Introducing Adele

[SweetPeaHammy]

Congratulations on getting Aele. Looking forward to some pics

[Amys_Mum]

So Adele is starting to settle in. She's still running around her cage like crazy, climbing the bars, burrowing under everything and generally creating mayhem. This morning I found her squeezed behind her house which had collapsed against the bars due to her burrowing underneath it. I think I preferred her sleeping next to it - at least then I knew she wasn't getting squashed!

This afternoon I got back from work to discover she'd pushed the wheel over slightly, which meant it wouldn't go round. Although she'd kicked up so much substrate from around it, it wouldn't have moved even if it had been upright.

She's enjoyed destroying a peanut in a shell, had some fresh carrot and has taken to using the new coconut shell as a food store. The corner of the shelf where she cleans and occasionally falls asleep also appears to be where she is storing poo. I've yet to work out where she is weeing, I thought it was in the sand bath, but that's now buried under a layer of substrate too! Honestly, I think this ham worked in construction (or should that be destruction) in a previous life.

This evening, I opened to door to pop some food in, and she sniffed me so I stayed very still and she started to climb up my jumper. I gently moved my hand away, and put a bowl next to the door instead, and she climbed into it and then sat gently in the bowl on my lap having a sniff of my hand, and Amy's hand. We managed to very gently stroke her back a couple of times, before popping her back into the cage. At this point, she started running around and climbing the bars, almost as if to say "where's the way out gone? it was here a minute ago"

I think she's settling in ok, hopefully I can get some better pictures in another couple of days.

[Drago]

What a naughty little girl she is! Sounds like she's settling in good, and that's exciting that you've already gotten to stroke her

[cypher]

Aw! Sounds like she's having loads of fun & settling in well
Very cute picture!

[Hamsterita]

She sounds like she's very sweet and you made big steps with taming. Congrats!

[SweetPeaHammy]

Oh she's so sweet! Is that the Barney cage she's in?

[Amys_Mum]

SweetPea Yes it's the Barney. I had to throw out the original house, as our previous hamster Harvey took to weeing inside despite a perfectly good sandbath and potty just outside - it seemed she wanted an en-suite. It's such a great size cage, and the base is deep enough that she's been able to burrow down in the substrate which she seems to really enjoy.

Adele is still sleeping outside the new house though, I'm tempted to remove it altogether for the time being and just let her re-arrange the shredded paper bedding and tissue somewhere she's happy to be. I didn't want to make any changes to her set up until she was settled, but she hasn't even been tempted inside the house at all!

Amy popped a nibble wood stick in her cage a couple of days ago, and my word, she's had a go at that! Not so keen on the Rosewood nibble pot which she pretty much tossed to one side.

We've tried her out of the cage again tonight, just for a few minutes. Again, just in a bowl on Amy's lap, but she climbed out and ran up Amy's arm - think I've got another lively one here! We're still taking it very slowly, but I'm pleased with how things are going so far.

I'll see if I can get a better picture, she seems to switch quickly between running around like a crazy thing and falling asleep so I keep missing my moments!

[BorisPasha]

She looks so cute in that pic that it's hard to imagine her being such a handful, she is certainly going to keep you busy Sounds like things are going well with her and yes they don't make it easy to get pics

[Thin Lizzy]

Aww what a cutie. She seems keen to get to know you and you done right keeping still and letting her make the move.

[SKB_Hamsters]

So lovely to hear that Adele is settling in well to her new home - she looks so cosy curled up next to her house.