Some hammies are tame and interested in us from the go, others it can take weeks and months.

Juts leave him be for a few days, gently talk to him but let him get used to the cage, if he wants to sleep in his box let him, i tend to leave cage cleaning until 2 weeks so he can get his smells around.

Just chill and let him settle

xxx

D'Artagnan · 04-26-2013, 07:10 AM

Thank you!

I will just let him settle in for a few days and hopefully he comes around. Hopefully he will be ok. I just worry that I frighten him too much by making noise and disturbing him whilst in the room.
I think the petshop bed is already too small for him and he isnt even fully grown so I may stick to cardboard boxes/get a bigger bed.

Is there anything I can give him to make him happier? Fruit/veg? I have bought him all sorts of toys for his cage and heard him on his wheel last night so that's good

Hope D'Artagnan becomes happy in his new home..

Amethyst_ice · 04-26-2013, 07:14 AM

Personally I dont introduce a wheel until a little older as they can become wheel obsessed. I also keep toys to a minimum while taming.

Dont give too many new foods yet, just let him settle, take your time and most of all...

stop worrying!

xxx

D'Artagnan · 04-26-2013, 07:26 AM

oh no, i followed the advise of the woman in the pet store abdout the wheel and toys. I picked him because he was awake and on the wheel in the store and he came up to the side of the cage so seemed friendly and playful. I will remove some of the other toys to give him space to get used to his cage.

Thanks for the advise. I will keep you updated on his progress.

I know... I am a natural worrier about things.

thanks for the help

newcastlemam · 04-26-2013, 07:48 AM

I wouldn't start removing things now he has gotten used to them as this could cause him to get stressed again he has been through a lot of change over the last couple of days so just let him get used to his new cage the way you have already set it up, I let my Syrians have all their toys and wheel straight away and its never had a negative effect on them.
Can I ask what cage he is in and what wheel you have for him as if you have taken advice from the pet shop maybe they have misadvised you about other things ?

xx

Polo · 04-26-2013, 07:52 AM

Hey D'Artagnan. I was sort of in the same situation as you when I got Gizmo, he is the first hamster I've had since my teens. I also didn't remember having to tame my other hams and finding it worrying about how jumpy Gizmo was when I first got him. I came to the conclusion that I must have had to go through the same with my other hammies at some point, I just can't remember because of how long ago it was. I just gave him time and followed the advice on here and he's quite a friendly little chappy now and he's come out of his shell quite a lot.

When I first got Gizmo, I would read to him to get him used to the sound of my voice, you could try that, it might help him be less jumpy when he hears that you're about.

linford27 · 04-26-2013, 07:55 AM

I think maybe as long as he isn't wheel obsessed it will be ok! Some hams get addicted, but as long as he isn't on it 24/7 or losing weight it should be ok.
He will take a while to settle in, as long as he has plenty of food/water, bedding, he should be ok. I'd advise waiting a while before cleaning the cage (cage cleaning shouldn't be done often anyway, they like to have their scent around!).
If the cardboard box gets wet with wee though you might want to replace it.
You mention the pet shop house is already too small - do you know what cage he is in?