Greetings!!

Mrsgarcia15 · 10-24-2016, 06:34 PM

Hello everyone! Today i brought home a new fur baby. Her name is Izzy. She was the only one that was up and around. She is perfect!
Anyways, this is my first ever hammie and im obsessed! Anyone have any first time tips that I should know? Also, thank u ahead of time for any advice or tips and hello to all u hammie parents out there.

SKB_Hamsters · 10-26-2016, 03:47 AM

Hello and Welcome to Hamster Central.
Congratulations on Izzy.
A couple tips - be patient with taming don't rush go at your hamsters pace this allows them to gain trust with you. Tissue trick - put some White unscented tissues up your sleeves for a while and tear them up and place in your hamster cage as this will help Izzy to get comfortable with your scent. Another tip is to have fun and enjoy owning Izzy - as I find hamsters bring so much happiness and they are really cute and funny to watch.
Hamster central has so many other really useful threads which you can browse through and learn from.

pinkneon · 10-26-2016, 05:05 AM

Hello and welcome!
First tip ties into SKB's tips of not rushing taming. Leave her completely alone for a few days or even a week (maybe even two if she needs it!) without touching her. Literally just change food and water. After a couple of days you can talk to her to get her used to your voice. It will be hard leaving her alone as it is sooooo tempting to pick up your new fluffball and play, but she is in a new place, with lots of new sights, sounds and smells, so will be very scared, so will need time to settle. (Even a tame hamster from a breeder needs time to settle!)
Taming takes times. The times varies for each hamster. My boy took almost 3 months to tame! The tissue trick that SKB mentioned will help as it will have your scent on it, making Izzy feel a bit more comfortable with you. I've had my hamster since March and I still do this with him, especially after a cage clean or if he's going somewhere in his carrier as I think it keeps him a bit calmer as it is something he is used to.
Cage cleaning should not be done for the initial settling in period. You can spot clean (remove any wet/smelly bedding) but Izzy will be marking her scent on her new home to claim it as hers, so cleaning the cage will remove her scent and stress her out. Depending on the cage you have will depend on how often you will need to do a full clean out (it will also depend on if you live with your parents or someone else who might have rules!) I do a full clean every 4-6 weeks, but spot clean as needed. My hamster actually has a habit of telling me when he wants his cage cleaned - he piles his poos on his shelf! It's hilarious! It is recommended to not wash the cage and toys on the same day, to try and keep your hamster's scent on some things and helping keeping things familiar. I only wash the toys on the same day if they absoultely need it!
Food - It is recommended to feed your hamster on whichever food they were previously fed on until they have settled in, to try and avoid upset tummies or them not eating. Once they are settled you can change the food if you want to, but it must be done slowly - so you add a small amount to the usual food, and gradually reduce the amount of previous food and increase the amount of new foods. Fresh food can be given but in very small amounts to begin with and not too often until she's used to it. I personally choose to only feed fresh food out of the cage as my hamster likes digging to the bottom of his cage and hiding his favorite bits and I worry about never finding it! Most hamsters will eat it immediately, but mine only eats it straight away if he's not in his cage (because he's weird!) Hamsters store food in their pouches to take to their store and hide to eat for later. This is normal and they might look a little funny as their pocuhes can get quite big!

cypher · 10-26-2016, 07:58 AM

Welcome to HC & congrats on getting Izzy

Josie · 10-26-2016, 03:57 PM

Welcome to HC congratulations on getting Izzy, loads of good advice from Pinkneon

A House is not a home without a Hamster

Thin Lizzy · 10-26-2016, 08:32 PM

Hi and Welcome to HC and Congratulations on Izzy.

Mrsgarcia15 · 10-27-2016, 11:23 AM

Thank you so much! She is tame. But i have been letting her do her own thing. She piles all of the tissue where she sleeps and where she hides her food. When i change her food she always seems to be waiting for me when i turn back. Im surprised she is taking so well to me. Today she took some broccoli from me. But since that she seems to just enjoy seeing me when i talk to her. Its so hard to not just sit and watch her and pet her. The woman i got her from said that she was tame but she could never get her to be completely comfortable with her. I made sure i had her cage rwady when she came home with the tissues in it. Could this be why she is already interacting with me?