Worried - please help :(

Jessi · 11-01-2016, 01:34 PM

I got my dwarf hamster 10 days ago. She has settled in fine so far - eating well. She is already happily letting me handle her.
Just now I heard this scratching noise and look to see that she has burrowed down under her water bottle stand and was scratching and biting frantically on the side of her tank as if desperate to get out. She has a large 140L (80x60cm) bin cage so I can't think that she feels to crowded
When I went over to her I thought maybe she'd got herself stuck - I put my hand near to her and she made a funny buzzing cry (scream?) and squeezed out and ran into her house.
I'm just so confused - what's wrong with her?

AmityvilleHams · 11-01-2016, 01:58 PM

One possible issue is that it could be a sign of boredom.You'd generally assume that given such a cage size it would be fine,but that isn't necessarily true as some hamsters won't be happy in something just because it is assumed large or in certain cases meets some sort of minimum!

Jessi · 11-01-2016, 02:20 PM

She seemed really scared rather than bored. She had only just woken up.
She usually wakes up and goes straight to her food bowl or water bottle before doing anything else but she just went straight to frantic scratching today

AmityvilleHams · 11-01-2016, 02:31 PM

It sounds like she wants to escape,which is why boredom was suggested.However,there is always the possibility of loud noises scaring her for example alarms.There are other things that could scare her,but if you have an alarm set and she seems to do it at the same time that could be the cause.

Jessi · 11-01-2016, 02:35 PM

Think I've figured it out - I had put my DVD player on and it makes a bit of a high pitched whirring. She's absolutely fine with the tv but I think the high pitched buzzing must have woken her and she panicked. I wont use it near her again. Hoping she forgives me!

AmityvilleHams · 11-01-2016, 03:02 PM

She was probably just startled then

She'll be fine though,so don't feel too bad!

Jessi · 11-01-2016, 03:29 PM

Thanks for helping out!

AmityvilleHams · 11-01-2016, 03:30 PM

You're welcome!Hopefully everything goes well from here on with no scary moments like this

ChibiMomo · 11-03-2016, 12:13 PM

It seems to me that she's bored. Make sure she has lots of interactive toys, and space to run, and a wheel as well. Make her life a little more interesting after she's fully settled in- put her in a playpen, or a small hamster ball (keep hammy in for no more than 30 minutes), or even start training her to crawl around on your bed. Just giver her lots of mental stimulation- always keep snacks and water near though.

cypher · 11-04-2016, 05:13 AM

If you only had her 10 days then she's probably still exploring her boundaries, they love to dig & burrow & can get a bit frustrated when they realise they can't go any further! It's not boredom or a cage problem, the screech is just a natural reaction to being startled or scared.
I wouldn't worry about it, just let her get on with things in her own way unless she gets into a habit of obsessively/scratching digging in one spot.