Register FAQ Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
Navigation
Front Page
Forum
Gallery
Wiki

Ads by Google


Go Back   Hamster Central > Hamster Central Forum Topics > Behaviour

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 09-10-2018, 10:59 AM   #1
szam
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 6
Default Constant escape mode?

Hi all!

I've been a reader of the forum for a long while, but an issue with my hamster has led to me to finally register and ask you all for advice.

My hamster, Esther is about three months old. She's a Syrian, prior to her I had a Russian Dwarf who was the tamest, friendliest little thing and lived to be almost 3.

The issue with Esther is she seems unhappy. It may be me reading too much into it, but I'm worried I'm missing something or not providing her what she needs.

She has always been very stubborn, and not very fond of people. She will come up to say hello in her cage when you are in the room, and she isn't particularly territorial when you put your hand in but she does not like to go anywhere near me or my partner. I have followed steps when we first adopted her, left her to settle for a long while before trying to interact with her. Got her used to my voice and scent, hand fed her treats and got her out for a run in an attempt to gently handle her.

However, she always seems to be in "escape mode". When in her cage, she chews endlessly. I have decked the cage out with lots of boredom breakers (Rosewood ones) which she loves, and apple wood sticks which she now chews instead of the bars (she chewed so much her nose went bald). She has a large, wooden wheel (I forget the brand but it was recommended on here and zooplus). I've had a few incidents where I have opened the cage to feed her, have tried handling her and she will leap from my hand. She doesn't attack or bite, but she would rather jump out of my hand than let me put her down gently.

We have tried using a playpen for her, but again she doesn't spend any time enjoying the toys or activities inside. She will spend the entire time scaling the pen, trying to escape. I have tried giving her free roam in the living room, but she spends the entire time in a corner trying to dig her way out, chewing paintwork and trying to find an escape route. Because of all this, we have been relying more on a ball for her to run around in (it's a rat sized ball, again I found it recommended for Syrians). But even in that, she sits in it and tries to chew her way out.

The cage itself has lots of things for her to do (but not too cramped), and she enjoys digging. It's the Grosvenor cage, 77x47cm. I know this is on the low end of minimum size, and we are looking at getting her a larger one without bars (Zoozone or Duna) because of all the chewing.

Now, I'm worried sick that I'm doing something wrong. We have been trying so hard to get her settled and happy and to enjoy time with us, but she always seems.. agitated. She is showing no physical signs of illness or stress, is eating and drinking well, she isn't aggressive. But I just want her to feel comfortable in whatever space she is in, without frantically trying to escape.

I'm not sure if it is actually an issue, or if it's just her nature. I must admit I was spoiled with my previous hamster, who loved to be held and carried and I could just pop him on the sofa for a run around and he would stay there.

Apologies for the long post, I'm hoping someone may have some tips or insight?
szam is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-10-2018, 10:29 PM   #2
cypher
Dwarf whisperer
 
cypher's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Wales UK
Posts: 24,789
Default Re: Constant escape mode?

I don't think you're doing anything wrong, some females do tend to be like this & can never seem to have enough to do!
A larger cage would probably help so she has more to do as well as more space.
Does she have whimzee dog chews? Most hams love those & it may help distract her a bit more, some just enjoy having lots of cardboard to chew too.
Do you get in the playpen with her? It might help to sit in with her & see if she'll enjoy using you as a climbing frame!
Do you scatter feed or use a bowl? Scatter feeding & hiding food in small cardboard parcels or toilet roll treat toys will help keep her busy with natural foraging behaviour.
Cab't think of anything else to suggest but others may have some ideas.
__________________
Slave to Zak.
Always loved, never forgotten, forever in my heart
T'ycor, Ziggy, Zephyr, Flynt, Mickle, Little Whisp, Zen, Zeki, Tinwë, Zylvan, Míriel, Calyanwë, Gusto & Meri
❤️
cypher is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-10-2018, 11:01 PM   #3
mangoandmimi
Little Miss Tinytoes
 
mangoandmimi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 7,036
Default Re: Constant escape mode?

It really can be very difficult to fully satisfy female Syrians most the time - they’re so demanding and need so much room. I reckon the upgrade will help but it’s not a huge upgrade to be honest, you’re limited height wise in both those plastic tanks - even in a zoozone sized cage the antsy ‘trying to escape’ behaviour often continues and they still want more space. All my female Syrians have been like this actually and it is a bit distressing to watch I agree. They did calm down with more cage space (12,000 squared cm) but it was still very much in their nature to always want to explore when out of the cage. I’m wondering if a larger DIY cage is an option or a detolf with a raised topper? Or the large eco habitat? I say this as if you put very deep bedding (8-10 inches minimum) it can vastly reduce the stress/boredom behaviour as they will be able to burrow, and this wouldn’t really be possible in a zoozone but would be in a tank.
You’re certainly not doing anything wrong so don’t think that for a second, it really is that female Syrians in particular can be very hard to please!
mangoandmimi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2018, 05:17 AM   #4
szam
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 6
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by cypher View Post
I don't think you're doing anything wrong, some females do tend to be like this & can never seem to have enough to do!
A larger cage would probably help so she has more to do as well as more space.
Does she have whimzee dog chews? Most hams love those & it may help distract her a bit more, some just enjoy having lots of cardboard to chew too.
Do you get in the playpen with her? It might help to sit in with her & see if she'll enjoy using you as a climbing frame!
Do you scatter feed or use a bowl? Scatter feeding & hiding food in small cardboard parcels or toilet roll treat toys will help keep her busy with natural foraging behaviour.
Cab't think of anything else to suggest but others may have some ideas.
Oh I'll have to pick up some dog chews, great idea!

We don't get in the play pen because in the time it takes for us to step into it, she's already made a run for it I will give that a go though.

I made some progress yesterday, she has started sitting at a certain spot in her cage to get my attention and when she is in the ball, she follows me around the room. So I think she's getting there! I've started scatter feeding treats also

Quote:
Originally Posted by mangoandmimi View Post
It really can be very difficult to fully satisfy female Syrians most the time - they’re so demanding and need so much room. I reckon the upgrade will help but it’s not a huge upgrade to be honest, you’re limited height wise in both those plastic tanks - even in a zoozone sized cage the antsy ‘trying to escape’ behaviour often continues and they still want more space. All my female Syrians have been like this actually and it is a bit distressing to watch I agree. They did calm down with more cage space (12,000 squared cm) but it was still very much in their nature to always want to explore when out of the cage. I’m wondering if a larger DIY cage is an option or a detolf with a raised topper? Or the large eco habitat? I say this as if you put very deep bedding (8-10 inches minimum) it can vastly reduce the stress/boredom behaviour as they will be able to burrow, and this wouldn’t really be possible in a zoozone but would be in a tank.
You’re certainly not doing anything wrong so don’t think that for a second, it really is that female Syrians in particular can be very hard to please!
Ah thank you! I needed the reassurance that it's maybe just a character thing with females, I last had a female when I was a child and I had forgotten what they can be like.

We have been looking at the Eco Habitat, we would love one but it' a bit out of our price range. One thing to mention is that we have two cats - Esther isn't bothered by them in the slightest, and they are only allowed in the same room as her supervised. But any cage we get will have to be 100% cat proof, just to be safe, which is why we were looking at the more plastic ones. I would love a Detolf, though!

Last edited by souffle; 09-11-2018 at 05:43 AM.
szam is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
cage, escape, hand, time, issue, hamster, long, run, ball, recommended, room, worried, lots, bars, chews, put, entire, chewing, esther, spend, gently, mode, enjoys, pen, cramped

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO v2.0.43 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Copyright © 2003-2022, Hobby Solutions
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 08:08 AM.