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11-30-2014, 01:37 PM
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#1
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Adult Hamster
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 267
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Behavior of Hamsters Separated from Mom Too Soon
Hi all,
I was wondering if anyone knew/had any insight into the behaviors of hammies who had been separated from their mom too soon. I ask because my two newest additions, as some know, were separated from mom by 3 weeks. Their behaviors are both quite different from Hazel Nut, who I think was between 7-8 weeks when I got her. While some things I attribute to personality, other things--such as the two newer editions' lack of burrowing/building a nest (and what to do with lots of bedding)--I wonder about.
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11-30-2014, 01:55 PM
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#2
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Retired Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Brooklyn, New York USA
Posts: 10,295
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Re: Behavior of Hamsters Separated from Mom Too Soon
Very young hamsters will take time to learn to build a nest. As they get older they will start to burrow and make nice nests. If they were wild born hammies they would never have survived at that age without mama, since she would have been teaching them how to forage for food. Since they live in a cage and food is always there for them, they don't need to find it on their own. If they have managed to survive to the age of 6 weeks they really shouldn't be different from any other hamster. If anything, they will tame faster because they have been depending on you for everything.
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11-30-2014, 01:59 PM
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#3
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Retired Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Aberystwyth
Posts: 16,105
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Re: Behavior of Hamsters Separated from Mom Too Soon
Some of our hams've struggled with the idea of burrowing and nest building, I wonder if its more where they're from and what they're used to than what age they left Mum at?
I'm sure they'll work it out though
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11-30-2014, 07:36 PM
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#4
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Hamster Warrior
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Lanarkshire, Scotland
Posts: 15,575
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Re: Behavior of Hamsters Separated from Mom Too Soon
I'm sure in time they'll build some nests.
But, I remember when I got Archie at 8 weeks, he didn't nest build for quite a few months but, when he did it was really nice and he got better at it.
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12-01-2014, 01:44 AM
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#5
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PM Fluffy for custom title
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: UK
Posts: 1,469
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Re: Behavior of Hamsters Separated from Mom Too Soon
Willow was about 8 weeks old when I got her and could already build her nest, Ebony was 5half weeks old when I got her and had no idea how to nest build. She learnt within a couple of weeks though, so I'm pretty sure as others have already said, its just a normal young ham thing and yours little ones will soon learn the ropes
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12-02-2014, 03:45 AM
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#6
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Adult Hamster
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 267
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Re: Behavior of Hamsters Separated from Mom Too Soon
Ah, that is very good to know! Both have peed and poo'ed all over their wheels so today I took it out to clean and wouldn't you know it, Teddy has built a bit of a nest between the wheel and what should be the litter box to store a bit of food and Chubby has started chewing and piling some of his toilet paper as if preparing it for a nest. Neither show signs of even knowing what burrowing is just yet but at least I know if they're cold, they have at least figured out the toilet paper is for nesting.
Now I'm trying to teach them about the litter box as both are going on or around their wheel (to be fair, I think Chubby is going in his wheel but it's a silent spinner and I think when he runs, the wet bedding ends up flying out)
Another thing I've noticed with these two is that they pouch food and leave it in their pouch, especially Chubby. Teddy will relieve it into a stash pile--today was actually the first day her pouches remained bulging for longer than 20 minutes or so--but Chubby hasn't had an empty pouch in days. Actually, I'm not sure he's ever had an empty pouch--he had food stored when I first got him and since then, his pouch has only gotten larger. I've stopped giving him additional food (I've left the leftover oxbow pellets there as he seems to mainly be stashing his hazel hamster) the last two days to try and get him to empty his pouch a bit to eat from it as it's so big I actually can't tell how large he is. I thought he was very trusting of me but it turns out he's the sort of ham who'd walk right into a snake's mouth if he thought there was food there. I think his pouch is filled to capacity. I was amazed at how much both the baby hammies had been eating til the day I went to separate them one day about 10 minutes after filling the food bowl only to find the 2.5 tablespoon of hazel hamster was already all gone (the oxbow was all accounted for however) as well as the mealworms they were getting as treats that day and Chubby rounder than he was just that morning and unable to open his mouth without something falling out of it (which promptly was shoved back in)
I'm not worried about Teddy pouching food-wise as she will empty it but I worry about Chubby's pouching...hoard? Not so much the dry food as I know their pouches don't have saliva glands so the food will remain dry but I don't know if he's eaten all the fresh food I've given him or pouched them. For the time being, I'm keeping an eye on his bowl to make sure it will always have enough oxbow pellets there for at least the day so that if he doesn't want to eat the pellets, he will have to dip into his pouches but also that there's food around even without dipping into his stash.
Both kids are timid (I've only recently realized Chubby is probably more timid than Teddy but doesn't appear so as he will brave anything for some food) and don't move any further than they have to from their wheel (so basically, as far as the food bowls are) I'm giving them extra time to "adjust" since they were separated from mom so young and have had a lot to adjust to in such a short period of time, so I leave them alone except to refill food/water and wipe/clean the wheel as necessary.
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12-02-2014, 06:55 AM
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#7
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Retired Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Brooklyn, New York USA
Posts: 10,295
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Re: Behavior of Hamsters Separated from Mom Too Soon
LOLOLOL. Your small fluffs are so funny and adorable! The picture in my head of Chubby's food falling out of his mouth and then being shoved back in is priceless! Usually, my Almond will spit pouched food out when I take him out to play in his playpen or on my couch or bed. If it really looks like he's not emptying his pouches at all I would have a vet check him out. Give it another couple of days.
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12-02-2014, 08:47 PM
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#8
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Adult Hamster
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 267
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Re: Behavior of Hamsters Separated from Mom Too Soon
Loll--they are...special--well at least two are, lol. Hazel Nut is a huge diva and also constantly trying to escape (trying to refill/change food/water/litter in her cage is an experience) until I decide to take her out for playtime outside the cage upon which she hunkers down and refuses to budge from her cage.
Chublet (aka Chubby--Chublet is because he just looks like he should be a Violet to me bit y'know, his bits are more Prince in Purple Rain so I decided to combine the two) is just a lil glutton. He did indeed empty his pouch to eat the seeds/hazel hamster he had stashed instead of oxbow. Like I said before, he'd walk right into a snake's mouth so long as there's food there. His pouch is again filled though not to capacity b/c I decided to give him some more food since he's eating his pouched food. That said, he immediately pouched everything he liked, went on his wheel which I JUST cleaned of dirty bedding and poo, and spent a couple of minutes freeing some of the food from his pouch into the wheel. So now when he runs, the food clangs in his wheel. He's grown quite a bit since I got him (well, I think--I'm still not sure exactly what he would look like without his pouched food) unlike his sister.
I'm considering Teddy my "normal" one although on the tinier side. She's only gotten a little bit bigger but I think part of that was Chubby hoarding the food when they were together. She's very dainty and she's the only one of the three who I've seen touches the water spout with her paw while drinking. I am keeping an eye on her poo though as it's so much smaller than the other two's. I'm considering naming her Thumbelina, with Teddy a nickname as she just reminds me of the stereotypical princess/fairy you expect to see in a disney film (but y'know...hamster-fied)
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12-02-2014, 08:59 PM
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#9
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Retired Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Brooklyn, New York USA
Posts: 10,295
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Re: Behavior of Hamsters Separated from Mom Too Soon
Oh boy...you just took me back in time!!! Thumbalina was my all time favorite doll. That doll looks like a real baby and I loved it. What a super name for a hammy!
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12-03-2014, 07:51 AM
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#10
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Hamster Therapist
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Beirut, Lebanon
Posts: 2,550
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Re: Behavior of Hamsters Separated from Mom Too Soon
Dr K probably remembers the Thumbelina song from the Hans Christian Anderson movie, so beloved of Sunday afternoon TV back in the day ?
Now that you have that song stuck in your head......LOL................
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