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Old 05-23-2013, 02:02 PM   #1
Gizmo_Gonzalez
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Default new syrian. Very lazy ham! Is this normal?

Hello,
Im fairly confident with dwarf hamsters, and fell in love with Bonnie a longhaired black-dominant-spot syrian hamster at a local petshop. (A very good reputable one that handles hammies daily and puts hammies in balls when cleaning their cages every morning.)
Well bonnies birth certificate says she was born early march, she has never bitten me and did not enjoy being held in the store for her health check or to go in my travel cage but was clearly use to it, no biting etc..
Since shes been with me she has slowly become tamer, can sit in my hand without panicing to get back to bed, will take food from me if my hand is very still. She occasionally freezes in the ball if she sees my shaddow moving around the room but only for a moment and is slowly becomeing more comfortable around me.
However im unsure if this is a syrian thing, part of a learnt behaviour/responce, because shes still young, but shes rarely active. Shes up between 12am-5am and thats about it, unless i coax her awake with treats and her ball. She enjoys her wheel and seems at home in the cage. She paniced in the larger playpen even tho her sustrate, home and toys were in with her. She doesnt appear to like open spaces much and isnt a bar chewer at all.

Is this normal? My dwarfs were sooooo much more active! And were all very easy to tame in comparison.
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Old 05-23-2013, 08:52 PM   #2
Digga
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Default Re: new syrian. Very lazy ham! Is this normal?

Yep...you have a Syrian. My boy is active from 10:30pm - 6 am. Once he settled in he started coming out later like yours. He eventually figured out he only gets free range time if I'm awake so he's adjusted a little. Syrians are all about the food. Use her fav to help interact with her.
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Old 05-24-2013, 02:29 AM   #3
Nush
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Default Re: new syrian. Very lazy ham! Is this normal?

Does your hamster have a coat? Long haired hamsters are generally males. Females would look a bit fluffy but won't have trailing hair.

It's very hard to tell the sex because their private bits are hidden under their coats. With mine I got a vet to check but he had to be held up and didn't like it at all.

Male Syrians have a reputation for being lazy but it does depend on the hamster. I think your hamster is getting used to you and once she (or he!) is fully tamed, she might be more excited to come out for play. But she'll definitely be less active than your dwarf.
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Old 05-25-2013, 01:00 PM   #4
Gizmo_Gonzalez
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Default Re: new syrian. Very lazy ham! Is this normal?

Thanks Digga.

@nush:
Erm shes very very fluffy around the bum underbelly and lower back, but the rest is just soft long and smooth. (She's been described the persian cat of hamsters, with sheep dog colourings)

She was sexed on arrival at the store and on purchase. They store is generally very good at sexing hamsters as the manager considers herself a bit of a hammy expert.
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Old 06-03-2013, 03:13 AM   #5
Munchalot
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Default Re: new syrian. Very lazy ham! Is this normal?

If you want to check the sex and are confident handling her, you could give sexing her a go. It's really quite easily.
Are you at a stage yet where you confident doing a one-handed pickup? If so, pick her up by placing your hand over her so her back is against you palm, and your thumb in under her chin. Pick her up quickly so she does not have time to panic, as hams are easily caught off-guard when touched on the back. Flip her over so her head is pointing up with your thumb under her chin, and her back is against your palm with her bottom pointing down. They usually find this quite indignant, so will often bring their butt up into the air trying to curl over, which makes it easier.

If she is indeed a female, the two openings (vents) will be right next to each other in a little baldy spot (so close it look like there's only one vent) and should be nice and pink.
If its a male, the vents will have a gap in between with fur, appox. 1 - 1.5 cm apart. Of course male hamsters also have very large testes, so the enlonged, pointed rear end should make it obvious (unless they are cold, in which case they are retracted).
Syrians are far easier to sex than other hams.

And yes, this behaviour is normal for syrians. Some are more active than others, but they will usually wake for only a few hours, do some foraging and exploring, and once they get bored just go back to bed.
Like most ham though, they will be awake during the day, as hamsters usually wake every 2 to 4 hours to eat from their store, so you should hear them nibbling away in their nest.
Some syrians are more active than others, you might just have one of the more relaxed ones. One good point is that the lazier ones often respond well to handling.
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