Help! Very scared new Chinese Dwarf Hamster

[racinghamster]

Make sure her sleeping house isn`t too crammed or small. Ventilation and space matter. Once you manage to get a Mini Duna cage or something of a similar size, you might want to get a cardboard tea box or hankie box, remove the lid/top and turn the box upside down so that the box has no floor in it. Make a few doors in it at the front or sides. All hamsters like to dig downwards, so removing the floor of the sleeping box allows them to do this. Use ripped up plain white toilet paper as nesting. She will make a nice nest for herself and have plenty of space as well.

If the noise continues or becomes sneezy, she may require Baytril in her water from your vet if she has a respiratory problem, but most of the time these little sneezy/noisy episodes can be down to environmental factors like weather changes, stress or a combination of those.

But do look at the size of the box/house she`s using to sleep in and if it`s a small plastic one, just remove the nesting and place it into a larger tea box prepared as above. x

[Chonkers2]

I feel like it might be more of a sneeze. And she's grooming around her nose A LOT. I'm not sure if I'm just overreacting though, I'll see if I can catch it on video or something.

[racinghamster]

Was she always kept on shavings before you took her on? If she was and the shavings are well aired and given a good shake in a storage box to release any dust, then they should be the issue. The brand you use may be the issue though? Pets At Home`s own brand shavings and Snowflake are the best brands. She may have a respiratory issue that may require Baytril, but she may also just be a little stressed still and things will settle.

[Chonkers2]

I'll keep an eye on her over the next few days, see if it carries on. She's on pets at home wood shavings and bedding she was on in store aswell. Someone suggested she might make that noise when she has food in her pouches which could explain it as I've only ever noticed it after feeding.

On a separate note, for the first time ever she doesn't flinch when lights come on/she hears movement and she actually came and greeted me when I came in the room yesterday! Baby steps but sure made me feel very happy.
Thanks for all your help!

[racinghamster]

No problem Chonkers. Mulan is a sweetie and I`m sure she will make a lovely little companion, just as my female Chinese was. They really are adorable.

Your bedding and shavings are fine then. Just wanted to find out what you were using. My female made a bit of a chirping sound for a bit too but it came and went. I don`t particularly like putting them on Baytril if the symptoms are found to be environmental or the don`t look ill, off their food etc...

[cypher]

Really good to hear she's beginning to get used to you, she's coming on pretty quick for a Chinese by the sound of it!

[Druishkrys]

Same with my new chinese hammy. She was wild when I brought her home, but now she's shy and will only come out in the dark. When it's late and I see shes awake, I'll pit a small light on so I can see her and put my finger to the cage. Sometimes she'll come over and smell me, sometimes she licks my finger lol. I'll talk to her softly and she'll kind of play peek-a-boo in her chew log. Then that's it, after a few weeks I think I can start taking her.
It's been a while since my last one and can't even remember how I got the other one so tame. She would sit on my lap and watch hamtaro with me after school lol!

[Ziggythehamster]

I’d give your new hamster a bit longer to come out if it’s shell ☺️