Introduction + question about new Syrian

peculiarplanets · 01-05-2020, 01:42 PM

Hi there!

I'm from the Netherlands. I've got a big love for rodents and especially hamsters. The reason I signed up is because I have a question in regards to my new hamster. In the past I've had two Russian Dwarfs whom I loved very much and both of them were tamed within a week.

Now it's the first time I've got a Syrian hamster. Her name is Jupiter (Jupi for short) and she's around 5-6 weeks old. I got her last week. The first few days I've left her alone so she could settle, because she seemed really skittish. I didn't see her much, and still don't. But I have watched her eat and drink and her food bowl is empty every time, so she seems to be doing well. I've talked and sang to her to get her used to my voice and it seems she's used to the sound of the TV as well. The problem I face is that I'm not sure whether or not she's actually settled or not. She usually wakes up around 10pm but doesn't really move from her nest until like midnight (I have a 100x50cm glass tank and her favourite nest is a big tube that's set against the glass, so I can see her). Last night I've sat near her cage until 2am just to see what she was up to. Because I've placed treats all over her cage to see where she could go, and it seems she's using both the wheel and the sand bath when I'm asleep.

But back to the point.. I don't know how to bond with her. She doesn't come out when I'm awake and when she does, she seems to get startled when I move closer. She will continue raiding her food bowl with me close, or with my hand near her, but then scurries off to her nest and hides again. There has been no chance for me to tame her. I want to give her the time and space she needs, but I don't know if I'm doing the right thing, or how to proceed. Would appreciate some advice!

cypher · 01-07-2020, 12:58 AM

Hi & welcome to HC
Sorry to hear you're having trouble with your new ham settling in, it can be disheartening but they do vary a lot & some can take a lot longer than others.
What's her tank set up like? Sometimes a few changes can help them feel more secure & settle more quickly, do you have much open space in the tank & how about a house. It's hard to guess without seeing it but there might be something you can do there.
You've been doing all the right things getting her used to your voice & presence around the tank so she may just need more time.

peculiarplanets · 01-07-2020, 02:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cypher

Hi & welcome to HC
Sorry to hear you're having trouble with your new ham settling in, it can be disheartening but they do vary a lot & some can take a lot longer than others.
What's her tank set up like? Sometimes a few changes can help them feel more secure & settle more quickly, do you have much open space in the tank & how about a house. It's hard to guess without seeing it but there might be something you can do there.
You've been doing all the right things getting her used to your voice & presence around the tank so she may just need more time.

Her tank has three hiding places: a large tube in the bedding (her favourite place), a wooden log with a hole in it, and a house on the other side of the tank, underneath a platform that has chinchilla sand in it. There's also a (safe) plant in her cage as well as a piece of wood she can hide under. And there's more bedding where she can burrow if she wishes. So there's not much open space for her to feel vulnerable, at least that's what I think.

Yesterday I noticed that she was startled by my voice again. Like she'll hear me, freeze, look around, walk around, and then slowly goes to hide. It's odd because other times she doesn't seem startled by my voice. Because I wasn't sure where I was at with her, I very slowly stuck my hand in the cage when I saw her up and about. She just froze and then ran off. So while that might be disappointing, it's good for me to know because that means she's not ready for that yet. (I did leave a treat where my hand was, and she did take it later). I've also noticed she's up and about when it's quiet. When I woke up early yesterday (around 7am) and came into the living room I saw her, and yesterday after returning from dance class (9.30pm) she was awake too.

cypher · 01-07-2020, 02:30 AM

The tank sounds fine so that doesn't seem to be an issue.
I wouldn't worry that she seemed startled by your voice again, it's sometimes a one step forward one step back before they get really comfortable with things. I would just keep going as you are, if you put your hand in & leave a treat for her like that she should soon make the positive association.
She just sounds like one of those that need time & lots of patience.

peculiarplanets · 01-07-2020, 03:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cypher

The tank sounds fine so that doesn't seem to be an issue.
I wouldn't worry that she seemed startled by your voice again, it's sometimes a one step forward one step back before they get really comfortable with things. I would just keep going as you are, if you put your hand in & leave a treat for her like that she should soon make the positive association.
She just sounds like one of those that need time & lots of patience.

Alright, thank you! Do you think it won't hurt if she does run away from my hand? Like, I will leave a treat but I don't want her to feel like she's not safe because this big hand keeps coming into her home. Either way I'll just keep talking to her to make sure she gets used to my voice more.

cypher · 01-07-2020, 06:19 AM

Just go slow with your hand in the cage, if she's really frightened by it go back to just talking to her for a little while, you just have to try & go by her reactions really.

peculiarplanets · 01-07-2020, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cypher

Just go slow with your hand in the cage, if she's really frightened by it go back to just talking to her for a little while, you just have to try & go by her reactions really.

Thanks so much! I guess I'm just overly worried haha

Engel · 01-07-2020, 01:56 PM

Give her some more time and I'm sure she'll be fine

have you tried putting tissue with your scent on it in the cage so she can get used to your scent?

peculiarplanets · 01-08-2020, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Engel

Give her some more time and I'm sure she'll be fine

have you tried putting tissue with your scent on it in the cage so she can get used to your scent?

I have! Also while on the subjects of scents, I heard some people say it's better not to clean the cage for a while so the hamster can feel safe in their own scent. I can't really spot clean anyway because I haven't found her spot yet, if she even has one..

cypher · 01-08-2020, 01:36 AM

I wouldn't do any cleaning other than spot cleaning for at least a month & then only do partial cleans, never do the whole cage at once.
It can take them a while to settle on one pee spot so you may not find that until she does so don't worry about it just yet. The only problem might be if she's nesting in the tube she might pee in there too which would be difficult to monitor & clean. If that did happen it might be an idea to try repacing the tube with something like a cork tunnel, not the tube but the half ones that you could just lift up to check under.