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Old 01-04-2017, 03:02 AM   #1
g12gordon
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Join Date: Jan 2017
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Default Comfortable Creatures ?

Hi, I've kept hamsters for years. Sadly Daniel recently died of old age and I now have Emma. Both are lovely creatures, both seem very healthy, both very tame, and both very smart.
I have a Rotostack 'cage' (at times its been more of a mansion, but currently consists of 3 modules connected with tubing). From the first time either hamster was out its house both have been able to work out how to climb up the bars of the lower part then climb up the perspex parts and get back into their house... its all they want to do when I take them out and put them on the table alongside their house. Daniel was never very active, and if disturbed in his bed would simply pull the covers over and turn his back on me... even gentle prodding or coaxing often failed to get him out his bed. I think he was just very laid back and tame, and liked to be comfortable. In fact he used to use some bedding to make comfortable seats in areas where he would sit waiting for fruit and veg to be passed through the bars.
I did wonder whether I was being too nice to Daniel, and wondered whether I should challenge him more rather than indulge him... but I try where possible to let my hamsters do their own thing and work with their character and behaviour rather than challenge it.
As I said, Daniel died, quite simply he was old, and now I have Emma. She is lovely, tame, bright & intelligent , but she has taken up residence in the tubes connecting the various parts of the cage. She has pulled bedding into the tubes, got food there too, and seems reluctant to come out. Again I think she is just very comfortable there. If i take her out and put her on the table she climbs up two stories and is back in the cage and in the tubes in a flash. I did put her into part of the cage and take the tubes away, but she seemed distressed so a minute later the tubes were back and Emma was back in her favourite part of the tubes.
I've had hamsters for years, but Daniel and Emma both seem far too fond of their home and of the areas they have chosen as their bed. I've now had Emma for a week and see no change in her initial behaviour. Tempting her out with treats just results in the treats being taken into the tubes. In the pet shop she was the most active of the hamsters but now she is not tempted by her wheel.
So what should I do? Is it best to let Emma do her own thing as I did with Daniel or should I challenge as nicely as possible,eg putting Emma into one part of her home and removing tubes so she has to become accustomed to home without tubes? (and then reintroduce them? Or what?)
(Photo Daniel (left) / Emma (right))
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Old 01-04-2017, 04:50 AM   #2
cypher
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Default Re: Comfortable Creatures ?

Hi & welcome to HC.
Daniel & Emma both look lovely.

Tubes & young new hams really don't work well, it gets unhealthy very quickly when they sleep, store food, eat etc in tubes & it makes getting them out very stressful for them.
Emma will get a bit upset if you remove the tubes but better to do it now before she gets to used to it & set in her ways.
Hamster generally do much better in a cage with one big floor space rather than the type of cage you currently have & especially if a cage has a nice big front door like the alasaks or hamster heaven for instance it makes interacting with them a lot easier so taming becomes easier, the get used to you more quickly & easily.
A week isn't long for a ham to settle in & not too long to go back to basics with getting to know her & helping her become more confident & interactive.
I would remove the tubes for now & maybe look at getting a different cage, do the tissue trick so she can really get used to your scent, when you think she's ready set up a routine, get her out for some interaction in a safe play area for short periods of time to begin with then gradually build up & she should enjoy being with you & less likely to hide away all the time.
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Old 01-04-2017, 01:25 PM   #3
g12gordon
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Default Re: Comfortable Creatures ?

Thank you for your reply; I was starting to think along the lines you suggested but I wasn't sure. Although Daniel liked his be and would always climb back into his cage, Emna's behaviour was new to me and was causing me concern. Since moving her to one part of her cage only, she has settled and has been running on her wheel all the time. She has already had lots of contact with me and is very tame; but restricting her to one part of her home will make contact with her easier. I suspected things were going wrong, and thank you for your advice which already Emna us proving to be correct.
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