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Old 03-04-2017, 05:34 PM   #1
Trioxin
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Default New Hamster Anxiety

Hello, everyone.

It's been a good couple of years since I owned hamsters. Sherlock and Lupin both passed away before I went to University and I couldn't own another after that and I haven't had the heart to visit here since.

I recently decided to adopt another Syrian, partly because I really miss having pets after my dog also passed away a year ago and partly to help with my mental health as I've found pet care can really help with my depression and I'm at home and in a position to own pets again. What it doesn't help is my anxiety unfortunately, lol.

This is Clover, though everyone has taken to calling her Mini-Cow which was her WIP name before I thought of one, haha.



I've had her only a few days but I'm already feeling that new baby anxiety but she's very different from my previous two hamsters. Sherlock was very docile and quiet, Lupin was more curious but still cautious, but Clover seems to be straight up hyper to what I feel is a worrying extent.

I'm wondering if it could still be stress from moving, or if it's something else?

When she's awake, she is constantly on the go, running around her cage, digging, gnawing, but what worries me is the climbing and a few moments ago she did some bar chewing which obviously concerns me due to the implications and possible health issues it can create.

Obviously I'm aware it's early doors but I'm really cautious when it comes to animal care, especially with how my dog passed away, I feel like I'm paying acute attention to everything because I'm scared of something happening to her and I just wanted some second opinions.

She's housed in the Alaska cage.



She's made her bed under the platform in the back right corner. There's two wooden hanging toys, three pieces of wood toys to gnaw in there, two wooden bridges (the arch like one is underneath the hanging one), a burrowing box, a large saucer wheel. Also, the water is slightly yellow because I decided to buy a supplement during the move as suggested to try and avoid wet tail at all costs and I'll lower this as I go in accordance to her health and behaviour.

Is this not enough? Or is it too much and overwhelming?

I'm concerned I set this off, honestly, as I was too eager to start bonding with her and moved her cage just opposite so it was on my bed so I could just be in closer proximity while she woke up and had an explore. She has a habit of walking up to the front of the cage to see who's peeking at her and she didn't seem phased by me at all so I opened the cage door and decided to see if she recognised or wanted to go in an exercise ball. (No idea how long her last owners had her or how much they interacted with her. She seemed pretty used to handling at the store as I was stroking her while she sat on the workers' lap, lol.)



To note as well - I was told she's assumed to be about six months old if I'm remembering correctly. Number could be wrong as my memory isn't too great, but I do specifically remember her saying size wise she could still have some growing but she's pretty much there.

Unfortunately the ball is way too small as my rat-sized one broke and I'm having to deal with what the stores say is hamster sized until I can afford to order another. She got into it and had a short run around but then started chewing on the ball and wouldn't let up.

I was worried she was panicking so I offered for her to go back into her cage and she did, ran around then came up to the entrance again, so I offered again and she got back in. Same thing. Then I decided to call it quits as her constant running seemed anxious to me so I put the cage back, and she's seemed a little pent up since then.

I've tried to be as quiet as possible (she's in my bedroom) and not bother her any further (as another note, I'm a fairly quiet person and we don't live in a loud area, no traffic etc and there's no other pets to cause any stress of that kind.)

As I've been writing this, she's slowly calmed down a little. I mean, she's still not stopped but she's opting to dig and explore and chew wood rather than climb or bar chew.

I guess to make an unnecessarily long story short, have I stressed her out a little too much, is this normal for new hamsters, or is there something really blatant I've missed in her housing/care? Honestly, I'm more than aware it could be just paranoia but I'd rather be safe and prepared than sorry later on. If there's an issue here I want to be able to try and prevent it.

Sorry for the utter, utter rambling! I hope it's been clear enough.

Regardless, say hello to Clover! I hope I can tackle any problems with her and give her a good life with me.
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Old 03-04-2017, 07:10 PM   #2
Drago
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Default Re: New Hamster Anxiety

Congrats on little clover and I'm so sorry about your dog, I too recently lost my 17 year old dog so I know how much it hurts I wouldn't give her those drops in the water. Despite how they're branded, wet tail drops really don't help prevent much of anything. In fact they really do more harm than good as they discourage drinking which obviously isn't a good thing! As for the whole playtime thing, do you have a bathtub where you can let your hamster run in? This might be better as a temporary solution until you can get a rat sized ball I think her set up is excellent, it's full of stimulation which is great and will only make her feel more comfortable! It sounds like thus far you've done everything right which is good. Some hamsters are more high energy than others. My hamster Duncan is a quiet and grumpy old man who would rather sleep in my clothes drawer than run about, while Chance is a high energy little sneak who gets into trouble at every possible chance. Six months old is about when hamsters reach adulthood so she shouldn't have much of any growing left to do at this point and she should settle down soon enough. For bar chewing, maybe offer some greenies or whimzees? I know this might be difficult and a bit too blunt to hear, but I think you're fine to just relax and take a deep breath. You sound to be taking very good care of her and thus I wouldn't worry. Enjoy little clover, she's adorable by the way, and make sure to keep us updated on her
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Old 03-04-2017, 10:21 PM   #3
cypher
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Default Re: New Hamster Anxiety

I'm sorry to hear about your dog, it's always hard losing our pets & I think it's natural to be more anxious about new ones after a loss.
It is very early days so she has lots of exploring & settling in to do, some females more than males are naturally hyper & bar climbing is probably just her exploring at this stage, a little bar chewing may just be the same thing so unless it becomes a habit possibly not something to worry about, don't respond when she bar chews, it's best to walk away & ignore them or it can become attention seeking behaviour.
Give her a whimzee/antos dog chew & maybe a dog biscuit (biscrok are about the best & most popular) so she has something else to chew on. Apple wood sticks & dandelion roots are often enjoyed too.
Your cage looks ok, I would give her more substrate though, fill the base as much as you can so she can have a good dig & burrow when she wants to.
I'd be careful with anything with chains on as they can get paws or claws trapped in the links.
If you can make a safe play area where she can explore & interact with you I wouldn't worry about the ball being too small & they're not the best way to give a ham out of cage time.
I think she just needs some time to settle in really, try not to worry, relax & enjoy getting to know her, they are all such different individuals!
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Old 03-05-2017, 09:45 AM   #4
Trioxin
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Default Re: New Hamster Anxiety

Quote:
Originally Posted by Drago View Post
Congrats on little clover and I'm so sorry about your dog, I too recently lost my 17 year old dog so I know how much it hurts I wouldn't give her those drops in the water. Despite how they're branded, wet tail drops really don't help prevent much of anything. In fact they really do more harm than good as they discourage drinking which obviously isn't a good thing! As for the whole playtime thing, do you have a bathtub where you can let your hamster run in? This might be better as a temporary solution until you can get a rat sized ball I think her set up is excellent, it's full of stimulation which is great and will only make her feel more comfortable! It sounds like thus far you've done everything right which is good. Some hamsters are more high energy than others. My hamster Duncan is a quiet and grumpy old man who would rather sleep in my clothes drawer than run about, while Chance is a high energy little sneak who gets into trouble at every possible chance. Six months old is about when hamsters reach adulthood so she shouldn't have much of any growing left to do at this point and she should settle down soon enough. For bar chewing, maybe offer some greenies or whimzees? I know this might be difficult and a bit too blunt to hear, but I think you're fine to just relax and take a deep breath. You sound to be taking very good care of her and thus I wouldn't worry. Enjoy little clover, she's adorable by the way, and make sure to keep us updated on her
Thank you! She's giving me some worries but she's such a cutie. Everyone seems to love Mini-cow already, lol.

Honestly it broke me. We knew she wasn't well as she'd had pyometra, then cancer in her mammary glands, but she took such a bad turn on Christmas day I think it shocked us all. Having to have her put to sleep on boxing day was just...awful. I still feel like it happened yesterday.

Noted! They're vitamin drops and I put about a third of what it recommends in there, it was mainly just for the move just in case she wasn't eating from stress etc etc but if it's no help I'll remove it. She seems to drink just fine though honestly.

I do! I actually used to sit in the bath with Lupin, lol. He was like her in that he was very curious so bath time was the only way to properly bond with him. I think my plan of attack may be to settle her in the bath today while I sort her cage out and have a small clean up and just monitor her and see if she acts as pent up.



(This was one of his bath time escapades, minus me sitting in there, lol.)

I honestly had to google what they were, haha. I actually didn't know you could give them to hammies! If she carries on the bar chewing I'll take ride out and go hunt some down.

I appreciate the words regardless! I've calmed down a lot just rambling away about it. Seeing that people responded was a great ease.

The more I thought about it the more I think it was a little bit of attention seeking. She hasn't acted like that until she figured out human = cage door opening. Cage door opening = freedom. Annoy human = cage door opening? So, I'm going to try and be strict with her at first and if she chews again, try and give it a while and open the door if she ignores me.

Cause honestly once I turned the lights off and got into bed I didn't hear a peep out of the little monkey, lol. It may just be she's too sneaky for her own good. Again like I said, early doors so it could be anything but I can just try, haha.

Thanks again for responding! I'm looking forward to having her.
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Old 03-05-2017, 09:55 AM   #5
Trioxin
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Default Re: New Hamster Anxiety

Quote:
Originally Posted by cypher View Post
I'm sorry to hear about your dog, it's always hard losing our pets & I think it's natural to be more anxious about new ones after a loss.
It is very early days so she has lots of exploring & settling in to do, some females more than males are naturally hyper & bar climbing is probably just her exploring at this stage, a little bar chewing may just be the same thing so unless it becomes a habit possibly not something to worry about, don't respond when she bar chews, it's best to walk away & ignore them or it can become attention seeking behaviour.
Give her a whimzee/antos dog chew & maybe a dog biscuit (biscrok are about the best & most popular) so she has something else to chew on. Apple wood sticks & dandelion roots are often enjoyed too.
Your cage looks ok, I would give her more substrate though, fill the base as much as you can so she can have a good dig & burrow when she wants to.
I'd be careful with anything with chains on as they can get paws or claws trapped in the links.
If you can make a safe play area where she can explore & interact with you I wouldn't worry about the ball being too small & they're not the best way to give a ham out of cage time.
I think she just needs some time to settle in really, try not to worry, relax & enjoy getting to know her, they are all such different individuals!
Thank you. I'd lost small pets before but losing a dog I'd grown up with really hit me hard. Christmas Eve she was perky as ever, Christmas day she was terrible, then we had to say goodbye on boxing day. It happened so quick so now I feel like I'm hyper aware of any behaviour of Clover's that I'm not familiar with.

Noted, I'll keep an eye on the bar chewing. As I mentioned to Drago I'm wondering if I maybe set off a little attention seeking since it just seemed very coincidental that the day she fully realised I can open the door to the cage it was the day she specifically chewed those bars and started climbing like a monkey, lol. Probably didn't help I responded when she ran up to the cage door because I straight away offered for her to come out.

I'm hoping if I ignore the bar chewing and let her out when she's calm and elsewhere in the cage, she'll equate bath time or ball time with patience.

I've actually seen an apple wood and dandelion root mix in a local pet shop but never thought to pick it up as she has so much wood stuff to destroy, lol! I'll pick some up the next time I go into town since they're nearby.

Hmmm. I'll talk to my Dad and see if he has any ideas for a safer alternative for the chains, since he's a self-certified DIYer and Clover seems to like the hanging toys unlike my previous hamsters.

Yeah! I think I'm going to utilise the bath for now lol, and I might see if I can pick up a large storage bin so she can have a variety of places to go for play time on a night. And if the bin is big enough the bar chewing continues it could be an alternative for a new home if I can rope my Dad on board with helping make it, lol.

Thank you for the reply! It's all really appreciated. I think she's just shocked me at how interactive and hyper she is compared to my other two boys. Sherlock was a little bit of a lazy boy, and Lupin was curious but cautious but she seems so boisterous! I love it but I can't help but worry haha.

Thanks again.
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Old 03-05-2017, 11:07 AM   #6
dreamtree1234
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Default Re: New Hamster Anxiety

Welcome back to Hamster Central, Trioxin! Congrats on your getting Clover, and I am sorry about the loss of your dog. I definitely know how painful that can be.

I hope that the bar chewing steadily lessens. I agree with Drago and Cypher. I think that everything will be fine and that you are doing an amazing job. It is hard to not over analyze or be overly cautious especially after you have just faced a loss in your life. Just keep an eye on Clover, enjoy the tub outings, and have fun! Best luck with your new hammie, and let us know how things are going. The pics of Clover are great by the way. I can definitely appreciate the cow reference due to its pattern.
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Old 03-05-2017, 12:43 PM   #7
Trioxin
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Default Re: New Hamster Anxiety

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Welcome back to Hamster Central, Trioxin! Congrats on your getting Clover, and I am sorry about the loss of your dog. I definitely know how painful that can be.

I hope that the bar chewing steadily lessens. I agree with Drago and Cypher. I think that everything will be fine and that you are doing an amazing job. It is hard to not over analyze or be overly cautious especially after you have just faced a loss in your life. Just keep an eye on Clover, enjoy the tub outings, and have fun! Best luck with your new hammie, and let us know how things are going. The pics of Clover are great by the way. I can definitely appreciate the cow reference due to its pattern.
Thank you! Glad to be back.

It really is! I never could have imagined it'd upset me so much. But she had a good life, so I'm glad of that much. Just wish we could have made it longer.

Me too! I'm waiting for her to wake up this evening then I can really make note of if there's a pattern. If it is just her trying to get my attention I can take measures to show her she gets better things when she doesn't bar chew, or that there's alternatives.

I can't wait to see her again when she wakes up. I think even my Dad is fond of her since he gets disappointed if he comes in and she's asleep haha.

I'll be sure to keep this thread updated on any good or bad changes, hopefully good!

Thank you. I hope I can get some clearer ones of her, she really is a sweetie.

Haha, it took me ages to decide on a name but I love Clover now! She was going to end up being called Moo at the rate it was taking me, lol.
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Old 03-05-2017, 03:59 PM   #8
Trioxin
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Default Re: New Hamster Anxiety

Hey guys!

So, I took up the bath idea and managed to get some cute pictures as well, lol.

Honestly, she seems completely chill with human contact. A lot of little pets were had, she's insanely soft. She's not fond of being picked up but it's also probably not helped by the fact I hate trying to scoop her up 'cause she doesn't sit still.



She apparently doesn't know what to make of chinchilla sand, lol.



And I gave her a treat once she was in the tub to try and reinforce this idea of bath time/out of cage time equating to good things so she's happier with the idea of me taking her out of the cage.

I also added a lot more shavings/carefresh to the bottom of her cage which I think will help the noise of her flying saucer as well as give her stuff to dig in (since it was rattling a little against the bottom of the cage). And as I type this bit she's actually digging in the chinchilla sand lol.



You can see there's a lot more at the bottom of the cage now, and I had a small switch around of the hanging toy. I removed the house on the top which she hadn't used and replaced it with the tub of sand since I figured it just means more to do. She sleeps in the bottom corner anyway.

Now, she just did a bit of bar chewing but I did notice that when I left the room she seemed to stop. Might be a coincidence but I'm going to see if I notice it when I turn the lights off and get into bed tonight. Because if so I know it's her way of demanding she wants out so I can make steps to curb that behaviour and praise her for not doing it and ignore her when she does.

I'm hoping this is progress. As well - my lovely lovely friend Tara has ordered me a larger exercise ball to see if she's okay with exploring when it's not so cramped. I know they're apparently not ideal and pen's/bath time is more desirable but I figure it's just more ways for her to have fun, explore, not get bored and burn some energy in a different way.

When my Dad's off work I'm going to go get a large storage bin as well as the ones I have are a little bit too shallow, she can nearly shimmy out of the corners, lol.
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