Screeching!

[Krob1988]

Hi all,

I've got a few month old hamster (Jyn) with an attitude problem! She isn't handable despite my many efforts and is still very bitey.
She also is very vocal! She screeches in frustration and when she wants food. The other evening i gave her a homemade toy which I then had to take out to fix and she screeched in annoyance until I put it back in. She will also screech every time she falls off something. I thought she was hurting herself, but it's definitely because she's annoyed that she's fallen off.
Has anyone known of this before? I've had a lot of hamsters, but never had one vocal like this!

Many thanks

Kirsti

[returnswipe]

Is it more of squeaking or screeching? If she is squeaking, it could mean a few things. It could mean she needs something. I wouldn't say it would be attention because if she is biting you, she probably doesn't want to be handled. It could mean she needs to sleep, or she is hungry. I would say it might be because she is hungry because you said she screeches when she wants food. But, hamsters do not squeak in discomfort. They usually do it because they need something or they are happy and excited. If you seem to see her snarling, you should bring her to a vet. If you feel like your hamster is more of screaming then squeaking, it could be they are distressed.

[Pebbles82]

Aw she does sound vocal. Do you clean out often as that can upset some hamsters more than others. Weekly clean outs aren't good as it removes all their scent. Spot cleaning is best with plenty of substrate and a litter tray to help keep the cage clean and then only doing a substrate clean every 2 to 3 months and not cleaning everything else at the same time. Also changing things and moving them round in the cage can stress them and make them more territorial.

Sorry if you know all this already. She is maybe feeling a bit threatened? How is she out of the cage? They are often territorial in the cage, but fine out of the cage.

Bathtub taming might be the way to go. Transport her to the dry bathtub (eg in a hamster ball with the lid on - carry her there in it then set it down in the bath and take the lid off). Maybe have a tube and another toy in there. Let her run around and use an old toothbrush to occasionally try and stroke her on the back. If she jerks and bites it, wait and leave it a bit. Or leave it till another session. It took two months to tame our last Syrian this way. When she gets used to having a little stroke from the toothbrush and doesn't bite it you can move on to stroking her with one finger on the back - just one stroke. When she gets more used to that, try cupping a hand under her while she's in there but only lift her very slightly and just let her walk off again. When she gets used to that you should be able to hold her.

[SimonandSyril]

It is normal if you are hearing a kind of loud buzz when something scared them (they can scare themselves by falling off things or moving things suddenly). This does sound basic and I am sure you are doing this but are you feeding enough? Try looking into your species and how much you should be feeding and how often. Also, keep in mind handling isn't for all hamsters but don't give up try all the taming methods you can find. Patience is key when taming misbehaved hamsters