Does this sound like fear and/or aggression?

[Sh00fly]

I recently adopted a hammy that's 4-6 months old. Even when I talk gently to her she screeches at me and is very jumpy but will take treats, although hesitantly. She also seems very hyper. When I first got her she was running around exploring her cage (which is normal) but she did this for 5 hours in the middle of the day. When I cooked tea for myself she was throwing herself at the bars. I've been keeping hamsters on and off for 17 years and never seen one like this before. Haven't tried handling yet as I'm still letting her settle in. Any tips on taming would also be appreciated.

[BrainGirl]

I'm hoping others with more experience will come along with advice, but the exploring in the middle of the day sounds perfectly normal to me. I've had hamsters who were so excited by a change in their cage, especially with new toys, that they ran themselves to exhaustion and then slept for hours.

How long have you had her? The fact that she will take treats sounds promising. Do you know anything about her history? Where did you get her? She just sounds like a very nervous little hammy to me and if she's at the lower end of your age estimate it could just be something she needs to grow out of.

[cypher]

Screeching at you does sound much more like she's just very nervous rather showing signs of cage aggression, she may be both excited & nervous about her new home.
Do you know her history, how she was treated & what cage she was kept in before you adopted her?
If she's taking treats then she must already be trusting you to some extent so I'd just keep talking to her, she will get used to the sound of your voice & the screeching should stop & go slow but steady with the pace of taming & getting her used to you, she may just need more time & patience than most do.
Have you used the tissue trick (putting a tissue up your sleeve for a few hours then putting it in the cage & repeating that at least for the first few days) if not I'd give that a try so she can really get used to your scent & stop seeing you as any kind of threat.

[Sh00fly]

I've had her for about a week and all I know is her previous owners didn't want her anymore. She actually hasn't screeched at all today, she seems more calm after I gave her a little bit of egg last night. Also when I offered it, she went into her ball on her own. So she seems to be improving

Thanks for the replies and yes I did try the tissue trick, she's moved it into her nest now.

[Pebbles82]

It can take a good two weeks for a hamster to settle into a new cage, and during that time it's best not to do any cleaning at all and just let them settle in. As others say, it's normal to get excited (and a bit stressed) at a new environment and rush around. Talking gently and offering the odd treat through the bars is about the right thing right now. But if she does seem a bit stressed and rushing around too much I would leave her alone for a couple of days.