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Old 12-29-2020, 03:09 PM   #1
joannanel
 
Join Date: Dec 2020
Posts: 1
Default New hamster, struggling!

Hello! we got a hamster for my 8 year old son for Christmas. he has been very shy and only coming out at night when we are all asleep so we haven't even met him properly. if we put our hands in the cage he just shoots back into his house. a few days in, a friend advised me that to tame him I just need to wake him and get him out for a short time daily. so I reached into his bed and took him out. then he leaped out of my hands and escaped into the living room, and we all tried to catch him. eventually I got hold of him and he squealed and bit me. Now I feel so bad, I think I have traumatised him, and he won't come out of his little house at all! we have tried treats and we have been just leaving him, but I don't know what to do next. I got a play pen, but how can I get him to come out of the house so that I can put him in the play pen, I don't want to scare him further. would be grateful for any advice. thanks so much.
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Old 12-30-2020, 04:45 AM   #2
cypher
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Join Date: May 2014
Location: Wales UK
Posts: 24,789
Default Re: New hamster, struggling!

If you got your ham for Christmas then it hasn’t been that long, it can take some hams a while to settle in & gain enough confidence to come out when we’re around so he may just need longer, don’t feel too bad about what happened, people are often given this sort of advice & it can set things back especially if they escape & have to be caught which is obviously stressful but he will get over it.
I would just spend time talking to him quietly, even when he doesn’t come out of his house, leave a treat nearby then step away & he should gradually make the connection between you & something nice & safe!
Do you have a photo of your cage set up? The way the cage is set up can make a big difference to their confidence, they need lots of substrate ( a house should have no base & be directly on the substrate) plenty of hideouts, things like bendy bridges, cork tunnels or tubes or even cardboard tubes (pringle size) can work well for this. If the cage is a bit empty he will feel very exposed & unsafe when coming out of his house. A photo would help to see if there’s anything you could do to make it better for him.
For now I’d just give him more time & don’t try to rush things.
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Old 12-31-2020, 06:48 AM   #3
Shadow Cat
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Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 156
Default Re: New hamster, struggling!

I only ever wake my hamster up when it's absolutely necesasry (like for a vet visit). Otherwise, I wait until she's awake before interacting with her or cleaning her cage etc.

Is your ham's cage in a room in the house that people visit alot? Once he gets used to voices and movement and other sounds like the TV or music, he will learn that it's nothing to be scared of and will get more confident.

I can't help with handling tips unfortunately, I've had my girl for almost a year and she still really hates being picked up (although doesn't mind crawling on my hands or being stroked) no matter how hard I try. I get it, I don't like being picked up much either!! If I need to get her out of her cage I let her crawl out of the door into a shoebox in her own time (with the help of a tempting treat!) or if I absolutely need to pick her up, like a month or so ago when I needed to give her oral medicine twice daily with a little syrince, I used a face flannel to help pick her up instead of my bare hand.

Good luck. I'm sure your little friend will come around soon. The more you get to know him, the more you'll learn when he's in a socialble mood or just wants to be left alone.
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