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Old 02-26-2016, 11:39 PM   #1
Caboose
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Default Scared of light?

Does anyone else have a dwarf hamster that is scared of light? She hardly ever comes out if the lights are on. Only if she's hungry or thirsty. But as soon as lights go off she runs out. Even my tv light scares her. How can I change this? I would really love to see her more and interact with her more.
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Old 02-26-2016, 11:59 PM   #2
cypher
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Default Re: Scared of light?

Most are a bit nervous in the light at first, it's only natural as in the wild they are most active at dawn & dusk, not in full light but they do normally adjust to it with a bit of encouragement.
How is taming going generally? If you talk to her & tempt her with small treats she should come out in low light at least & then gradually get more used to being in the light.
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Old 02-27-2016, 12:09 AM   #3
Caboose
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Default Re: Scared of light?

She is still biting me if I don't have treats. She will climb on to my hand thinking I have a treat but when I don't she bites. Sometimes if I'm quick I can lift my hand and bring her out of cage. But as soon as I put her on my bed she sniffs around and then hides in a blanket or pillow.
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Old 02-27-2016, 12:23 AM   #4
cypher
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Default Re: Scared of light?

Have you tried her with a play pen or play bin?
Young hams like to explore & aren't always up for cuddles & strokes to begin with, if you use a play pen with lots of interesting things to explore they are more likely to enjoy it & get a bit braver than if you just put them on a bed & hope they might interact with you!
Even that can take time to get used to though & they can be timid about it at first.
Patience really is key, I think if you read through all your threads we've probably given you most of the taming tips so just go slow with her, keep doing all the normal taming things & she will gain confidence with time.
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Old 02-27-2016, 02:08 AM   #5
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Default Re: Scared of light?

One of mine was scared of light to start with but eventually she got used to it.

She was never really one for cuddles as there was always so much to play with and explore but that's just the way some hamsters are but there are ways you can interact with her whilst allowing her to play and explore. It does take time to get a hamster used to you and there's no defined timescale as to how long this will take. Some take longer than others but patience is the key.

One of the things that I used to do with May was to put my hand in a crab shape on the floor of her playpen so she could run in and out of my fingers, hide underneath and climb on top.
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Old 02-27-2016, 09:27 AM   #6
Sm_banks
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Default Re: Scared of light?

Despite popular belief hamsters are not nocturnal, they are Crepuscular. The article in the link explains it.

Are hamsters nocturnal
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Old 02-27-2016, 10:23 AM   #7
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Scared of light?

I think basically they prefer being in the dark! Something to do with the cones in their eyes (read it somewhere but can't remember where) and they're more sensitive to some kind of light than others, and at different times of day. It's why they dig burrows or like houses/nesting boxes that are dark inside. Having said that, our Syrian is ok with normal lamp lights when he is out in the evening, and he's not too bad during the day on the rare occasions he is out during the day. I think at night though, they need darkness - their brain chemicals kick in during their night phase.

I don't know if there's any difference between dwarfs and Syrians but some Dwarf hamsters are out more during the daytime than Syrians I believe. Yours is probably a bit nervy and scared at the moment
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