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IamKat · 07-07-2018, 03:13 AM

Hi Barnard, congratulations on the new addition! It'd great to reach out and ask questions, and totally normal to worry so don't apologise

5 weeks does seem very young! As Amethyst said, babies will always be skittish at first, especially such young ones, and this sounds like perfectly normal behaviour. Although 52g does seem a bit light - is the breeder reputable? I'm not very knowledgeable about baby weights though, and have never owned a hamster that young before. Perhaps somebody else has some insight here.

In terms of taming, the bath sessions are great, and often taming works better out of the cage. I would recommend spending time around the cage for a while, talking to him and just getting him used to your presence (as you are doing), attempting to pick him up at this stage will probably frighten him and so a good method to remove him from the cage is to put a treat in a mug, allow him to venture inside and bring him out that way. You can then do a bath taming session, allowing him to run over you without having to pick him up at all (i would do this in short 10 minute stints at first, but regularly - every day if possible). This is often a good way of slowing down the taming to a pace that works for him, and then in a few weeks (or when you feel like he is more comfortable around you) you can start putting your hand in the cage, encouraging him to take treats from you etc. You may be able to tempt him to the edge of the cage with a treat, and this is a good non-threatening way of bonding, without invading his space too much! He is very very new, and young, and taming can take weeks or months so don't lose heart, this is normal and you are doing everything right by being patient! Another thing to bear in mind is to minimise cage cleaning, just limiting it to spot cleaning and only doing big cage cleans when absolutely necessary - which is a good way to get him comfortable with his new environment. Hamsters like things to stay the same generally, as change is stressful!

I hope this is helpful! Good luck with the little one

Maybe when he is settled we can see some pics!

07-07-2018, 03:13 AM
IamKat Hamster Pup Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: UK Posts: 82	Re: 6 week old terrified baby Syrian! Hi Barnard, congratulations on the new addition! It'd great to reach out and ask questions, and totally normal to worry so don't apologise 5 weeks does seem very young! As Amethyst said, babies will always be skittish at first, especially such young ones, and this sounds like perfectly normal behaviour. Although 52g does seem a bit light - is the breeder reputable? I'm not very knowledgeable about baby weights though, and have never owned a hamster that young before. Perhaps somebody else has some insight here. In terms of taming, the bath sessions are great, and often taming works better out of the cage. I would recommend spending time around the cage for a while, talking to him and just getting him used to your presence (as you are doing), attempting to pick him up at this stage will probably frighten him and so a good method to remove him from the cage is to put a treat in a mug, allow him to venture inside and bring him out that way. You can then do a bath taming session, allowing him to run over you without having to pick him up at all (i would do this in short 10 minute stints at first, but regularly - every day if possible). This is often a good way of slowing down the taming to a pace that works for him, and then in a few weeks (or when you feel like he is more comfortable around you) you can start putting your hand in the cage, encouraging him to take treats from you etc. You may be able to tempt him to the edge of the cage with a treat, and this is a good non-threatening way of bonding, without invading his space too much! He is very very new, and young, and taming can take weeks or months so don't lose heart, this is normal and you are doing everything right by being patient! Another thing to bear in mind is to minimise cage cleaning, just limiting it to spot cleaning and only doing big cage cleans when absolutely necessary - which is a good way to get him comfortable with his new environment. Hamsters like things to stay the same generally, as change is stressful! I hope this is helpful! Good luck with the little one Maybe when he is settled we can see some pics!