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Old 03-22-2020, 01:54 PM   #1
hamstermomma616
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: Missouri
Posts: 5
Exclamation Hamster screamed and lunged at me

Ok so me and my bf have had a a female Syrian for about 2 months named peach lol anyways apparently he picks her up all the time with no issue (she lives with him even tho I’m over there every day) and when I picked her up I guess I was a little nervous cuz I picked her up kinda weird and holding her weird not harmfully but just weird anyways when I set her back down cuz she had a weird face expression she screamed and lunged at me but after that she was her normal self shes usually super sweet so idk if it was the way I was holding her cuz she’s definitely used to me.
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Old 03-22-2020, 02:31 PM   #2
Ria P
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Location: Wiltshire, UK
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Default Re: Hamster screamed and lunged at me

What exactly do you mean by holding her weird? You could let her walk into a mug or something and then put her on your lap if you feel a little nervous.

You obviously displeased her about something and she let you know, lol. Maybe she got used to your bf picking her up or you had some handcream on she didn't like.

My Syrian will respond to my OH when he calls him but he totally ignores me.
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Old 03-22-2020, 02:45 PM   #3
hamstermomma616
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Default Re: Hamster screamed and lunged at me

I was holding her like a reptile if that makes sense like a thumb resting on her belly/chest instead of her cupped in my hand and I did wash my hands before handling her and it was scented soap so I’ll try again today but set her in my pocket of my hoodie cuz she likes that lol
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Old 03-22-2020, 03:00 PM   #4
Ria P
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Default Re: Hamster screamed and lunged at me

Haha! She let you know that she's no reptile!

I had to buy unscented soap because my hamsters would take one sniff and then walk off in disgust when i used scented soap or handcream. They can be so fussy, lol.
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Old 03-22-2020, 06:11 PM   #5
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Hamster screamed and lunged at me

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ria P View Post
Haha! She let you know that she's no reptile!

I had to buy unscented soap because my hamsters would take one sniff and then walk off in disgust when i used scented soap or handcream. They can be so fussy, lol.
Hmm. Yes they can get attached to one owner and I once saw a programme about pets being possessive of their owners/jealous. The scene I remember was a budgie who always sat on the man's bald head but wouldn't have anything to do with the rest of the family. The commentator described that the budgie had a sort of romantic relationship with the man and was jealous of the other members of the family. Ooer!

As well hamsters really don't like being held or picked up unless they trust you, are bonded with you and approve of the way you do it. Best way is to cup both hands either side of them and sort of gently scoop them up that way. But only if the hamster is tame enough not to leap out of your hands or they could get injured. Maybe next time your bf could pick her up and then hand her to you so psychologically you'll be accepted.

Female hamsters can be maverick (and hormonal! They come on heat every 4 days). I think she has claimed your bf and is a) a bit jealous of you and b) has got used to only being handled by her main person. Our first hamster (male) wouldn't have anything to do with OH and would shrink and snuggle up to me - he was a big noisy man!

Mainly though they are quite intuitive really - they sense if someone likes them or not, they sense if someone handles them gently and with love or like a sack of potatoes (or even a reptile ) and they respond accordingly. Whenever you hear about these families who took a hamster back because it was nasty, aggressive and bit people, the hamster was probably handled roughly and not talked to nicely.

So talk nicely to her, tell her she's beautiful, handle her with care and get your bf to pass her to you. And then you'll soon have a happy family with her sitting between you on the sofa (yes we have had this ).

They really do pick up your tone of voice. They can give very black looks of disapproval as well and go into a huff. But they are also usually very forgiving and forgotten about it a few days later - providing you don't do it again.

Also remember hamsters are prey animals and a hand can feel like an eagle's claw if they are held awkwardly. I find most hamsters don't like to be held much anyway and will only sit for a short time then want to be off.

The other reason they scream and lunge are a) they are scared b) you stuck your hand in the cage and messed with something and c) a bit more serious - cage rage. The only time I have had that was when our first hamster was in a cage that was too small and top opening. He ran at my hand and scared the life out of me.

So that could be a consideration - cage rage. They are territorial normally and don't like things being moved around and messed with but can also have stress if the cage is too small. What kind of cage is she in and how big is it? I think in the US most people use tanks as it's hard to find good sized cages. For a Syrian anything smaller than a 40 gallon breeder tank is too small (90cm by 45cm ish).
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Old 03-24-2020, 07:19 PM   #6
hamstermomma616
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Default Re: Hamster screamed and lunged at me

I feel really bad but as of right now she’s in a pet store small cage we let her get ball time and stuff and have a play bin for her but unfortunately my boyfriend doesn’t have enough room right now to get a bigger cage (his dad doesn’t know about peach) and we feel awful but as soon as he moves out which is soon he’s upgrading her cage big time, peach is a Syrian I didn’t know they had cage rage but makes sense
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Old 03-26-2020, 11:31 AM   #7
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Hamster screamed and lunged at me

That will be part of the problem because Syrians do need quite a bit of space. It's more stress than cage rage as such. If you could upgrade her to something slightly bigger it would help. The RSPCA in the Uk used to recommend a minimum floor size of about 80cm by 50cm and most people reckon that's the smallest size continuous floorspace needed for a Syrian. Some people make bin cages which works out quite cheap. There is a good cage in the US that's ideal for a Syrian - I'll link it. Doesn't take up as much space as a 40 gallon tank. They also need a 10" to 11" diameter wheel to be able to run without getting back pain. (ie so they can run with a straight back). Most cages come with tiny wheels and they can stop using it if it's painful then they get even more pent up energy and stress.

https://www.amazon.com/Prevue-Pet-Pr...5247462&sr=8-1
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weird, cuz, picked, screamed, lunged, holding, back, harmfully, nervous, kinda, set, idk, she’s, sweet, super, expression, normal, shes, face, i’m, months, named, peach, apparently, lol

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