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Old 04-04-2017, 01:18 PM   #1
carxlinexc
 
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Question My hamster is really hyper

hello everyone!!! i am new to the communuty and have read lots of different forums but became a member today.

i got my white russian hamster (Mozzie) on march the 24 and he was really easy to tame and its only been 2 weeks and he lets me pet him and pick him up but not hold him. i let him run in his ball all around my room for atleast an hour a day so he can be used to my room and being out of his cage, and will take him out to play with him in a closed area for about 10 minutes a day. i love hanging out with him but he is very crazy and will not calm down. i know hamsters are naturally hyper and can't just sit still but he wont even walk around my arms and hands as soon as i pick him up he jumps out, but will let me pet him and stay semi calm in one spot for like 5 minutes sometimes.

every time before i try to pick him up and play with him i will let him run in his ball for about 30 minutes to run some of the energy off but he still is crazy when i try to hold him. i know its possible for them to be calm because our other hamster will let us pick him up and will just walk around your arms and not escape and we have had him for less time. i know it could just be his behaviour but i was wondering if anyone had any tricks for this.

THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!!!!
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Old 04-06-2017, 02:28 PM   #2
Hahahamoose
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Default Re: My hamster is really hyper

I have a similar thing with my Syrian, I've had him 4 months, he's tamed but he has so much energy. I let him run in his ball until he gets bored, I've made him a makeshift pen but he constantly tries to escape from it so that's useless. I handle him the best I can but that's near impossible when he wants nothing more than to run anywhere that he's not allowed. But he's just so full of energy.

I also have the added bonus of him trying to constantly escape from his cage too, since I've accidently left his cage open more times than I'd like to admit and he's knows what the outsides like and where the cheerios are

I just try to make sure his cage is as exciting as possible and try to let him out as much as I can to try and make sure he doesn't get bored since he's clearly got so much energy.
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Old 04-09-2017, 11:54 AM   #3
DrropS
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Default Re: My hamster is really hyper

If someone has any calming tips I'm here to listen! I got some kind of similar situation, my hammie wont stop not even for a minute and all night she is chewing her DIY melamine cage which is a bit more than the minimum cage, its it 5800cm2. And I also added an extra part for the cage which is 5000cm2. Her cage is also full if enrichment and dofferent kind of toys, but it doesnt help at all. I am kind of running out of ideas how to calm her down and stop chewing her cage.
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Old 04-09-2017, 12:13 PM   #4
Drago
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Default Re: My hamster is really hyper

Hello and welcome to hamster central!

The behavior you're describing is normal for a hamster. Some rodents (and species of hamsters) can be very calm and simply lie on your lap contently, but hamsters are very high energy and won't sit still for long. Do you know how old he is? Young hamsters tend to be very antsy and will settle a bit with time and patience. Russian dwarfs have a tendency to be speedier than say, a Syrian or Chinesey. As for him jumping off, you'll need to give him more time to become comfortable around you. Start by holding him for a couple seconds just a few inches off the ground and rewarding him with a diabetes friendly treat whenever he sits still. I would like to note that though whether you use a ball or not is a personal decision and is highly debated amongst the community, you will need to take your hamster out every 10-15 minutes for a ten minute water break and so he can get fresh air. The air in the ball often becomes stagnant which isn't good for your ham, and an hour straight can cause him to overheat and get very dehydrated. Good luck and remember, the key is patience and persistence
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Old 04-09-2017, 12:20 PM   #5
Drago
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Default Re: My hamster is really hyper

Quote:
Originally Posted by DrropS View Post
If someone has any calming tips I'm here to listen! I got some kind of similar situation, my hammie wont stop not even for a minute and all night she is chewing her DIY melamine cage which is a bit more than the minimum cage, its it 5800cm2. And I also added an extra part for the cage which is 5000cm2. Her cage is also full if enrichment and dofferent kind of toys, but it doesnt help at all. I am kind of running out of ideas how to calm her down and stop chewing her cage.
Although it's over the minimum cage size, your hamster may need more space as an individual. Syrians really thrive in cages that are over 1,000 sq in so if you can provide a larger cage, it would really be super beneficial! How deep is the bedding in your cage and how old is your hamster? Adding more bedding sometimes helps give them things to do. If you have a young hamster, they'll often chew and attempt to escape no matter how large their cages are! Once they get a bit older though they tend to settle down quite a bit. If adding bedding doesn't help any, I would invest in a larger cage and lots of toys and tunnels to fill it with to keep her entertained
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Old 04-09-2017, 12:45 PM   #6
DrropS
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Default Re: My hamster is really hyper

Quote:
Originally Posted by Drago View Post
Although it's over the minimum cage size, your hamster may need more space as an individual. Syrians really thrive in cages that are over 1,000 sq in so if you can provide a larger cage, it would really be super beneficial! How deep is the bedding in your cage and how old is your hamster? Adding more bedding sometimes helps give them things to do. If you have a young hamster, they'll often chew and attempt to escape no matter how large their cages are! Once they get a bit older though they tend to settle down quite a bit. If adding bedding doesn't help any, I would invest in a larger cage and lots of toys and tunnels to fill it with to keep her entertained
Unfotunately my room is not wider, the max lenght the cage can be is 100cm. After that I cannot open my door anymore :/ the cage is already 100cm x 60cm. I can try to find some kind of solution to make it wider instead of the lenght and substrate she has about 10-15 cm

But she is also only about 5 months old, she is young so I still can hope she will calm down when she gets little bit older
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Old 04-09-2017, 12:48 PM   #7
cypher
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Default Re: My hamster is really hyper

Young hams are naturally very active & I wouldn't expect many young russian hams to sit still & be held for long!
As Drago says using balls, especially for dwarf hams which are more prone to injury in balls, is a debatable issue but even if you choose to use a ball an hour really is excessive & isn't going to help him get used to interacting with you at all.
I would suggest setting up a good sized playpen, either buy or make one, put lots of interesting things in there for him to play with & explore, give him some time to run around then just put your hands in & let him sit on them & jump off to run around as often as he likes & for as long as he likes & he will gradually get more comfortable with being handled, some do become cuddly with time but by no means all so he may not want too much handling, each ham is different but with time & patience & lots of interaction he will become calmer with you.
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Old 04-09-2017, 01:17 PM   #8
Drago
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Default Re: My hamster is really hyper

Quote:
Originally Posted by DrropS View Post
Unfotunately my room is not wider, the max lenght the cage can be is 100cm. After that I cannot open my door anymore :/ the cage is already 100cm x 60cm. I can try to find some kind of solution to make it wider instead of the lenght and substrate she has about 10-15 cm

But she is also only about 5 months old, she is young so I still can hope she will calm down when she gets little bit older
I'd leave her for now then and focus on upgrading if after a few months her behavior still doesn't settle. I would however increase her bedding to 21-27 cm as this is best for Syrians and I have found that my young hams tend to be better behaved when they have a ton of bedding to burrow around in
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Old 04-09-2017, 03:26 PM   #9
Jennie F
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Default Re: My hamster is really hyper

My mini monster is about 4 months old and she is a bundle of doom and energy. I let her out at least 6 times a night, switching between bonding time playing with me, to playing in the ball for 10-15 mins or going in the playpen. She will go back in her cage each time for 10-15 minute breaks then comes out to terrorise the world again. I hold the ball up to the front of the cage and she will run to climb in, as now she associates it with feeedom. What realy worked for me in the taming process was holding my hand in front of the open ball so she could climb out and crawl on me. Have the ball ready at all times so if she goes the wrong way just put the ball in front of her and she should climb back in. Then repeat. Eventually I stopped using the ball to redirect her and now I just put my hand out and she climbs on. Its just about patience and getting her used to you by interacting everyday. Little and often. I try to tucker her out as much as possible before I go to bed and give her toilet roll tubes to entertain her mouth while i am asleep. My friends with pets often tell me i "break" their pets - as in i play with them that much that I raise the bar for playtime and then they wont stop haha. So I am trying to work out if I have created my monster or we are just well matched haha.

Have a read through taming threads on here as there are some really good ideas. But the key is patience and practice. Good luck and let us know how you get on
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Old 04-10-2017, 03:24 AM   #10
Thin Lizzy
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Default Re: My hamster is really hyper

Hi and Welcome to HC.
This is normal, they have so much energy especially when they're young.
I'm not fussed on exercise balls, I've used them in the past. An hour is too long, If you're determined on using them then I would suggest 15 minutes.
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