New fella

[don]

Hi. We got our first hamster on friday. He's a beige syrian.
He has a large leif cabin house from Zooplus, sitting on approx 2.5-3 inches of carefresh. He's taken to digging down and burrowing beneath the house, which is where he sleeps most of the time, and where he keeps his food stash.

I know it's only friday since we got him, but we haven't seen an awful lot of him.
He's happy to come out and feed and drink but then likes to go back into his nest. He's very skittish if we try to handle him.
Perhaps he's a little overawed going into a large Alaska cage from the small bin cage at the breeders.

Is it just too soon ? Should we leave him be, completely for now ?

[cypher]

I'd say three days is too soon to be trying to handle him, some hams can be very confident from day one but most need at least that long just to adjust to so many new things, the cage, sounds, scents around them etc. so go slow & let your new guy make himself at home for now.
Have you done the tissue trick to get him used to your scent?

[don]

We haven't done the tissue trick - can you describe please ?

Thanks

[Wanna Hamster]

Comgratulations! The tissue trick is to rub some tissues on you or any other way to make them smell like you, then place them in your hamster's cage so he can get used to your scent.

[cypher]

Sorry I should have said, I put the tissue up my sleeve for a few hours, it really does seem to help so well worth giving it a go.
I repeat it daily for a while with a fresh tissue from my sleeve each day.

[Thin Lizzy]

Hi Son, you can't go wrong with the tissue trick and talk as much as you can to your ham. These will get the hamster familiar with your smell and voice.

[Bertiebobbins]

Just leave him be for a while, don't try to handle him yet and give it time. He will settle in soon enough! It's perfectly normal not to see them for a few days, but they're nosy creatures and will soon want to know what's going on. If you start a routine and do the same things at the same times each day he will most probably start to follow the routine himself - I want to see my hams at least two times a day to check they're OK, so I'll offer something tasty in the morning first thing and they get their veggies around 6pm, and they usually get their out of cage playtime in the evening (not together of course!) They both know the routine and will be waiting for me, although whilst Glowy will be out of his nest and raring to go, Nibble will lurk inside his huge nest box until I lift up the lid, then he comes out.

[don]

Both my daughter and I have been doing the tissue thing. We've been putting the tissue outside the opening to his nest and he's been pulling it inside.

I think it seems to be working. He's now happy to take a sunflower seed out of my fingertips and seems to be flinching less.

We're taking it slowly. Luckily my daughter is mature enough to understand that things won't happen immediately.

[Wanna Hamster]

Yay! I'm happy things are going more or less smoothly! Good luck!

[cypher]

That's good to hear, you'll soon be him over now.