Need help with shy hamster :(

Oatmeal_Cupcake · 01-31-2014, 05:17 PM

I got my hamster on the 21st of this month. She is a seven week old syrian. She's very shy and seems very nervous of me.

Ive only had her a week and i realise that it takes time to tame a hamster and i have to earn her trust but I'm worried im doing something wrong because she seems to be getting more shy and more nervous of me.

- she stays in his house until very late around 10pm or later once I turn off the lights(I know she is nocturnal but everywhere i read it says she is normally up by about 7pm)
- she is going to the toilet in his house/bed (which im worried about)
- she is taking all of her food into her house during the night
- she lays very still whenever she comes out of her home, she still eats and drinks
- she uses her wheel but constantly jumps off to look around like she's afraid something going to get her. Once I turn off the lights she goes on her wheel without getting off.

This is what im doing:
- Feeding treats and veggies. She will take them, stuff them in her pouch and eat them in her home.
- Talking to her softly
- she let's me pet her
- if I take her out of her cage she just lays still on me or next to me. Eventually she will get active and I'll place her back in her cage.
- I feed her fruit, veggies, regular hamster food, give her various chew toys, water, home, fresh tissues.

One of the problems is that because she going to the toilet in her house i need to clean it regularly, which ultimately means disturbing her and causing her distress.

I just feel like I'm doing something wrong and I'd hate for her not to like me or for her to fear me. I want to work at earning her trust but I don't know if I'm doing anything wrong or right since she is so shy and doesn't want to come out until the lights go out.

Oatmeal_Cupcake · 02-01-2014, 11:29 AM

One of the things that I'm stumped with is if she doesn't come out of her home how will I get the chance to show her I mean no harm?

**KWsHamstery** · 02-01-2014, 11:43 AM

I'm assuming you got your little lovely from a pet shop, and pet shop hamsters are 9 times out of 10 very skittish because they are not handled as they should be when they are young. You are doing nothing wrong, so take a deep breath, and know you have done nothing wrong. I am no expert, but I have hand tamed plenty of hamsters, and these are techniques that have worked for me.
Try putting a treat the the center of your palm, and lay your hand down on the floor of the cage. If she won't come out of her house, consider taking the house out before doing this. She may take no interest in it at first, but over time she will eventually get curious, and try to get the treat out of your hand. Sometimes it can take up to 2 weeks for a hamster to become comfortable with its surroundings. So if it takes longer, don't feel discouraged.
I had a very hard to tame ham last summer, and it took me 3 months to get him to climb into my palm, and another month for him to feel comfortable being held.
That being said, every hamster is different. You just have to get on her level, and work at her pace.
If and when she is comfortable stealing treats from you, she may run into the corner to eat the treat. This is normal. Make sure your treats are small, so she has to come back out and get more. Eventually she will become comfortable eating in your palm, when you reach this point, lift your palm about five inches. She may freak out, and jump out of your hand. This is okay, and NORMAL! It will take time for her to feel okay being lifted. Just make sure during her jumping stage you don't lift her too high, and you keep her over her cage. I do hope this information is helpful to you, and I hope other users have helpful methods to share with you as well!

Nush · 02-01-2014, 12:42 PM

Hiya, I'd also add that you shouldn't clean her nest often. I know it's yuckie but she's marking her space. Hamsters can use scent glands but they often wee because it's a stronger smell. Every time you remove the bedding, she thinks a predator came and did it. It'll make her more nervous.

All my Syrians have weed in their nests and although it's gone against my instincts, I've done a clean every week. None of them have been ill from it (I know that was my fear initially).Leave some nesting back so that it still smells of her. They tend to stop when they get older.

Clairealex · 02-01-2014, 04:13 PM

Do you have a closed off house or does it have an open bottom? If it has an open bottom and isn't plastic, I wouldn't worry too much about her peeing in it. The only time it might pose a problem is in a small plastic house with only one entrance/exit/hole. The pee would smell much more potent and could cause some minor condensation on the plastic as it dries in a house like this. A simple tea bag box with one side and the bottom cut off, with lots of bedding to burrow under, is a really cheap way to have an open bottomed, well ventilated house

By peeing she's marking he space, so the more you clean, the more she pees! my chinese pees in his wheel and at first I was wiping it down twice a day but quickly realised if I eased off with the cleaning, he eased off with the peeing as I wasn't removing his scent twice a day! You sound like you're doing everything perfectly regarding taming. You're going at her pace, which is exactly what she needs. Just continue to show her you = nice things and I'm sure she'll be your best bud before you know it!

Oatmeal_Cupcake · 02-02-2014, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clairealex

Do you have a closed off house or does it have an open bottom? If it has an open bottom and isn't plastic, I wouldn't worry too much about her peeing in it. The only time it might pose a problem is in a small plastic house with only one entrance/exit/hole. The pee would smell much more potent and could cause some minor condensation on the plastic as it dries in a house like this. A simple tea bag box with one side and the bottom cut off, with lots of bedding to burrow under, is a really cheap way to have an open bottomed, well ventilated house

By peeing she's marking he space, so the more you clean, the more she pees! my chinese pees in his wheel and at first I was wiping it down twice a day but quickly realised if I eased off with the cleaning, he eased off with the peeing as I wasn't removing his scent twice a day! You sound like you're doing everything perfectly regarding taming. You're going at her pace, which is exactly what she needs. Just continue to show her you = nice things and I'm sure she'll be your best bud before you know it!

Thank you so much. Right now she has a ceramic acorn as her home. it has an opening but she seals it with bedding and aspen. :/ I'm worried that she'll give herself respiratory problems.

Oatmeal_Cupcake · 02-02-2014, 11:32 PM

Thank you so much for the replies and sorry that I haven't been able to reply. I've been busy with work all day. Once I get home I eat and then try to spend some time with my hamster.

The next problem that I'm finding myself with is that after she does come out of her acorn and I place my hand down with a treat she doesn't care for it.

She will see my hand but then she'll just curl up and sit there. Trying to ignore me...

The next odd thing she does is that she tends to just lay or sit down and not move. Almost like she's zoning out. O.O But she is active once the lights go out. I can't wait for that wodent wheel to come in because she's driving me a wee bit cuckoo with her comfort wheel. xD

OH! and I forgot to mention, the times that I have managed to hold her she just sits or lays really still. She will let me pet her and sometimes she's almost fallen asleep in my arms during the petting session.

So is this hamster behavior normal? What should I do if she tries to ignore my treat offerings?

Oatmeal_Cupcake · 02-03-2014, 01:01 AM

I just got done replacing her food and water and I'm a bit worried about her.

After I removed my hand out of the cage, I stood there and quietly watched her. All of a sudden she jumped and ran to the corner of the cage. When this happened I wasn't moving, talking and the room was all quiet. I'm trying to make myself feel better by telling myself that she must have felt the aspen or something moved around her and that freaked her out.

Oatmeal_Cupcake · 02-03-2014, 03:41 AM

Feels like things are just getting worse. I'm going to cry.

I was on my way to the bathroom and I was walking carefully and quietly next to her cage. She was on the second level then all of a sudden she saw me, got scared and ran away. Honestly she's acting as if she was abused.

I got her from a local pet shop and the employees there told me she was sweet. I honestly don't know what has gotten into her. No one comes into my room and I keep the sides of her cage covered to help with the stress so she can explore.

I don't know if this behavior is normal or not and I'm currently debating if I should take her back to the shop. I'd hate to do that but I don't know what else to do. :'(

**ElegantHam** · 02-03-2014, 04:29 AM

First of all, please please please don't take her back to the shop. She will be either used for breeding, over and over again, or sold to someone who doesn't care for her properly.

Now, think how big you are, and how small a hamster is, that I'm itself is scary.

She is in a new cage, possibly new food, new owners, new smells, new sounds, everything is new.

Go very slowly with her, give her treats through her cage bars, stroke her, go slow. I have taken on the most untame of hamsters that bite you when you go anywhere near them, and 6 months later they are constantly dying to get out of their cages.

Your doing nothing wrong, just persevere and go slow with her, she'll come round.