Hamster SUDDENLY scared of almost everything and is very jumpy

[choco_kat]

Originally Posted by Merlina

Skarloey was a pet shop baby who was in a very small glass tank with 3 or 4 other bigger hamsters. I assume they were his litter mates but you can never be sure and don't know what experiences they have had. He was small and fairly skinny and was not in the only covered area of the cage. They had one small wheel between them. I assume as the smallest he was pushed out by the others from the food, wheel and shelter. Fortunately he had no bite marks but must have been very unhappy with his situation. He also probably never had much human contact so was naturally scared for a while. I just did what i usually do with any of my hams _ let him settle for at least a week, then talk to them and feed by hand and gently stroke them when they are comfortable. I usually let them come to me rather than try to approach them. Usually their natural curiosity means they want to make friends. I try never to handle them unless they want me to or make them come out if they prefer not to. Skarloey was never nervous of me (shadows and noises bits of moving tissue, rain on the window, even a monkey nut shell have all caused him to run in blind panic) so when he would let me lift him from the cage in his wheel i sat on the floor with him and just let him sniff and scent mark me as much as he wanted. As long as his wheel was close by and he could jump back in his cage at any time he was fine. As far as handling him we are at the stage where i can hold him with both hands around him as long as his paws are on the floor! He just doesn't like to be off the ground not even to climb on anything.he will walk across my hands and he will sit there briefly when he wants lifting out of the box i put him in when i clean his cage. I don,t try to pick him up too often as he just jumps away and i would not ever try to carry him anywhere as it would not be safe to do so. He has to go in a travel box even for short distances. However he seems to really like to have contact with me and enjoys being stroked. He will sit with his front paws on me and likes to scent mark all the way round me like a little bear scratching itself on a tree. If he goes behind me in his pen i always know exactly where he is as he keeps touching me every few seconds. I assume this makes him feel secure in the same way that he needs to go and sniff his wheel and cage every few minutes. I wear the same trousers when i play with him as they are very well scent marked now and are familiar to him. I am just glad hamsters don't smell like skunks when they mark! I have never tried bathtub bonding but the smaller space might suit a nervous hamster especially if you can put something of his in there for him to sit in if he feels stressed. If you have a cage he can easily climb in and out of by himself he may prefer to do that. I think patience is the key and there will be days when you seem to go backwards. Skarloey still has the odd day when he is super skittish and jumps at his own shadow. Strange as it sounds, some people reckon the full moon can affect them and i am beginning to wonder if that might be true as that is how it seems. I usually let him out when everyone else has gone to bed so there are fewer noises and movements around. My prevoius hamster Wilber was very social and was happy to be handled by anyone and used to come out a mealtimes and sit with us. Now I am the only one who gets hamster time which is a shame but I have to admit it feels extra special to me and i feel I have a priveledged bond with Skarloey. I hope as he matures he will become calmer and more social so others can see what a little sweetheart he is.

Oh that's terrible! I'm glad that Skarloey is in better hands now. Just goes to show how little care is given to hams in pet shops . He sounds really comfy around you and that's great! I find it so cute that he scent marks you. My Potato seems more relaxed now, although there are still days that he's skittish and nervous as well. He seems to associate my hand to getting free treats all the time so he sometimes puts his paws up my hand and sniffs it. I'm about to try putting him inside a playpen I'll see how things go! I'm hoping it'll help him become less afraid.

Thanks for this! It's definitely reassuring and I'm really looking forward to bonding with my ham. Hopefully he warms up and becomes more confident in the long run.

[choco_kat]

Also, got curious about that full moon bit that you mentioned and started reading up on it. It's quite interesting as there have been reports on behavioral changes on other animals as well.

[choco_kat]

Quick update: Potato seems more energetic now and plays with his toys around his cage. I've added more places for him to hide and he is happily digging, burrowing, and running on his wheel whenever he is awake. I attempted to do bathtub bonding yesterday, and I'm not quite sure what to make of it. Although he's been climbing up my back and arms, I think he's only doing it as a means of escape (but at least it seems that he is comfortable in doing so). He's sort of frantic and is running around trying to jump out while in the tub. Tried giving him treats while he was inside the tub, but he didn't even notice them (he usually does, esp when he's inside his cage). Took him out immediately cause I thought it would cause more stress. Today, I've added a ton of toys and hideouts for him inside the tub, but Potato was still frantic. I don't know if I should consider this progress because he just seems to want out of the tub. Should I continue with this method or attempt to do something else?

Also, every time he hears my voice he immediately rushes out of the corners of the cage and jumps (I'm assuming this means he wants to roam outside?), but when I leave him be, he doesn't do this. He only does this whenever I'm around. I am going to upgrade his cage though, probably this week.