My Syrian boy always tries to 'escape'

Inca · 07-24-2018, 07:46 PM

Hello Hamster Central,

I've posted here once before, also asking about my long-haired Syrian boy, Fuji. Fuji is a hamster I got at the end of last month, so he's been with me for almost one month now.

His living situation:

I got him a SAMLA bin cage from IKEA, which has the following dimensions: Width: 78 cm
Depth: 56 cm
Height: 43 cm
Volume: 130 l

The thing that I struggle with is that it seems to me that Fuji isn't content with his cage. Whenever I walk close to the cage, he gets on top of his house and bendy bridges to get my attention, knowing he can get out through my hand. I really can't interact with Fuji in any way anymore, since whenever I put my hand down into the cage he will use it as an object to crawl out. I'm just another bridge to him

.

Whenever I do lift him up from the cage, since that's the only thing he insists on me doing, he seems eager to get out of my hands as soon as possible. He just wants to go out and explore I suppose. I don't have a hamster proof room, so I can't let him walk around freely, so I got him a hamster ball. He really doesn't seem to like it at all, he will get himself close to a corner and then nibble the ball sides, indicating to me that he just wants to get out.

I've also tried letting him run in other spaces than just the cage. I got another cage of the same size for him as play cage, but he is also only scratching the walls trying to climb his way out

. I also tried getting him into a space that was bigger, with a lot of his toys and his wheel. This was our bathtub. Out bathtub isn't the typical one you see in most places, it's a much bigger circle shaped one. Even in this much larger bathtub, he only looked up the walls and hopelessly tried to climb out.

I'm really at my wit's end, I have no clue how to get him to be more relaxed around me, and in general, it just feels like he wants nothing to do with me. He is obsessed with getting out of places I put him in. I'll try to attach a picture of his cage so you guys can get a better feel for the situation. Have any of you owned a hamster that showed similar behaviour? Right now it feels like I'm torturing him by denying him what he wants most

Please, anything that could help me in this situation would be appreciated, stuff like your own experience with this kind of behaviour! Thank you so much in advance.

Edit: sorry for the ridiculous photo size

CookieBlossomBella · 07-25-2018, 12:39 AM

Hello

Sorry about your situation with Fuji. I can imagine how hard this must be on you. Although your cage is above minimum size, it may be that he believes he should have more space. For this reason i suggest you upgrade him to a larger enclosure (maybe the ikea detolf?). If you do upgrade him to a larger cage I am sure it will make him happier which could be a big benefit when it comes to taming and it maybe that you can bond with him quicker instead of him seeing you as a bridge

Like many other members on the forum, i have very strong opinions against hamster balls. Having used them myself, i now believe it is cruel to limit them to such a cramped space with poor circulation where it gets extremely humid. If i were you, I would stop using it, just to try and make Fuji more comfortable and happier.

The bathtub is a good idea and i reckon that it will help in the long run but i think you should provide him with a larger space like that 24/7 and maybe he is still adjusting to his new home as all hamsters get used to their new home at different speeds.
I wish you the best of luck over the forthcoming weeks with Fuji and i hope some of the advice i have given you works. In addition i hope another member of the forum comes along with some more and better advice to help you on your journey with such a difficult ham!
CBB

Inca · 07-25-2018, 03:38 AM

Yeah, I was thinking of how to increase his cage size and the IKEA Detolf does seem good price wise. Thanks for your two cents on this, I realized that not all hamsters are satisfied with their cage size but I hoped that with this bin cage I'd have a big enough space for this one. It seems I'll have to invest in that Detolf, it does look very good

The thing is, the bathtub I use to let him roam free has bigger dimensions than the Ikea Detolf, but even there he only tried to crawl out. It might've been because it was a new situation, but his need to escape almost feels insatiable to me when he does stuff like that.

Thank you for your response CookieBlossomBella! If anyone else has any other tips that I could use to help Fuji feel more comfortable, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Sasha04 · 07-25-2018, 07:06 AM

That’s great that you have decided to invest in the IKEA Detolf! I have one myself and my ham and I are very happy with it! I wouldn’t worry about the bathtub thing because he was probley a little stressed and trying to get back to his cage. I would transport all his old substrate from his current cage to the detolf to make it more familiar and transport all the toys that would have been in the cage without being washed so he is a bit more familiar with the scent once again.

Mawuu · 07-25-2018, 05:41 PM

I think its natural that hamsters wanna get out I'd say work with what you have space wise. Try to keep the floor clean enough of things to crawl or chew on. Use cardboard and make a giant playpen or use it as a blocker.

I used this tutorial to help me make mine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d2eUTe2vC8