new arrival : peanut 🥜

[ootchia]

i’m happy to say that i rehomed a beautiful little hamster, now named peanut! i would think she’s a hybrid as apparently she came from a pet shop, and she is a gorgeous soft golden colour with a stripe and dark red eyes (feel like that is uncommon for pure bred WWs).

she is actually very tame, and came onto my hand when i was moving something that she looked like she was trapped under (only digging) whilst we were travelling back from her house. she had been in a very noisy home therefore does not care for the dog’s barking or whining, or any other noises in fact.

it’s been four days since i got her and she is already eating, happy with being stroked, climbing into and sniffing my hand — the hand means food. i can also pick her up without any stress but she doesn’t actively seek being held. all in all she’s settled in really well and the whole family loves her.

only problem is, she itches quite a bit. we bought some ivermectin spot in but didn’t realise it was only for Syrians and gerbils. she uses her sand bath but not too much, would prefer to hide in her tube with her bedding and stash or be on her wheel.

she also gets stressed easily when i put her in the bathtub for taming, she was already pretty tame but i thought it would be a nice change for her. i don’t know really how to continue taming apart from handling, feeding and playing with her everyday. she can’t come downstairs as the dog went mental when we first came in with her. they haven’t been in contact although once the dog jumped up to the cage and snuffled the bars, whereas peanut seemed unaffected and carried on eating her coriander.

i will try and attach some images below!

[cypher]

Congrats on getting Peanut, she sounds lovely & seems to be settling in well, look forward to seeing some photos of her.
I wouldn't use the bath for taming, it is very stressful for any dwarf species & is better suited to Syrians if used at all, you could buy or make a playpen & sit in that with her with some toys & maybe a wheel for her to explore, just let her run around & on you & gradually increase the handling over time as you do that.
If she isn't too fast for you you could try letting her run around on a bed or sofa while you sit with her too.

[ootchia]

Originally Posted by cypher

Congrats on getting Peanut, she sounds lovely & seems to be settling in well, look forward to seeing some photos of her.
I wouldn't use the bath for taming, it is very stressful for any dwarf species & is better suited to Syrians if used at all, you could buy or make a playpen & sit in that with her with some toys & maybe a wheel for her to explore, just let her run around & on you & gradually increase the handling over time as you do that.
If she isn't too fast for you you could try letting her run around on a bed or sofa while you sit with her too.

Thank you She wasn’t in the bath for long at all, and was happy to return to the cage. I will see about placing her on the bed/sofa, as I don’t really know how fast she is (she can certainly zip about in her cage but seems to be more curious once exploring).

[Ria P]

Congratulations for rehoming Peanut! I'm looking forward to see photos of Peanut.

I can't quite see why a very tame hamster would need taming and what exactly you expect from your hamster.

Many hamsters don't actively seek out human company and use us humans as a medium to get to what they are really after like treats, out of cage time etc.

None of my five hamsters and various foster hamsters have ever wanted to be near me to be cuddled while sitting still on my lap or arm. They run all over me like i'm a climbing frame and are keen to get onto my hand so they can enjoy their past times of free roaming, wallpaper stripping or making hoards inside my boots.

I think you should be very happy to have a tame hamster and appreciate her for the hamster she is. One of my dwarfs itched a lot when i first got him but his fur looked fine without any red or bald patches. I think it can be a nervous or stressed behaviour while settling in which was the case with my hamster.
Of course there could be a medical reason for your hamsters itching but i wouldn't treat her with over the counter remedies without consulting a vet first in case it does more harm than good.