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Old 02-10-2019, 11:10 PM   #1
kimcalugaru
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 1
Default Hamster always acts scared and wants to run away

Hello,
I am currently raising a dwarf hamster who I have had for a month now. She is a good hamster but she bites from time to time. I thought she got used to her surroundings because I made sure to handle her every day (after a certain period of time once I got her). At first, when handling, she began to bite (not hard, just nipping but scary nonetheless), so I would wear gloves. Eventually I stopped wearing gloves and she seemed to get used to my touch. However, she just constantly seems scared. She doesn't want to go back into her cage when I take her out and when she is out, it's as if she runs for her life. She is always trying to find an escape and never wants to stay in my hands. Even when I put her down to explore different parts of the house she runs so fast and away from me to find an escape. She always lets me pet her and she realizes that my hands help her get out of her cage and keeps her from falling off places, but when she gets annoyed from the repetitive motion she nips me. She's not possessive or territorial over her cage or any of her toys. I bought her an extra cage and connected the two to make sure she didn't get cage rage and extra toys to try and alleviate boredom but she doesn't play with them. She doesn't even go on the hamster wheel. She hates the hamster ball too. I feel so bad because she is so scared and I just want her to realize that this is her home and she is safe. She had a cage mate in the store that she was with since birth, and I was so close to getting the both of them but I felt a bit overwhelmed. Now I am so nervous that this might be the reason she isn't calm and if I had just got them together they would both be better off. Any advice on how to calm her down?
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Old 02-11-2019, 01:55 AM   #2
cypher
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Join Date: May 2014
Location: Wales UK
Posts: 24,789
Default Re: Hamster always acts scared and wants to run away

First I just wanted to say don't feel bad about not taking the other hamster, most hams fall out & fight within a short while as they begin to mature & females are even more territorial than males so that would have probably ended in you having two hamsters in separate cages anyway, they aren't social animals & don't need the company of another hamster.
If you could post a photo of her cage that might help us to see if any changes there might help.
A lot of hamster toys don't get used, the most important things for them are deep substrate for digging & burrowing, a sand bath with chinchilla sand (not dust) which they just love & is also important for keeping their coat in good condition, a good size house with no base sat on a deep layer of substrate so that they can burrow down underneath, the house needs to be dark so a bendy bridge over the door can help.
A few extra hideouts like coconuts or egg boxes with a hole in each end are enjoyed, bendy bridges can also make little hideouts as well as places to climb on.
Most chew toys don't get used much if at all, some will chew on apple or hazel sticks but almost all go crazy for whimzze dog chews so you could try those.
If you can get her cage set up in a way that makes her feel safe & has things she will enjoy her confidence will grow.
Do you have a playpen for when you get her out of the cage? An enclosed area can work better than free roaming, the hamster ball shouldn't be used with dwarf hamsters, it's too dangerous for them & most are scared of them so putting her in the ball will actually be more likely to knock her confidence back.
Young females are particularly active so don't try holding her too much, if you can sit in the playpen with her, let her climb on you if she wants to, getting her to climb onto your hands is fine & I would encourage her to do that but they don't want to sit still for long at all especially when young!
Give her plenty of things to explore in the playpen, cardboard tubes & boxes can make great toys for them, you could put a wheel in too, let her run around a bit before trying to interact with her too much & just take your time, go at her pace & you will get there.
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Old 02-11-2019, 11:01 PM   #3
Yvo123kas
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Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: United States
Posts: 15
Default Re: Hamster always acts scared and wants to run away

Welcome to HC. Congratulations on getting your new little dwarf hamster. It'll be fun to hear how you two grow together. Again, welcome.
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cage, hamster, time, scared, toys, escape, runs, gloves, extra, find, hands, calm, connected, make, places, annoyed, bought, shes, possessive, territorial, motion, nips, repetitive, feel, bit

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