Hamster not eating?

[joeyboy]

My girlfriend recently got a syrian hamster and she's worried about it not eating. She got it home on Wednesday, it's in a zoozone, has a wodent wheel, few toys etc. She's bought a hamster food mix called Harry Hamster and she's offered it some monkey nuts and some treats. Apparently though it seems to have been hoarding the monkey nuts and not eating them and doesn't seem to be eating the food mix, though she's seen the hamster investigating the food bowl.

She seems to think its bottom teeth are too long so that might be why, but she can't take it to the vets until Wednesday.

I'm not sure if she's over worrying and she's just not noticing it eating? I mean it's alert and active and logically it must have been eating for the time it's been in the pet shop(it's 20 weeks old). It is still drinking.

I imagine she'll take it to the vets to get it checked over, but you people think she's over worrying or are there a few reasons why it might not be eating?

cheers, Joe.

[fluffymunchkins]

If the food bowl is going down then I suspect it is eating.
Also, you might want to try opening the moneky nuts for it as sometimes they don't quite understand how to open them at first.

[Humphrey Furball]

Can you hear any "crunching" sounds when the hamster is in his nest/house? Often they like to eat in private where they feel secure, more so when they are getting used to a new environment. If needs be, you could try switching lights out in the evening, as if you are going to bed, and just sitting in silence; you may hear some munching activity if the ham thinks he is alone! If you are worried about the teeth though, the vet is a good idea, just to make sure there are no issues; are his teeth an orangy yellow colour? (this is the normal healthy colour for hamster teeth). Lastly, if you have some scales, you could weigh the hamster a couple of times a week, just to keep an eye on him (I weigh mine by putting him in his carrier, then weighing the whole thing, putting him back in his cage, and weighing the carrier; obviously one minus the other = weight of the hammie). Hope he's OK

[Rhino&Co]

Perhaps ask the petshop what he was fed before you got him - he might want his food that he's used to eating - and introduce Harry Hamster slowly

[AliKati]

If at the very worst, something is wrong and he's not eating the hard food, then try giving it some baby food with some of his food bits mashed up.