Beginner help please

eleanoraaa · 09-26-2016, 01:37 PM

2 days ago i bought a 9 month old ginger syrian hamster. The lady from the pet shop ensured she was very friendly and even held her when i came to look at her. Ive had bad experiences with bites hamsters in the past and had to take one back.
Im so nervous to handle this one!! Im reassured that she is friendly but I'm nervous she will bite me. How do i calm down and make sure she doesn't?

Also, she keeps nibbling the cage bars, what are good things to put in her cage for her to nibble on??

thank you so much

Nancy's Hamsters · 09-26-2016, 07:20 PM

First she may be the tamest hamster in the world but your fear will cause her to be nervous and jumpy. Many who have this fear will wear a glove on one hand until they are assured the hamster won't bite them. You might also spend time with her in a bath tub with the drain plugged and a few fun toys for her to enjoy then you sat down in the tub and just let her climb about you so you both grow to trust each other.

Take it slowly so you can build up confidence in yourself and her. There is no bigger joy then owning a Hamster who is so trusting of you they want to be with you and not in their cage.

As for the bar chewing she may just be nervous of the new cage and environment so is bar chewing, or she may just be a bar chewer which is a very hard thing to break them of but for her health it needs to be addressed and stopped as bar chewing can cause major teeth problems which lead to major health problems. You might try weaving a piece of cardboard through the bars if she is chewing at a specific place. Some attach wooden chews to the bars so they can chew a healthy thing instead of the metal bars.

The worst scenario would be you have to buy a cage which has no bars so she can't bar chew. I pray some of these suggestions will be helpful for you so you can enjoy your new Hamster.

Dancake · 09-26-2016, 07:45 PM

Uschi, my hamster, loves the long wooden chew toys. We have some shaped like pencils, and some apple sticks. When she got those, she stopped chewing on everything else. But she doesn't like the blocks.

Candra_Faulkner · 09-26-2016, 09:38 PM

Are you in the USA ? Petco is now having its Dollar Per Gallon sale, where you can get a 20 gallon tank for 20 dollars, a 29 gallon tank for 29 dollars , a 40 gallon tank (my favorite size) for only 40 dollars or even a 55 gallon tank for only 55 dollars. That's actually a BIG savings compared to the prices they are normally set at. my 40 gallon glass tank terrarium that came with a locking mesh lid cost me 99, and that was on sale at petsmart. no more bars! Toby was a BIG bar chewer, and now he has more room and no bars. The sale goes on at petco until november 5th if you want save up ! also, Whimzee chews (vegetable based dog chews) are a safe, huge hit with my hamster. He won't chew wood, but he destroys these. I give him one once a week. He's a big syrian hamster.

cypher · 09-26-2016, 09:59 PM

If you've been bitten in the past then being nervous is understandable but most hams don't bite so try not to be scared as she will pick up on that. Just go slow with her & get to know her, you won't be putting your hand in front of her face to begin with anyway so you can just take your time, talk to her when you're near the cage so she gets used to you being around then when she gets more confident offer treats through the bars that way you won't have to worry about getting bitten & she can get used to taking food from you.
Doing the tissue trick will also help her get used to you & be more relaxed around you which will reduce any risk there might be of bites, put some toilet tissue up your sleeve for a few hours then put that in the cage & repeat daily for a while.

Don't reward bar chewing by going over to the cage, she is probably just exploring now but it can become an attention seeking behaviour if you go to her when she does it, if it continues just threading cardboard through the bars if she chews in a particular place can help a lot with breaking the habit.
Make sure she has things she will like to chew on as good alternatives too! A lot of hams don't like chew toys but love Whimzees & a piece of dog biscuit (check for safe ingredients first) is good too.