New very shy russian dwarf! Is this normal??

[hamsterhannah]

Hi
I got a female Russian dwarf hamster yesterday which is around 6 weeks old and she is extremely shy, she has spent a lot of time sleeping too. When someone talks or towers over the cage she runs into a tube to hide. I have only owned Syrians before so I am new to dwarfs. Is being this shy normal and will she become more confident once she has settled in She has also not been on her wheel and does not seem to have eaten or drinking much?? Is she just getting use to her surroundings??

[CPalmer]

She needs plenty of time to settle in. Try not to disturb her for a couple of days. Just fill water and food and talk quietly around her. She'll be stressed from the move and needs to sort her enviroment out. x

[ianpallen]

It will take time for her to settle in. Towering over her cage will frighten her a bit at first as to her, you are the hunter and she is the prey. She will hide anywhere she can. When she gets used to the surrounding noises and voices, she may start to come out. My WW hybrid still sleeps most of the day and I sometimes dont see her every day as she comes out when I have gone to bed. I know she comes out as things move in the cage and food is moved or eaten. I put food or treats on things where she will climb over or walk through. They are gon by the morning so I know she is either storing or eating it. Hamsters are, by nature, nocturnal animals. Some come out in the day for a while and for play time when they are hand tame and totally trust the owner. It takes time though.

I would say, let her settle for a few days to get used to her new cage and suroundings. All will turn out good.

[cypher]

As the others have said your new dwarf will take a while to settle, approach the cage slowly so as not to startle her too much & for the first few days just talk to her quietly.
She should begin to get more confident soon & you can try offering some treats.
She may be using the wheel without you seeing her but you could try putting a couple of sunflowers seeds in there, that usually gets their attention.
Let us know how the little one gets on.