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Old 02-07-2018, 03:44 PM   #1
Krob1988
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Join Date: May 2013
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Default Aggressive hamster - please help!

Hi all,

In December we got a new Syrian hamster (Jyn). We think she was quite young when we got her as the date on her birth certificate didn't add up, so let's say she's around 3/4 months old now.
Cut a long story short she is really quite aggressive. She is completely obsessed by food and will constantly try to bite us. She is very, very active and enquisitive and has worked out that if she climbs on top of her water bottle she can get out when we open the lid. This has become a problem because we can't handle her! Recently I tried to help her off the water bottle and she bit me so hard that I fainted (not my finest hour!)
I bought a big plastic box and every day I've been putting her in there and stroking her which weirdly enough she's not bothered by, but after a few mins she will just start looking for food and biting. I also got some gardening gloves to wear which she bites but luckily I can't feel it much.
Tonight though I put her in her ball after being in the plastic box and she ran around for a bit, but then started screeching!! I put her straight into her house and she ran to the food like nothing happened.
I really don't want her to live a solitary life without contact, but I don't know what to do to tame her and I also have never experienced this screeching noise before. We are going on holiday in a week and at the moment I've no idea how our friend is going to feed her and its making me anxious!
Please can anyone offer any advice?

Thanks,

Kirsti
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Old 02-07-2018, 11:43 PM   #2
cypher
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Default Re: Aggressive hamster - please help!

If she constantly bites it may be best to continue using the gloves for a while, I'm not really a fan of using gloves tbh but sometimes it can help get them used to handling & out of the biting habit.
It's still not that long since you got her so keep up with a consistent taming routine, females can be very very active & not interested in handling or cuddles for more than a minute or two so a playpen or secure play area for out of cage time might be better than a storage bin, she can run around more & you can interact with her more easily without her feeling threatened by hands.
Just keep going slowly & don't rush things.
Screeching is a sign of either fear or pain, it could be that the ball frightened her or she could have got hurt slightly either way I would avoid using it & stick to more fun things like the playpen with lots of toys, cardboard boxes or tubes to explore or chew & a wheel.
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Old 02-08-2018, 08:54 AM   #3
CMB
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Default Re: Aggressive hamster - please help!

Keep going with trying to tame her.

When you go away. Who ever looks after her could wait until she sleeps to refill her food bowl or scatter the food through the top bars of her cage.
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Old 02-08-2018, 10:37 AM   #4
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Aggressive hamster - please help!

There are a number of things you can do and avoid doing, to help her settle in and relax and gradually become tame and feel safe/bond with you

1) They can be very territorial about anything entering their cage - and can be much better out of the cage in that respect. Usually when they arrive you should leave them alone for 2 to 3 days to adjust to the cage environment and scent mark, and then start by offering the odd treat through the bars and talking to them gently. Also don't move things around in the cage or do any clean outs for the first 2 weeks. So if that wasn't done at the start she may have continued being stressed and a bit too territorial.

2) Is her cage big enough? If not this can cause cage aggression.

3) Avoid doing big clean outs - it's not necessary and stresses hamsters a lot - especially younger ones. It removes all their scent marking and seems strange and unfamiliar,plus makes them anxious that a predator has been in there trying to steal their hoard! If you have a good enough depth of substrate (which is good for hamsters anyway), then you can just "spot clean" - ie remove the odd handful of soiled substrate and replace it with a clean handful and mix it in. And only do a substrate change every 2 to 3 months really - especially if you use a litter tray - they will use it if it's in the right place and then the cage stays mostly clean and dry so much less cleaning required. Also even when you do a substrate change, don't clean everything at the same time (wheel can be done a different week and toys infrequently as and when required) - so something always smells familiar.
4) Nest and hoard - these are the hamster's most important things and they get stressed if these are removed. Unless they are pee'd on there is no need to remove the nest and hoard. It can last a very long time. If they are pee'd on and you have to remove the nest, always put a little bit of the old nest back (there's usually some dry even if slightly whiffy) and then put out a big pile of torn up strips of plain white toilet paper somewhere in the cage, so she can forage for it, pouch it and rebuild her nest. Likewise with the hoard, if you need to remove any, replace it with new food in exactly the same place.
5) House/nesting box - they need a house big enough to build a big nest in, that is dark inside so they can retreat to darkness when required. Also the nest needs to be big enough they can keep warm in winter. If they can't nest securely they will be stressed. Ideally a house should be open underneath and sat directly on top of the substrate - so they can do normal behaviours like burrow down to keep snug and bury hoards under the nest/in the house (so they can snack in the house).
6) Wheel - if the wheel - or anything else in the cage - is not right they will be stressed and try and let you know they are not happy with something (eg trying to escape!) For a Syrian, the wheel needs to be big enough that they can run with a straight back or it can cause back pain - most people get an 11" or 12" diameter wheel for a Syrian. The bigger the wheel, the easier they find it to run in too. Other little things like - if the food is on a shelf and the shelf isn't very accessible (eg ladder too steep or no ladder at all!) Or if everything is a bit empty in the cage and they feel too exposed and scared and don't have a dark place to retreat to.
7) Not enough food or water. Water bottles can empty themselves or stop working or be inaccessible - they need checking every day - sometimes it can help having two water bottles in case one fails. Food should always be available every day, even though they hoard most of it, there should always be food in the bowl each day.

So I would start with your hammy's environment in the cage. It may mean a cage upgrade, or a different house and/or wheel and possibly more substrate and bedding. Then maybe kind of start from scratch. Give her 2 or 3 days alone to adjust to the environment, explore and scent mark (they do this to find their way around by scent as they don't see well at all - so moving things or changing things mean they feel lost and confused). Then over a couple of weeks, don't clean or disturb anything and offer her treats through the bars and talk to her.

Then move onto handling and taming in a safe area like the dry bathtub or a playpen area. Unless she shows signs of wanting to come out before the end of the 2 weeks then that is ok too. The Ball can be useful for transporting them (ie carefully carrying the ball) to the bathtub and letting them out in there - with the odd toy in there. They then can't escape and you can gradually get used to stroking her (with gloves at first or use an old toothbrush so you're at arm's length) until she feels safer, gets used to your scent and trust builds.

Also when putting out the paper nesting material, you can put the toilet paper sheets up your sleeve against your skin for a couple of hours first, then tear it into strips and add it to the cage. The hamster takes the paper to the nest and it has your scent so it helps them become familiar with you.

She sounds a really livewire and a character! But biting and screeching is usually fear and stress. Taming can be time and patience, but when it happens it can be quite sudden and suddenly they are easy to handle and more affectionate
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Old 02-08-2018, 10:41 AM   #5
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Aggressive hamster - please help!

Re going on holiday next week. If your friend comes to the house to feed her, all she needs to do is put food out in the bowl and change the water. Your hammy will be fine staying in the cage for a week. If you're worried she might escape when the cage is opened, then try to choose a time to feed when she is asleep and quietly do it! Also suggest your friend has the hamster ball right on top of the cage, so if your hammy does wake up and make a run for the door, while she's attempting to take out the food bowl to fill it up, she can catch her in the hamster ball and pop the lid on.

What cage do you have?
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Old 02-08-2018, 03:34 PM   #6
PeanutsMummy
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Default Re: Aggressive hamster - please help!

Such amazing advice I’ve enjoyed reading it and learning, by substrate do you mean the sawdust stuff? X
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Old 02-08-2018, 05:07 PM   #7
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Aggressive hamster - please help!

Substrate (or litter) is the stuff on the floor of the cage Sawdust isn't suitable. Some people call wood shavings "sawdust" though. There are a number of different good substrates these days. In the Uk Fitch is popular (recycled food grade paper) or hemp substrate. Some people like Carefresh (I think Fitch is better and cheaper!). In the US similar ones are Boxo (recycled cardboard/paper) and Kaytee clean n cozy. If pine shavings are used you should check that they are kiln dried and dust extracted. In the Uk they are kiln dried by law. In other countries you need to check the packet - if it doesn't say they are then they aren't!

Cedar shavings are a big no no - and pine shavings that aren't kiln dried are a big no no.
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