Cage rage??? Please help!

Charitynicole · 09-02-2019, 10:55 AM

Hello Everyone! I am new to Hamster Central! I am making this post because I recently took in a hamster from a friend who had her for 2 days. She got a Winter White Dwarf from Petsmart. When I received my new baby I noticed her cage was really freaking small and everytime I tried to put my hand in she would dash at me. She has been biting the bars, running around constantly, constantly grooming herself and BITING ME!! I’m going to make her a bin cage today so she can have more room and she’s getting appropriate treats and toys today. I just want to bond with her and make her feel welcomed❤️ Please leave tips, comments and etc on how I can get her to trust me! Her name is Tokyo btw❤️

Ally98 · 09-20-2019, 12:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charitynicole

Hello Everyone! I am new to Hamster Central! I am making this post because I recently took in a hamster from a friend who had her for 2 days. She got a Winter White Dwarf from Petsmart. When I received my new baby I noticed her cage was really freaking small and everytime I tried to put my hand in she would dash at me. She has been biting the bars, running around constantly, constantly grooming herself and BITING ME!! I’m going to make her a bin cage today so she can have more room and she’s getting appropriate treats and toys today. I just want to bond with her and make her feel welcomed❤️ Please leave tips, comments and etc on how I can get her to trust me! Her name is Tokyo btw❤️

Hiya,

After you put her in the bin cage, I think it would be best to leave her alone in a quiet room for a few days so she can calm down. Then when you thinks she calmed l, start trying handling techniques, plenty on youtube!! 😁

Ria P · 09-20-2019, 09:05 AM

Tokyo sounds a very scared and stressed hamster, poor little thing.
You won't be able to rush things and you may need to prepare yourself to be very very patient.
She's had a lot to deal with and hamsters are sensitive, shy little creatures. She's moved from the pet shop to your friends in a too small cage displaying typical stress behaviours and now she's moved in with you and needs to adapt to a new lot of smells and sounds plus moving house which will be for the better ut she doesn't know that yet.
She'll probably want to hide to take it all in and adjust to her new world.
You want to bond and make friends but she hasn't got a clue who you are and what your intentions are. She'll quite literally have to sniff you out first, get to know you and then slowly and eventually trust you.
As already said, leave her alone for a few days, just feed and water her but talk to her quietly now and again.
Make sure she has plenty of substrate to burrow in and plenty of places to hide.
Carry some plain white tissue on your body for a few hours and then put it in her cage so she gets familiar with your smell.
I've had my dwarf for over a month now and the closest we came to bonding is him very briefly putting his paws on my fingers to lick up some linseeds up.
Tokio will eventually realize that you are her friend and want the best for her.

Pebbles82 · 09-20-2019, 09:21 AM

I am sure she will settle once you’ve moved her poor thing. I would do it ASAP and then don’t clean or change anything for two weeks. And leave her alone quietly for 48 hours. Add as much enrichment as you can to the new cage so she’s happy. Lots of substrate and giddy places, a shelf or something to hide under and climb on, toilet roll tubes for tunnels, tissue boxes make good giddy places.