my new hamster named cocoa

gogo6798 · 06-28-2017, 10:10 AM

hello we just got a new hamster ,its a teddy bear hamster. a girl. we named her cocoa. i'm not too familiar with hamsters so i joined to get some idea and information from members that would know more than me. i already took her to the vet for her first checkup and she says she's good. but i have a big concern, maybe it's normal for them maybe not.i never see her pee. once only in her big hiding place. she takes all her food there. i never see her eating her food only hiding it. we just bought her some new pellets from oxbow that out vet recommended but she hid it and never ate it. now my vet before anyone thinks other wise is an exotic vet. ive been going to her for years. ive always had bunnies and guinea pigs. but never hamsters. she hardly drinks water at east i never see her. i'm really worried even though she's spunky and happy.and the vet says she's fine. has anyone had the same experience with a new hamster ,will she get adjusted and change her ways. she does eat her fruits and veg ok.
thank you in advance.

BorisPasha · 06-29-2017, 04:52 AM

Hello and welcome to HC

How long have you had her for? I'm not experienced with syrian hamsters but it could be that she's still settling in.

cypher · 06-29-2017, 05:04 AM

Hi & welcome to HC & congrats on getting Cocoa

I wouldn't worry too much about where she pees just yet, sometimes they pee in a few different places until they've really settled in, after a while you should be able to find her place & then you can just spot clean that area as necessary, don't do any other cleaning for at least a month or she won't settle.

It's totally normal for them to take their food to the nest or another favourite place to eat it, she will probably hoard some too which again is normal, natural behaviour.

Are you feeding just the oxbow pellets? It's really not ideal for hamsters tbh.
If you can find Harry/Hazel hamster where you are that would probably be better for her.

They don't drink much & she may just be drinking when you're not around, do check the bottle is working regularly just to be sure but otherwise I wouldn't worry.

FelicityAnn · 06-29-2017, 02:30 PM

Hello, and welcome!

I have a female Syrian named Esmeralda, and the thing to do is, once you see which corner she pees in (it's usually a corner), get a plastic container and fill it with Chinchilla sand - SAND, not dust. It is so easy to spot clean the sand every day or so, and then you don't have to change the substrate.

Esme pees on one side, then turns round and cleans herself in the dry sand on the other side. They really are very clean animals.

As for drinking - have you checked that the nozzle is working? If so, then she is getting enough moisture from the fruit & veg. If you think about their natural habitat - the desert around Aleppo in Syria - there aren't many natural sources of water, so they are adapted to getting the moisture they need from the food they eat. Also, any moisture they would find would be dew in the early mornings, so perhaps she's drinking when you're asleep.

EJoy123 · 06-29-2017, 02:44 PM

I've rarely actually seen my hamsters pee, but potty training her may be helpful. Like FelicityAnn said, get a plastic potty. Personally I just used sawdust like in the rest of the cage. Also, if she's eating regular fruit and veg, it makes sense that she wouldn't drink as much. If you want to keep an eye on how much Cocao is drinking you could get a smaller bottle.
Otherwise, congratulations on your new ham!

Thin Lizzy · 07-03-2017, 02:16 AM

Hello and Welcome to the forum. Congratulations on Cocoa.

AprilPearl · 07-03-2017, 03:56 AM

All sounds normal. Often, you won't see hamsters pee, but so long as you can see the water level in their bottles going down they must be drinking. And hamsters usually choose to eat their food out of sight. That's why they will take it and hide it in a store next to where they sleep. I'd recommend switching to Harry Hamster Muesli though, as that is the best food for Syrians.

gogo6798 · 07-04-2017, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BorisPasha

Hello and welcome to HC

How long have you had her for? I'm not experienced with syrian hamsters but it could be that she's still settling in.

hi we've had her for more than a week now and we bought her a bigger cage, and she's pretty much adjusting to everything, we saw where she peed and she's hiding her poops. she's eating her veg and she hides her food for night time. she plays alot .soi think she's pretty much adjusted to us.