peanut has gone a little...nuts!

peanuttt · 07-27-2014, 01:27 PM

I'm still in the process of taming peanut, every time I think things are going well he bites me and it's back to the drawing board!

Recently he has been sprinting around, jumping off things and bashing/rubbing himself on things (I get that he could be marking his scent but it's been nearly 2 weeks and that doesn't explain the jumping off high things) he literally seems suicidal! He stands up on his bridge (that's normally where he smells my hand/gets a stroke) so I go to let him sniff me and he grabs my finger and tries to bite me, and he keeps doing this!

Really not sure what's going on but I still can't pick him up properly (i've let him climb up my sleeve a few times and handled him but I can't pick him up as he goes to bite me) I just feel like he's never going to be tame

**kyrilliondaemon** · 07-27-2014, 01:37 PM

Did anything change before this behaviour started?

peanuttt · 07-27-2014, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kyrilliondaemon

Did anything change before this behaviour started?

nothing at all, he normally has a paddy after i've cleaned his cage/new bedding etc. (but I did that the other day) but this is totally different.

**kyrilliondaemon** · 07-27-2014, 02:08 PM

Not even any new pets, people, deodorants, roadworks etc?

I'm not sure whats caused this but I'd make his cage as safe as possible and start over with him. Treat him like a brand new hamster with the taming and hopefully that'll help

peanuttt · 07-30-2014, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kyrilliondaemon

Not even any new pets, people, deodorants, roadworks etc?

I'm not sure whats caused this but I'd make his cage as safe as possible and start over with him. Treat him like a brand new hamster with the taming and hopefully that'll help

Nothing at all, we've had a cuddle and he seems to be okay(not biting) however last night he literally sprinted from his wheel to the other side of the tank and made such a scary sound and hid in the corner for a few hours - no idea what's going on! maybe he's having a mad moment!

Skeever · 07-30-2014, 09:35 AM

Considering that sometimes taming takes months depending on hammy personality, two weeks of acting out might be normal. There is also an odd phase some hamsters go through when young, much like adolesence is people. Then they calm down again.

If it helps, figure when he tries to bite, he's screaming in a little chipmunk voice: Mine! Mine mine mine mine MINE!!! Go away, go...go go...go!!!!!! Mine!

Does he bite as much, or nip, outside the cage? Sounds like he's 'testing the limits' of what he can get away with. In other words a spunky juvenile little brat? LOL....

He'll grow out of it. Like they say....maybe he's going through a phase. If he's young, it's likely.

Naturally I'd monitor his behavior still, since personality changes may have hidden physical causes. But no one ever equated hamsters with sanity so far as I know

peanuttt · 07-30-2014, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeever

Considering that sometimes taming takes months depending on hammy personality, two weeks of acting out might be normal. There is also an odd phase some hamsters go through when young, much like adolesence is people. Then they calm down again.

If it helps, figure when he tries to bite, he's screaming in a little chipmunk voice: Mine! Mine mine mine mine MINE!!! Go away, go...go go...go!!!!!! Mine!

Does he bite as much, or nip, outside the cage? Sounds like he's 'testing the limits' of what he can get away with. In other words a spunky juvenile little brat? LOL....

I think this may be the case! he goes in a little grump when he can't climb up things/falls off. He doesn't do it outside the cage when he's been running/climbing over my arms. As soon as i move something in his cage he literally runs for me - so maybe he is being territorial? I don't think he is young, he is quite big and the pet shop worker had no clue of his sex nevermind his age - so who knows! I do hope he grows out of it.

Skeever · 07-30-2014, 11:40 AM

Cage rage, er, I mean cage aggression, sounds like. Ziggy had a small dose of it. Today was the first day, when he was raring to go out that he actually used my hand to walk on to get out. He will still avoid it. His cage, his rules, lol....

I got him and they told me four months old. I don't believe pet shop staff usually, but everything I've seen says yup, about four months based on other peoples' experience.

Maybe yours is a bit younger and still feeling his oats quite a bit. I have seen quite a difference between four months and months six to seven. Mostly a calming down...but like people, hams have moods and things I spose, so there's always a suprise, or a bit of oddness they manage to pull. Remember, if they live two years average, they are cramming a lifetime into that. Someone said here I think, that one day is about a week of our time, if you do the math. So things can change quite a bit in a month. It's a long time to them.

But yeah, he was almost full size when I got him, and copiously haired (he's a LongHair) yet he did manage to grow a bit, and so did his hair in only a month or so. Don't be surprised if he gets a bit bigger.

At any rate, there are days I kinda miss his spoiled brat phase too