How am I ever going to tame my robos? - Page 2

cypher · 04-20-2017, 07:47 AM

The taming tub seems to work well for some hams & not for others so it's hard to say tbh, it would probably be worth a try but I'd wait until they are really comfortable with your hand in the cage first so you don't set taming back by trying something new.

Crystalroborovski · 04-20-2017, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cypher

The taming tub seems to work well for some hams & not for others so it's hard to say tbh, it would probably be worth a try but I'd wait until they are really comfortable with your hand in the cage first so you don't set taming back by trying something new.

Ok thank you cypher! So should I give it a few days before I start? They seem a lot more comfortable with my hand now and will just mind their own business unless some sudden noise or movement scares them.

cypher · 04-21-2017, 12:34 AM

It's up to you really, it's very hard to gauge how ready hams are from a description but if they seem comfortable with your hand now you could certainly try, I always think slow & steady is best, don't rush things but if you feel they're confident enough to move on then don't hold back.
Not sure if that helps or not really lol!

Crystalroborovski · 04-22-2017, 07:21 PM

So yesterday it was time to clean the cage. I removed all of the toys and then it was time to catch the boys and transfer them to a small bin cage. I gently removed the substrate from their burrowing area and used a cup to catch them. After two hours i finished cleaning it and put the boys back in with the cup. The whole time they were in the bin they were traumatized. This evening I tried putting my hand with the treat in the cage while Key Lime was out. He froze up. I left the treat and removed my hand. 20 minutes later I came back in my room. When I came over to the cage Key Lime just froze up and put his ears back

It's been a week and a half since I started putting my hand in the cage with a treat. The boys both took treats for a few days but then they stopped a couple of days ago even before I started cleaning. I would that I should be making progress in taming, especially since they were taking treats before. I feel like I've taken a step back

I know every ham moves at their own pace but why did mine suddenly stop? There wasn't any change in food, cage setup, surroundings, or anything. I'm not an expert on hamsters but I think they would be making progress and would be more eager to take treats. I feel like I made a mistake and just erased my taming progress but I had no choice to remove them when I cleaned because I had to vacuum the cage and remove all the bedding and I thought my hams would get really scared of my hand.

So basically I'm asking- why did my hamsters suddenly stop taking treats from me and have I completely messed up taming?

cypher · 04-22-2017, 09:41 PM

Everything has to be done in small steps & that includes cleaning.
Two hours is a very long time for the boys to have been left in the bin & if it was that long I assume you did a full cage clean?
Never do a full cage clean in future, you can spot clean daily if necessary (if you know where they pee that is) other than that just clean small areas of the cage, never all at once, maybe do a third at one time, then do a bit more a couple of weeks after that if you need to.
Most of the cage needs very little cleaning tbh, the area where they pee obviously needs to be kept clean but the rest can be left for quite a long time or you can just clean up any food debris, old poo etc from the top when needed.
If you clean the nest area always put back some of the old nest material & the same with the food hoard, either put it back or replace with some fresh mix.
You don't need to use any cleaners or disinfectant, it's important not to remove their scent any more than you absolutely have to.
The time out of the cage & not having their scent in the cage when they went back in would have been very stressful for them so it may take some time to get back to where you were with taming, just go right back to the beginning & take your time, they should come round again.

ETA I forgot to say if you put them in the bin again in future either for taming or cleaning always put some substrate in for them to dig in & include some from the cage so it smells familiar for them, wheels can help if they get a bit stressed & a couple of hideouts for them if you'll be leaving them in there while you do stuff in the cage, you could probably do most of the necessary cleaning while they're still in the cage though if it's just spot cleaning or tidying up small areas.

flowerfairy · 04-23-2017, 03:29 AM

Sorry to hear that taming has gone back a notch. There is a really good youtube vid by Erins animals about cleaning out hamsters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jVnEjrXbww

Crystalroborovski · 04-23-2017, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cypher

Everything has to be done in small steps & that includes cleaning.
Two hours is a very long time for the boys to have been left in the bin & if it was that long I assume you did a full cage clean?
Never do a full cage clean in future, you can spot clean daily if necessary (if you know where they pee that is) other than that just clean small areas of the cage, never all at once, maybe do a third at one time, then do a bit more a couple of weeks after that if you need to.
Most of the cage needs very little cleaning tbh, the area where they pee obviously needs to be kept clean but the rest can be left for quite a long time or you can just clean up any food debris, old poo etc from the top when needed.
If you clean the nest area always put back some of the old nest material & the same with the food hoard, either put it back or replace with some fresh mix.
You don't need to use any cleaners or disinfectant, it's important not to remove their scent any more than you absolutely have to.
The time out of the cage & not having their scent in the cage when they went back in would have been very stressful for them so it may take some time to get back to where you were with taming, just go right back to the beginning & take your time, they should come round again.

ETA I forgot to say if you put them in the bin again in future either for taming or cleaning always put some substrate in for them to dig in & include some from the cage so it smells familiar for them, wheels can help if they get a bit stressed & a couple of hideouts for them if you'll be leaving them in there while you do stuff in the cage, you could probably do most of the necessary cleaning while they're still in the cage though if it's just spot cleaning or tidying up small areas.

I didn't do a complete cage clean as I knew that would probably stress them out and it wasn't necessary. I would have spot cleaned, but I had no idea where they peed and the cage was super stinky. When I cleaned the cage, I found about five different places in which they pee- in the wheels, in their coconut, in their nesting box, and a part in the blue and a part in the white bedding. When I put the hams in the bin I included one of the wheels, a couple of small toys to hide in, the water bottle, some food and some of the bedding from the cage. I took out all of the bedding but left about 1/3-1/2 in because it was clean and replaced the rest. I didn't sanitize the toys as that was unnecessary, but I did clean out the wheels. Now I just wipe down the wheels with a paper towel and water to cut down on the urine smell. I guess it took me so long to clean because I sifted through all of the sand to remove any poop, old food and bedding but I left all of the original sand in the cage. I vacuumed out the bottom because there was a lot of scattered sand, poo and food crumbs in it. I didn't wipe down the cage either as that wasn't necessary.

So basically to summarize I removed the toys and bedding, sifted through the sand with a fine sifter, cleaned the wheels, put new bedding in and mixed it with the old clean bedding and put the toys back in. Now I'll spot clean in the future as I know where they pee but again, I didn't know where they peed and the cage smelled of urine leaving me with no choice but to do a more thorough clean.

Last night the boys were their usual selves after I turned the lights out. I tried putting my hand with a treat in the cage. They are not as comfortable with my hand as they were before :/ I was just upset because I felt like I had made them scared of me and I had ruined my taming progress. Oh well, I guess I'll just keep trying and keep you updated.

cypher · 04-23-2017, 11:59 AM

The cleaning sounds ok then, better to do a little at a time in future though, stuff does tend to collect on the base of the cage which is why I'm not to keen on the "just clean the top layer" method but you don't need to worry too much about cleaning that too often, you can still just do part of the cage at a time.
I'm sure the boys will come round & you'll find a routine that suits all of you.

Crystalroborovski · 04-29-2017, 01:12 PM

It's been over two weeks since I have started taming and the hamsters are still scared of me. I'm starting to lose hope and it's really stressful to have two animals I have spent a ton of money on just for them to be too petrified to even take treats from me. I really need help. It seems like I'm not doing it right- or am I? I just keep my hand in the cage with a treat and they rarely even come near me. My mom keeps telling me I'm babying them too much and I've "waited too long" even though I've had them for a month. Will they just always be scared of me? I know taming takes patience but it's been so long and I'm still on the first step.

AmityvilleHams · 04-29-2017, 01:18 PM

Two weeks is barely any time,especially for robos

I wouldn't start worrying that they'll never be tame until 6+ months!

You've definitely not waited too long.It's easy for people who don't understand hamsters to assume that,but taming is not something that gets done overnight nor does it always get done in a matter of weeks or even a month.