I think i made her scared of me

[StitchedEgo]

So I was holding butternubs playing with her and letting her crawl around me and stuff and when she got to my hands she ran right off and my heart literally jumped out of my chest. I was able to catch her before she hit the floor but I think my sudden movement and my yelp may have frightened her because she doesn't seem to crawl on my hand anymore and cautiously takes treats now. Is there any way I can earn her trust back?

[cypher]

Any incident like this (& it happens easily so you're not alone!) will frighten them & it may take a few days for them to regain their confidence, just be patient & gentle & she should be fine again soon.

[Tildauk]

Cypher is right about, try not to worry she will come round eventually. She is probably just nervous as hands = falling and noises last time but as soon as she realizes it was a one off she will be ok just need to gently and slowly make her come to realise that she will be fine in your hands again. Try using a long tube (kitchen roll insides are good) so she can crawl into it and then pop out of it onto you without the picking up, that might help. I would probably only hold her sitting down or in the bath for a bit while she gets used to it all again so she can't fall too far or escape if it happens again.

[StitchedEgo]

Originally Posted by cypher

Any incident like this (& it happens easily so you're not alone!) will frighten them & it may take a few days for them to regain their confidence, just be patient & gentle & she should be fine again soon.

Will do. I still feel really bad, I apologized profusely and teared up a bit. I know it seems silly to get worked up over a hamster I've only had for a couple of weeks but she already feels like my baby you know?

[StitchedEgo]

Originally Posted by Tildauk

Cypher is right about, try not to worry she will come round eventually. She is probably just nervous as hands = falling and noises last time but as soon as she realizes it was a one off she will be ok just need to gently and slowly make her come to realise that she will be fine in your hands again. Try using a long tube (kitchen roll insides are good) so she can crawl into it and then pop out of it onto you without the picking up, that might help. I would probably only hold her sitting down or in the bath for a bit while she gets used to it all again so she can't fall too far or escape if it happens again.

I'll definitely try this. Im sure she'll probably forgive me in time

[cypher]

It's not silly, it's all part of being a loving ham owner, they win our hearts over so quickly it's only natural to worry!

[Tildauk]

Not silly, in fact most of the people here get just as worried and I know I have teared up with worry or sadness many many times over little hams. I have had about 20 mini breakdowns with worry over the last month because I have new little ham. Its only natural, we love them and want the best for them and would do anything to provide it for them.

Your just being a caring ham-parent

[Thin Lizzy]

Everyone of us knows what it's like when we worry about our hamsters, stop worrying she'll come round, just give her time.