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Old 01-08-2021, 01:05 PM   #11
Sophie M
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 8
Default Re: Hamster really skittish as soon as I touch his back

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ria P View Post
That sounds a very interesting enclosure and i'd love to see it. Did you mesh the lid for ventilation? Air holes alone don't give enough air flow but i'm sure that you were aware of that when you built the habitat.

To add photos scroll down to Manage Attachments when posting and click on it then Choose File and get a photo via a camera or Gallery in Documents etc then click on Upload and wait until uploaded when a small blue line runs across the top and then click Close This Window top right hand corner which will take you back to your post with the photo attached.
Thank you and yes I had put mesh on the lid but somehow my previous hamster Twinkie figured a way to climb on a hut and chew her way out of the enclosure and we never found her so we did switch to plexiglass on part of the lid. the other half is wire mesh. Sorry for responding twice. I'm not very used to this yet.

Last edited by Sophie M; 01-08-2021 at 01:13 PM.
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Old 01-08-2021, 01:10 PM   #12
Sophie M
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 8
Default Re: Hamster really skittish as soon as I touch his back

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ria P View Post
That sounds a very interesting enclosure and i'd love to see it. Did you mesh the lid for ventilation? Air holes alone don't give enough air flow but i'm sure that you were aware of that when you built the habitat.

To add photos scroll down to Manage Attachments when posting and click on it then Choose File and get a photo via a camera or Gallery in Documents etc then click on Upload and wait until uploaded when a small blue line runs across the top and then click Close This Window top right hand corner which will take you back to your post with the photo attached.
Thank you and yes I had put mesh on the lid but somehow my previous hamster Twinkie figured a way to climb on a hut and chew her way out of the enclosure and we never found her so we did switch to plexiglass on part of the lid. the other half is wire mesh. I'm sorry if the picture is poor quality. I'm sure you can tell that I love colours and that my last hammy was a girl!
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Old 01-08-2021, 01:33 PM   #13
Ria P
House of Hamsters
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Wiltshire, UK
Posts: 7,103
Default Re: Hamster really skittish as soon as I touch his back

Lovely habitat! I also like colour and coloured plastikote has become my new best friend. My hamster's houses now have stripey roofs, lol.

That is so sad about Twinkle and must have been so traumatic for you as well. One of ours escaped the other night and luckily she was found running around in our bedroom.

I just had a thought. Access to Oreo's habitat is from above so maybe he gets scared because your hand is coming from above and he can't see you coming.
You could try lifting your hand gradually when he is sitting on it to eat and he may let you lift him out of his habitat eventually or to get him used to hands and the movement of hands. When your other hand is level with the hand he's sitting on he may let you stroke him because he can see and smell the hand since it is then not coming from above. That would take time of course.

I once got bitten by a tame hamster because i stupidly approached him from behind and tried to pick him up when he couldn't see me. His natural instinct of a prey animal kicked in and he swung his head round to bite.
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Old 01-08-2021, 02:11 PM   #14
Sophie M
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 8
Smile Re: Hamster really skittish as soon as I touch his back

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ria P View Post
Lovely habitat! I also like colour and coloured plastikote has become my new best friend. My hamster's houses now have stripey roofs, lol.

That is so sad about Twinkle and must have been so traumatic for you as well. One of ours escaped the other night and luckily she was found running around in our bedroom.

I just had a thought. Access to Oreo's habitat is from above so maybe he gets scared because your hand is coming from above and he can't see you coming.
You could try lifting your hand gradually when he is sitting on it to eat and he may let you lift him out of his habitat eventually or to get him used to hands and the movement of hands. When your other hand is level with the hand he's sitting on he may let you stroke him because he can see and smell the hand since it is then not coming from above. That would take time of course.

I once got bitten by a tame hamster because i stupidly approached him from behind and tried to pick him up when he couldn't see me. His natural instinct of a prey animal kicked in and he swung his head round to bite.
Right, I get what you're saying. I hadn't thought of that but what I had been trying to do was show him my thumb or hand in front of him and then stroke his back and he still flinched but not as badly. But yes I think that you're right in that he is probably nervous with a new home and a hand coming from above probably doesn't help. He is gradually starting to recognise the click of the magnet holding down the lid and stands up on his hind legs to see my hand come down. I believe he thinks I'm the food lady because he always looks rather excited when I put my hand down and then gets disappointed when he realises that there is no food. He will jump up and look at my hand to see if there is any food as well I always laugh at him because he never stops finding ways to fall over backwards or tumble. Don't worry, I always check to see if he is alright after.
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Old 01-12-2021, 05:28 PM   #15
SyrianNamedHarmony
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: NL, Canada
Posts: 48
Default Re: Hamster really skittish as soon as I touch his back

He is probably not used to attention and he is probably surprised with all his new surroundings. Some hamsters get used to being handled very quickly while others need lots of time. You also need to earn his trust. Try just touching him. Just quick light touches. If he responds well, start making the touches longer. Don't bother him too much. It's like dogs, if you try to get them to learn a trick and work on it like 3 hours a day with them, they will get impatient. Try not doing it with your hamster for too long. 5-10 minutes a day would be enough. Try not to upset him. Be patient, it's one of the most important things.
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