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Old 11-16-2016, 03:49 PM   #1
FirstMate
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Default Will she ever trust me again?

I've had my hamster, Bonny, since September 2015, and she's about a year and a half old. Recently I had to start giving her Baytril to deal with a suspected UTI. I am now thoroughly versed in all the tricks of getting hamsters to take their medicine peacefully from an oral syringe, but I'm afraid it may be too little too late - no matter what I try putting in/on the syringe, she's learned that syringe = nasty and puts up an almighty struggle. Even when I filled it with ordinary water and put some apple on the end in an attempt to get her accustomed to it, she acted as if I were trying to poison her.

My next step is to try mixing the Baytril with a small amount of baby food, but what I'm really asking for is reassurance that once this is over, assuming she pulls through, she'll learn to trust me again. She used to love climbing into my hands (and usually up to my shoulder shortly afterwards) - the vet commented on how easy she was to handle the first time she went in - but now just getting her to leave her nest when I'm in the room is a trial, let alone picking her up. The guilt is overwhelming when I have to coax her out just to betray her with more medicine.

Will she return to her old self once the syringe goes away? Or, if this has undone her hand-taming, will there be time for her to re-learn it? And will both of us make it to Monday, when the course of medicine finishes, without going crazy?

The short version: had to feed my hamster medicine and now she hates me, can I win back her trust?
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Old 11-17-2016, 03:53 AM   #2
flowerfairy
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Default Re: Will she ever trust me again?

Short answer. Yes. A few hand fed treats and bingo!
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Old 11-17-2016, 04:28 AM   #3
Cinnamon Bear
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Default Re: Will she ever trust me again?

Yes! I always despise having to give antibiotics to my hamsters as I can't find food that they will take it from. But she will forgive you. I think that they are somehow helping them by instinct. Hopefully anyways? My hammys have forgiven me.

I had to give a past hamster 10 days of anti-biotics from a syringe 2x's per day then her mite medication along with the morning dose. I had to pick him up by the scruff so that was not fun. But he was still sick as the medication didn't work, but he didn't hate me afterwards.
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Old 11-17-2016, 04:45 AM   #4
herbi7
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Default Re: Will she ever trust me again?

Aww, yes she will calm down and come round although I think she may remember the dreaded syringe! I used to give my Syrian her meds in a tiny amount of porridge with a little honey stirred in, it became her treat!
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Old 11-17-2016, 06:09 AM   #5
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Will she ever trust me again?

Just time And a bit of distraction and treats as the others say. Charlie shunned me for quite some time after I had to hold him while the vet clipped his teeth.
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Old 11-26-2016, 01:50 PM   #6
FirstMate
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Default Re: Will she ever trust me again?

Thank you all for the reassurances. Unfortunately things aren't looking very hopeful. It's more likely to be lingering illness than the sense of betrayal, but Bonny is barely emerging from her nest at all and won't eat anything without a lot of coaxing. She's lost weight and seems listless.

I'm doing all I can to make her comfortable (without disturbing her too much, of course), and I appreciate the assurances that I might be doing some good rather than making her even more distressed.
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medicine, syringe, trust, time, shes, hamster, baytril, shell, assuming, leave, nest, handle, pulls, commented, shoulder, room, shortly, vet, hands, love, climbing, easy, learn, finishes, monday

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