Henry has grown in confidence over the last few weeks which I'm sure is down to Souffle's advice on taming sessions and time spent out of his cage in his new playpen. Last time I gave Henry the opportunity to explore the house he panicked and froze so I thought our small bathroom is a good and safe place to start. I sat on the floor with him and Henry started to sniff and walk around. The pedal bin caught his interest and he tried to climb it but no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't get to the top. Next thing he explored was the pedestal of the sink which is fixed against the wall with a tiny gap remaining. He nibbled and sniffed but then Henry was suddenly horizontal and flat against the wall and I watched in utter disbelief as his tiny paws and tail end disappeared behind the sink. I was too stunned to react and he moved so quickly I had no time to grab him. Now what. I could see him in the gap behind the sink pedestal and tried to tempt him out with a piece of cheese. He tried to get the cheese but for some strange reason didn't manage to get out from behind the sink. He sat there looking up at me and I sat there looking down at him. Luckily I have small hands and just about managed to get a hand in and pulled the hamster out any old way I was able to get a hold of him which was up side down. I then went to lie on my bed with Henry resting on top of me. I think we have bonded.
Bathrooms, unfortunately, are full of escape routes - there are often holes in the floor where pipes go down and another hamster on here got under a bath panel - goodness knows where they could end up. So maybe not the best room! Glad you are bonding
Did the owner of the bath panel hamster manage to get the hamster back? Henry was unharmed but dusty. After this episode I can't think of anywhere 100% hamster proof outside his playpen. He runs about on my bed and a futon now but has a habbit of looking over the edge and I have to pick him up and put him back in the centre. I wonder why hamsters like living on the edge...
Thank you all again for all your replies and advice I was given on various threats. I really believe that Henry is now as tame as he will ever be and I have learnt enough about hamsters here to be able to offer him a good life.
Yes she did after a lot of worry and alarm! I think it was next day and it was by putting his cage near the edge of the bath panel. Luckily he was still under there rather than disappearing under the floorboards!
The bed can be ok too - I used to sort of heap a rolled up blanket at the end of the bed (or the side) so our hammy couldn't easily jump off. Didn't prevent it but slowed it up so I could bring him back easily - it was a bit of a barrier.
When I used to have Charlie out on top of the bed I found a toy he couldn't resist chewing at so that stopped him doing a runner. It's the carrot topped hay house that Rosewood sell. When it was in his cage he just ignored it (or used it as a step) but out of the cage he would spend ages inside scratching the hay off and chewing it Might be worth a try. Below is a short video of Charlie and the hay house (a bit dark unfortunately).
I got the carrot house on my way home from work and set up the playpen tonight. Henry sniffed around a bit but went in a right huff when I started to part clean his cage. I had told him that I will not touch the big nest under the platform and only clean the pee'd on bits in other parts of his cage. He went into the KitKat mug and sat there with his bum sticking out for at least 20 mins and only turned round to give me a very accusing look when I called his name. I think he's happier in the playpen when I sit in there with him, probably because he knows that I won't be able to touch his cage, lol. I'm starting to wonder about these hamsters. They are tiny animals so must have minute brains but seem to be intelligent and certainly very expressive in their manner and behaviour. How long do other hamster housemates (we are not owners) keep their hamsters in the playpen? Just wondering if I should get a wheel for the playpen. There's a photo of tonight's unsuccessful set up.
It looks fun Yes their brains must be tiny, but they are extremely intelligent and communicative I think. They are clever. They can also do some really stupid things! A bit like humans really!
Hi Ria! So glad things are going better with Henry!
I had thought about letting Smokey free roam a bathroom too... until I realized there's actually big gaps to God-knows-where under the cabinet beneath the sink.
Smokey will play in the play pen/bathtub anywhere from just a few minutes to upwards of an hour, depending on if he looks like he's having fun. If he's scratching to get out, or if he looks scared and huddled in a corner then I put him back in his cage. I always have food and water, as well as a sand pit/potty in his play pens as well.
FYI, I have a metal fence play pen that looks pretty similar to yours. I believe mine is 9 inches tall. Smokey was up and over it by the second play session.
Now I use a hexagonal pop up play pen, 1.5M in diameter, original purpose is a ball pit for kids. Link to a similar one below.
Much more secure.. unless you supply a castle for him to climb up and over the sides of the play pen. Maybe not good for chewers, as the material is pretty thin.
As long as i don't put anything Henry can climb on right next to an outer fence panel or he would be over and off, the playpen is safe. I found this out the first time i set it up because Hamsters are such opportunists. I'll try the upstairs landing tonight but will use some fence panels to block off the bookcase. Henry sniffs at the panels or sits there looking out. Don"t know why the other side of the fence is so appealing. I don't think he'd like the kiddies pop up ball pit because he couldn't see out but then again, he may pay more attention to his toys if he can't. Worth a try and thanks for the tip. How's Smokey coming along? I've stopped the taming sessions because Henry seems more relaxed and i guess he could be classed as tame now. He's not the kind of Hamster who hops onto my hand or gives me a "pleased to see you' look or sits by the cage door asking to come out but that's his personality which is fine with me.
I'd say Smokey is fairly tame now after applying souffle's technique! He lets me pick him up without much fuss 90% of the time, and will often come to the cage door to look for me now. Of course, half the time when I come over to say hi, he then loses interest and wanders off if I don't have a treat, but he seems to be pretty comfortable with me now. (Souffle, if you're reading this, thanks again for the taming advice!!)
I'm starting to wonder about these hamsters. They are tiny animals so must have minute brains but seem to be intelligent and certainly very expressive in their manner and behaviour.
This is the eternal question isn't it? They're inquisitive, problem solvers, escape artists, they need consistent mental stimulation or they start showing intense stress behaviours, which all points to a fair degree of intelligence.
Then you see them jump off something (before you can grab them because they somehow increase speed x2 when they're doing something stupid) fall a dangerous height, land on their face and climb straight back up to try and do it again and you just wonder. Or they get themselves stuck somewhere ridiculous.
I think a lot of what might be attributed to hamster intelligence might just be sheer bloody mindedness and a lot more brute strength then people give them credit for.
Henry's first trip to the bathroom
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