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Old 02-12-2019, 09:28 AM   #1
frodo
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Default Taking hamster out of cage to play? HELP

Hello!

Recently got a 4 week old dwarf hamster - I have had him for a week, and he already seems quite tame - Able to pick him out, he climbs onto my hands and arms, eats treats, never bites etc.

I really want to be able to take him out of his cage to tame him even further - as I've seen several people taming their hamsters this way.
However! Whenever I've tried to put him in a playpen he seems very stressed, does not play with his toys OR eat his treats!

This behavior stops whenever I put him back in his cage, as he calms down and is ready to eat treats again??

Is this normal? Or will letting my hamster out of the cage never be an option, as it will be too stressful for him?
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Old 02-12-2019, 02:14 PM   #2
Fluffagrams
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Default Re: Taking hamster out of cage to play? HELP

Four weeks is still pretty young and at this stage he will still be getting used to living independently as well as having to adjust to a new home.

With a hamster this age, I'd consider using a smaller play space for taming as it can be a little less overwhelming. I usually use something similar in size to a washing up bowl with just one or two toys in to tame baby Chinese, increasing the size of the container as they become more confident. Bendy bridges and egg boxes are my favourite for this kind of thing.
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Old 02-12-2019, 11:17 PM   #3
cypher
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Default Re: Taking hamster out of cage to play? HELP

I agree that a playpen can be a bit too much for them when they're very young, even slightly older they can still find it overwhelming at first & you do need to go slow keeping sessions very short to begin with.
A storage box with some substrate & toys in would be better to begin with, if you take a handful of substrate from the cage & scatter that in it can help make it more familiar to them.
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Old 02-14-2019, 04:00 PM   #4
frodo
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Default Re: Taking hamster out of cage to play? HELP

Thank you!
I'll definitely try to find a smaller box for him to be familiar with, however I'll probably wait for another week before I try again. )

I do have another question though!
My hamster seems to have put on a visible amount of weight in a very short time period from 4 weeks to turning 5 weeks.
It is not a lot, but im wondering if it is because he is still young, which is why his weight hasn't become stable yet?

I've never had a hamster this young before, and I really want to rule out any possible illnesses!

His behavior has not changed and still seems healthy - But, I do know I takes a lot for a hamster to show any signs of illness.
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Old 02-14-2019, 10:17 PM   #5
cypher
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Default Re: Taking hamster out of cage to play? HELP

They do grow fast at that age so it's quite normal for him to be putting on weight.
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