First steps (new hamster!)

[JRussell]

Today I got my winter white hamster (first hamster ever ), and he is incredibly cute. He is called percy (short for percival ) and he is just settling in to his house. There are three levels and he has only discovered the bottom one, but has had a little nibble of food, sniffed around and because it's daytime, chose a corner to bury and sleep. I am leaving him a day or two to settle in before I put my hand in and see if he wants to come out, but he bites a little bit when I put my hand near him and when I held him in the shop. This is fine as he is getting used to me, but I obviously don't want him to bite once I have tamed him. What would be the first steps for when I start to interact tomorrow? I think I will offer him a treat and let him sniff my hand and then the next day I will see if he wants to come out, and if you could, it would be really helpful to hear what other people do on the first and second day or so? thanks! J x

[Winterwhitelilo]

Welcome to HC!

I actually just got my first hamsters about a week ago, and they are both winter whites

Mine is very tame right from the start, but my brothers bites hard enough to draw blood. (And she did... Just now).Most people will recommend putting some treats in the palm of your hand and letting the hammy explore your hand and eat the treats. Once she's comfortable with that and freely walks on your hand, try lifting her up a little then setting her back down until she's used to it. Then try holding her and offering treats What's his/her name? Good luck with your new little one!

[JRussell]

Ok thank you! I have spent a lot of time watching him, and he's very confident already and always comes up to see whoever is there, and yesterday I had to move some tubes as they went out of place, and even though I shouldn't really, I let him sit on my hand to put him in the carry box whilst I fixed it, then put him back. He is actually really tame already and will crawl onto your hand and play with you! They said 24-48 hours of settling time, so I went with the minimum as he seemed really happy When I first picked him he did bite a little, and when I put my hand in the first few times he did bite a little, but not enough to hurt, he was just smelling/tasting me
I will try the treat thing, but I didn't want to give him too many treats as he is only tiny still (10-11weeks) but I have his mixed food and some healthy carrot treats as well as some yoghurt drops. I have called him Percy, short for Percival which I think is really cute what did you call yours? What colours are they? Percy is a standard winter white colouring, so brown on top with darker brown lines and a white tummy I hope you enjoy your hammies and that your brothers learns not to bite so much! J xx

[racinghamster]

Hi JRussell, your new Russian dwarf sounds sweet and if he originated from a pet shop/pet store, he will be a hybrid and not a pure bred winter white. If this is the case, I wouldn't feed him Yoghurt drops as Russian dwarfs can`t have any additional sugars in their diet as they can be prone to develop diabetes. His hamster mix will be his main source of diet with only small fingernail amounts of fresh veg a few times in the week. These should be fed raw and fresh and can be broccoli, carrot and garden peas. If he`s never had raw vegetables, only introduce these slowly and in tiny pieces so as not to cause any tummy upsets. Always wash/rinse these before feeding.

Natural treats can come in the form of picking out sunflower seeds from his main mix or breaking up a few peanuts. Dwarf hamster also love millet sold for birds, especially Canary mix which has hemp, linseed and various types of millet. Millet spray sold for caged birds can also be offered a few times a week, but only as a treat.

Enjoy him. x

[JRussell]

Ok thank you! I am glad you said, as I thought I had researched everything, he has got harry hamster food, and some people say to take out the peas and sweetcorn as they are very sugary, but I wasn't sure if I should or not. I did give him one yoghurt drop as I didn't realise, but he has only had one so I shall not give him any more, thanks! He is only quite small as he is young so I am not giving him anything extra yet, but when he grows a bit I shall give him a little veg Thank you! x

[racinghamster]

Just to say, don`t remove the corn or peas from your mix as these are part of the balance in nutrition. Corn is a starchy grain, but it`s naturally sweet and not a sugar in terms of additional sugar you might feed in a shop bought treat, so it`s not the same.

All of the mix is very important even though hamsters can be picky and leave parts they are not keen on. But adding the Canary mix to your Harry Hamster and breaking up any large extruded biscuits will help to encourage him to eat them.

[JRussell]

ok thanks