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szam · 09-10-2018, 10:59 AM

Hi all!

I've been a reader of the forum for a long while, but an issue with my hamster has led to me to finally register and ask you all for advice.

My hamster, Esther is about three months old. She's a Syrian, prior to her I had a Russian Dwarf who was the tamest, friendliest little thing and lived to be almost 3.

The issue with Esther is she seems unhappy. It may be me reading too much into it, but I'm worried I'm missing something or not providing her what she needs.

She has always been very stubborn, and not very fond of people. She will come up to say hello in her cage when you are in the room, and she isn't particularly territorial when you put your hand in but she does not like to go anywhere near me or my partner. I have followed steps when we first adopted her, left her to settle for a long while before trying to interact with her. Got her used to my voice and scent, hand fed her treats and got her out for a run in an attempt to gently handle her.

However, she always seems to be in "escape mode". When in her cage, she chews endlessly. I have decked the cage out with lots of boredom breakers (Rosewood ones) which she loves, and apple wood sticks which she now chews instead of the bars (she chewed so much her nose went bald). She has a large, wooden wheel (I forget the brand but it was recommended on here and zooplus). I've had a few incidents where I have opened the cage to feed her, have tried handling her and she will leap from my hand. She doesn't attack or bite, but she would rather jump out of my hand than let me put her down gently.

We have tried using a playpen for her, but again she doesn't spend any time enjoying the toys or activities inside. She will spend the entire time scaling the pen, trying to escape. I have tried giving her free roam in the living room, but she spends the entire time in a corner trying to dig her way out, chewing paintwork and trying to find an escape route. Because of all this, we have been relying more on a ball for her to run around in (it's a rat sized ball, again I found it recommended for Syrians). But even in that, she sits in it and tries to chew her way out.

The cage itself has lots of things for her to do (but not too cramped), and she enjoys digging. It's the Grosvenor cage, 77x47cm. I know this is on the low end of minimum size, and we are looking at getting her a larger one without bars (Zoozone or Duna) because of all the chewing.

Now, I'm worried sick that I'm doing something wrong. We have been trying so hard to get her settled and happy and to enjoy time with us, but she always seems.. agitated. She is showing no physical signs of illness or stress, is eating and drinking well, she isn't aggressive. But I just want her to feel comfortable in whatever space she is in, without frantically trying to escape.

I'm not sure if it is actually an issue, or if it's just her nature. I must admit I was spoiled with my previous hamster, who loved to be held and carried and I could just pop him on the sofa for a run around and he would stay there.

Apologies for the long post, I'm hoping someone may have some tips or insight?

09-10-2018, 10:59 AM
szam Newborn Pup Join Date: Sep 2018 Posts: 6	Constant escape mode? Hi all! I've been a reader of the forum for a long while, but an issue with my hamster has led to me to finally register and ask you all for advice. My hamster, Esther is about three months old. She's a Syrian, prior to her I had a Russian Dwarf who was the tamest, friendliest little thing and lived to be almost 3. The issue with Esther is she seems unhappy. It may be me reading too much into it, but I'm worried I'm missing something or not providing her what she needs. She has always been very stubborn, and not very fond of people. She will come up to say hello in her cage when you are in the room, and she isn't particularly territorial when you put your hand in but she does not like to go anywhere near me or my partner. I have followed steps when we first adopted her, left her to settle for a long while before trying to interact with her. Got her used to my voice and scent, hand fed her treats and got her out for a run in an attempt to gently handle her. However, she always seems to be in "escape mode". When in her cage, she chews endlessly. I have decked the cage out with lots of boredom breakers (Rosewood ones) which she loves, and apple wood sticks which she now chews instead of the bars (she chewed so much her nose went bald). She has a large, wooden wheel (I forget the brand but it was recommended on here and zooplus). I've had a few incidents where I have opened the cage to feed her, have tried handling her and she will leap from my hand. She doesn't attack or bite, but she would rather jump out of my hand than let me put her down gently. We have tried using a playpen for her, but again she doesn't spend any time enjoying the toys or activities inside. She will spend the entire time scaling the pen, trying to escape. I have tried giving her free roam in the living room, but she spends the entire time in a corner trying to dig her way out, chewing paintwork and trying to find an escape route. Because of all this, we have been relying more on a ball for her to run around in (it's a rat sized ball, again I found it recommended for Syrians). But even in that, she sits in it and tries to chew her way out. The cage itself has lots of things for her to do (but not too cramped), and she enjoys digging. It's the Grosvenor cage, 77x47cm. I know this is on the low end of minimum size, and we are looking at getting her a larger one without bars (Zoozone or Duna) because of all the chewing. Now, I'm worried sick that I'm doing something wrong. We have been trying so hard to get her settled and happy and to enjoy time with us, but she always seems.. agitated. She is showing no physical signs of illness or stress, is eating and drinking well, she isn't aggressive. But I just want her to feel comfortable in whatever space she is in, without frantically trying to escape. I'm not sure if it is actually an issue, or if it's just her nature. I must admit I was spoiled with my previous hamster, who loved to be held and carried and I could just pop him on the sofa for a run around and he would stay there. Apologies for the long post, I'm hoping someone may have some tips or insight?