Extermely nervous hamster? Help please.

Hellz19 · 10-23-2008, 02:08 PM

I recently bought a hamster from a local small pet shop. I have had 7 hamsters over the past few years and all have been healthy happy and very friendly. As well as living for around 3 - 3.5 years each. When I got my new one home I did the usual and gave her time to settle in and get used to her new surroundings. Then when she started to come out the following night I got a little treat out and spoke gently to her and she came and took the treat from me. She will still do this but is very very nervous and getting no better. I can't get her to come near me or let me touch or hold her. This is starting to concern me as like I said earlier all my previous hamsters have been very friendly and timid towards me.

Any help you can offer I will be very grateful for.

Also I have noticied that since yesterday she has became less interested in her food and doesnt want any treats. The cage did have tubes for her but I have blocked them off today after cleaning as she had stuffed all her bedding and food in there. She had been sleeping in pee'd on bedding and I noticied her back end is wet. I am now dreading that she has wet tail, I have tried to get her out to give her a little clean but seeing as she hasnt tamed to me yet she wont let me. She is drinking still and coming out, she has just been for a little run on her wheel as i'm writing this. I am very concerned at the moment and hope you can help me. As I really just want her to be a healthy happy hamster and to be able come out and get some fuss from me.

Sorry for the essay but I hope you can help solve these problems I am having

n_t · 10-25-2008, 04:00 PM

do her droppings look watery or anything? i was worried about my hammy too when i first got him, i thought he had wet tail but then i figured out he weed in his tubes and was trampling all over it. i wouldnt worry unless she sneezes or actually cant walk properly and stuff like that. give her dry food and block off her tubes for a while...she has a wheel? if she does then forget the tubes for a few weeks. also my hammy was very nervous and still is a little bit, but it will just take time, keep on encouraging her to walk onto your hand with treats and stuff. main thing is she's eating and drinking.

Hellz19 · 10-26-2008, 03:00 AM

It appears that it might have been just her walking in her own pee like you say in the tubes we have stop her being able to use the tubes at the minute and set her cage without the middle floor in so that all she has for cover is her bed the rest of the time she spends out side to try and get used to noise. She is eating small amounts and drinking. We have seen her in the wheel running but she doesnt spend much time that we have seen using the wheel. But as far as poo's are concerned that is the main worry at the minute as since the full clean out the other day we havent managed to spot any poo's in the cage and there isnt any in her bed at all.

Thank you for replying

n_t · 10-26-2008, 03:39 AM

are you sure she isnt just eating her droppings? if you dont think she has eaten any of them then just give her more veg in her diet as she may be constipated. but even after giving her veggies and fruit you see no droppings then i have no idea what may be wrong and maybe you should take her to vets. but only after giving her fruits + veg...see what happens.

Hellz19 · 10-26-2008, 05:17 AM

Thanks I have added some veg and will keep a close eye on how she does

leafpool14 · 10-26-2008, 07:39 AM

Yeah, hamsters only eat their droppings if they are low in Vitamins, but in not sure what vitamins it is, but yeah, fruit and veg would really help boost her vitamin levels and ease constipation and balance her diet out.

Leafpool

Hellz19 · 10-27-2008, 11:19 AM

Just like to thank you n_t and leafpool14 for your advice on the veg checked her bed this afternoon and she poo'd so I think you must have been right.

Now its just trying to tame her which is proving to be really hard

Hellz19 · 10-27-2008, 01:50 PM

Ok I'm going to post in here how we progress with the taming of nibbles (she got this name because on the way back from the shop she nibbled the box all they way) and hopefully some of you people with a good knowledge and experience of hamster training and taming can help me along my way.

Well tonites progess nibbles has came out to get 3 different pieces of food and some fruit off my hand she was very scared and ran straight away with it to eat it where she felt safe, but progress is progress so they say

leafpool14 · 10-27-2008, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellz19

Ok I'm going to post in here how we progress with the taming of nibbles (she got this name because on the way back from the shop she nibbled the box all they way) and hopefully some of you people with a good knowledge and experience of hamster training and taming can help me along my way.

Well tonites progess nibbles has came out to get 3 different pieces of food and some fruit off my hand she was very scared and ran straight away with it to eat it where she felt safe, but progress is progress so they say

Well...its a start! :P She's slowly learning that your hand=yummy treats

As you do this more often, she will trust your scent and wont be so nervous when you put her hand near her

i will post more in a min, gotta go out, il finish what i was saying later

Leafpool

Back!!- To make Nibbles more secure, try rubbing your hands in the sawdust to get her scent (sorry, but soiled sawdust has a more strong scent and is recommended) and when you give her treats, make sure to wash your hands! Hamsters have bad eyesight and depend mostly on sense of smell! Nibbles can easily mistake your hand as a piece of food!

Next, when you come to pick her up, scoop her up with 2 hands, you don't want to spook her with your huge hand looming over her, and grabbing her from above when she least expects it...now thats frightening

So try to introduce your hands at floor level

Practice makes perfect, and don't stop handling her because you think that your harming her, the minute you give up, it sends a clear signal to Nibbles telling her to behave like this every time you want to pick her up, which will unfortunately make Nibbles untamable (a 'rogue')

I wont give you more methods until you have tried this out, this is the easy method, if Nibbles fails this, then im going to have to give you a stronger method. Try this out for about, a month tops, and tell me your progress weekly

Fingers crossed for Nibbles :P little devil

Leafpool

souffle · 10-27-2008, 03:43 PM

I am sure you will soon gain her confidence and she will tame nicely. Here is a link to an article on taming in the WIKI
http://www.hamstercentral.com/wiki/Taming_tips
All hamsters eat a certain part of their own poo. They do this not if they are short of vitamins but because this is how their digestion is adapted to get all the goodness out of food. At a special signal from the bowel the hamster will bend down and pass a soft brownish motion which is will eat. This passes through the bowel again and on the second passing the extra vitamins and minerals are absorbed. The hard black poo is discarded.