Meeting and taming Pip

[Plumcore]

Hey guys!

I'm a new hamster mommy. I got Pip the 7 weeks golden hamster last Friday (22 May) and I have some questions regarding taming and her behavior.

She seems to be doing ok, she made herself a huge burrow with tissue and some hamster grass type paper. She takes food from my hand, eats well, drinks, washes out in the open (she loves the sand bath) runs on the wheel like mad (is that normal?). The only thing is that when i tried the bathtub taming, she just ran around, trying to escape, sniffed, and tried to dig.

She did not want to have anything to do with me, even if she passed over my hand. Never stopped near me.

And when she is in the ball, she does explore but when we pick the ball up she gets really agitated, and im worried she might be scared. She never sits in my palm, but i assume that's because shes still new.

We live in a one bedroom rental apartment with no doors, and a lot of nooks and crannies. So i can't really let her loose just now, as i don't want her to get hurt. There's a space in the kitchen between the stove/oven and the furniture, and that is a big concern since the oven is electrical and old..lot's of wiring behind there.

[Artisans_uk]

Hi Plumcore - welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new addition. Pip is a lovely name.

First of all, no need to worry about Pip going mad on the wheel, perfectly normal hamster behaviour. Our little hamsters have lots of energy, especially when young and running on the wheel is ideal for them. Keep an eye on the size of the wheel as she grows as being a Syrian, she will need a larger wheel in time, otherwise her back can become deformed from using a wheel that is too small, I think that a minimum 11" wheel is recommended for a syrian as they grow.

Pip has only had a few days to get used to a lot of different changes, especially if she was still with her sisters when you got her, that is a huge change for her, as well as a new cage, new noises, new people, new smells etc etc.

I would go very slowly with her, give her a couple of days to settle properly. I am not sure when you first put her in the ball or in the tub but it was possibly too much too soon. Leave her to settle in her cage for a couple of days, to really get to know her cage. Talk to her as much as possible, and then start again, put your hand in her cage and let her come to you, in her time.
Have you tried the tissue trick? Put a paper tissue up your sleeve for a while and then put it in her cage so she can get used to your smell. I would leave the bath tub for a few days as it could well have been a massive experience for her so early on.

The ideal part of having your hamster in the bath with you is that she can choose to come to you and stay on you when she wants, so it might take several attempts for her to calm down and begin to get used to you. She is only young still and there are lots of new smells for her to explore. Be patient and persist and I am sure that she will soon be clambering over you. Young hamsters aren't still for long when they are awake, so I am not surprised that she isn't stopping on your hand yet but she's getting used to your smell and that is progress. You could put her sand bath in the tub with you, so she can dig in there if she likes to dig.

I am sure she does gets a little scared when you pick up the ball. She's just been running around in it and all of a sudden, it doesn't do what she expected it to do. It's a sudden change for her when you pick it up. I would suggest that you let her out of the ball as soon as you can once you've picked her up so that she doesn't feel trapped.

I wouldn't worry about not letting her free-range around your living space, plenty of people have hamsters and do not let their hamsters run around like that. It simply depends on how safe people's living areas are and how comfortable they are in letting their hamster loose in that sense. Many people make a large contained space from cardboard boxes, or other suitable materials. There are commercially available playpens but I know many syrian hamster owners say that their hamster can easily climb out. Some owners use small inflatable ball pools or paddling pools as alternatives. All depends on your space etc.

Remember that your little Pip is just that, little and getting used to lots of new experiences. Try not to rush her, it often backfires. Let her settle in properly and then go really slowly with her. Hamsters are creatures of routine and get easily upset by simple things like not putting things back in their cage the same way, so if that can upset them, imagine how much your little baby has gone through since Friday.

There's no need to clean her cage completely; spot clean daily when she's settled and then when you know what corner she likes to use to pee, you can use a litter tray. Then every three to four weeks you can clean her cage but always keep back some of the substrate (carefresh, fitch, wood shavings etc) so that you can return it to the cage so that there are still her smells in amongst all the new substrate.

Hope this helps and let us know how Pip is getting on. I am sure that you and her will be fine, just slowly does it.

[Plumcore]

I put her in the ball first yesterday night. At first she was a little confused and unsure but now she likes it, and gets into it on her own. When we pick up the ball it's either to get her unstuck from a place (like the edge of the sofa) or transport to and from her cage.

I have not tried the tissue paper thing yet, but i will. As for her wheel and cage, we got those as a donation from my friends boss (my friend bought the hamster for my birthday). They seem ok for Pip just now, since she is still tiny, but we plan on buying a bigger size in June or July. We just need to look around and fix the apartment so there's a place where she can get sunlight, and fresh air.

She usually does her business in the sand bath, and i clean the top layer every 2 days, and just pick up foods that shouldn't be there (apple bits she didn't eat etc). I try not to disturb her burrow, just difficult since she built it between the cage wall and the big wooden toy she has.

One more thing...do hamsters like chicken? I ate some last night and when i placed my hand in her cage to give her seeds, she ignored the seeds and bit my fingers instead O.O ..i'm hoping it was the chicken smell.

[Piebald]

Hello Plumcore and welcome! LOL the chicken fingers-- you should wash your hands before handling your hammie. This is not only to prevent bad nipping habits from chicken fingers, but to be sure you are not trasmitting anything bad-- our hands pick up all kinds of bacteria and hammies are very susceptable being so small.
Great advice from Artisans. I would add that to help her settle that you follow a strict routine too. That means play at the same time every day, ball time at the same time, treat time at the same time, and return to cage at the same time. The routine will help give her some confidence that something unknown will not happen unexpectedly.
Regarding the ball, there is some controversy over them. If she is still small be careful her feet can't get stuck or hurt in the air slits. Also it is recommended that a water break be given after 20 minutes.
She actually sounds like she is doing great, not being too shy or aggressive, just a regular hammie getting used to her new home.
We'd love some pics! xx

[Plumcore]

She usually runs around in the ball just for 5-10 minutes. When we see that she stops, we get her back in the cage, since we assume she got tired. She has a small size ball, it does not look like her feet can get through the slits that easily, but we will keep an eye out for it. Thanks!

I play with her everyday when i get back from work (around 6:30-7) and again before bed (11:30-12). She usually gets treats after playtime.

I do have one picture of her, it was made on the day she arrived, so shes still in the transport cage.

[Artisans_uk]

Aww - Pip looks lovely, Plumcore. What a gorgeous colour and how lovely to be given her as a birthday gift. She has a very sweet face.

Yes, hamsters do like chicken, it is a good source of protein for them, so it's no wonder that she had a nibble of your fingers.

Is she already awake when you get home from work or does she wake up soon afterwards?

Sounds like you have got a plan for her future, remember when you reposition her cage not to put it in direct sunlight and keep it away from any drafts.

I am sure that Pip will be fine, given a good amount of time time to get used to you and her new routine, just go at her pace. They do like to build their nests in awkward places, well awkward for us anyway.

Keep up the good work and as Piebald mentioned, check on her feet when in the ball, it only takes one incident of a foot getting caught to cause a painful foot.

[Plumcore]

Usually shes awake already. If not it gives me just enough time to eat and change before she wakes up. She has the cage in the room with us, so when i come home, she hears it i guess?

Cutest thing is when she stretches after waking up.

[Piebald]

Dang I can't see the picture at work. One last thing about the ball-- same rule as the wheel, her back should not have to bend back at all to run in it.
I better get back to work!

[Plumcore]

So sorry for spamming with questions, i hope it's ok if i recycle this thread.

So i've been looking for bigger plastic cages for my bitey Pip. Since we will have to change hers in a month or two. I found a website based in Sweden (where i live) who sells Fermplast cages. I was looking at the Duna Multy Mix. It's a 71x46x31 cm, so just under the recommended size. We live in a small apartment, so i don't think we would be able to go up a size to 1m. O_O.

So i want to know if nayone has any experience with this size cage and syrians, do they go well, or is it too small?

[PrehistoricGirl]

Hi Plumcore

Since you live in Sweden, I will suggest a bin cage, you can get the biggest Samla box from IKEA, it is a cheaper option than the cage, and there are plenty of possibilities to customize the bin cage (and a lot of advice here on HC). - it is also a tad bigger at 78x56x43 cm
And since it is so tall, you can have more than one level in there.

I don't have a Syrian myself, but I've seen the bin cage being recommended here on HC for both Syrians and Dwarfs, and since the Duna Multy Mix is only slightly smaller, I don't see a problem in using that one. But this is only based on other people's advice I have seen here, so maybe someone with a Syrian can give a better answer