Have I traumatised my hamster? :(

[Cathers97]

Hi everyone,

I got a new hamster on Monday from a breeder. I'd done so much research and made sure he was coming from a good home which I do believe he has!!

He's got a wonderful Savic Plaza cage set up with everything he needs.

When we got him, the breeder said after getting him home we should try to handle him straight away as he was already tame and it would scare him more to not be handled. This went against all of my instincts but I trusted what she was saying and gave it a go.

Unfortunately, this really distressed the hamster - he was loudly squealing and running around, trying to hide under bedding etc. We put the lid back on the cage and left him.

I am so mad with myself because I had done sooo much research and my instincts told me to leave him for a week to settle before trying to remove him from the cage or do anything very much!

Since then, we haven't seen him at all. He's hiding all day and even if I sit in the room at night in complete silence I still can't see him. I know he gets up when I'm in bed because food disappears etc.

I'm so scared about the following:

-The stress may make him ill for example wet tail however because I don't see him, I don't know - and I don't want to force him to come out as that's what's caused this problem!!

- Will he just always be scared of me now? I'm worried that I have traumatised him and he will always be a hammy that hides from humans and comes out when we are asleep only.

- When it does finally come to trying to tame him, what do I do if he starts squealing again? The noise was really heartbreaking and I am scared of upsetting him again

I am going to leave him for a week now to settle and see how it goes - however any advice or ideas about my above questions would be really appreciated.

Thanks,

Cathers97

[cypher]

Try not to worry too much, it's only been a few days & moving to a new home is always stressful even for a ham that's been handled, I'm sure he'll get over it with a little more time.
Your instincts were right I think but I doubt it will have done any lasting harm, just spend time talking to him so he can get used to your voice & presence & go at his pace.

[Ria P]

One of my hamsters screeched the place down the first couple of days i had him and a rescue hamster was terrified of any kind of movement near his cage at first.

They are both tame and happy hamsters now.

Be patient and follow your instinct. You've done your research and provided a good home, the rest will fall into place.
Once your hamster realises that he's in a loving home, he'll start to relax and trust you. It can take a while because they're all so different and some are naturally more confident than others.
Don't feel bad about following the breeder's advice, your hamster has probably forgotten about it already.

Ask and share anything you like, people here are very helpful. HC has definitely improved my hamsters lives and reassured me many times.