He has a lovely tank. To add photos you need to resize them. And new posters can't upload photos straight away I think, only after a certain number of "posts" but posts withi one thread count I think, and I don't think it's that many needed. I'm not sure how to resize photos on an ipad - there are apps but I find them fiddly on my phone. It's easy on Windows. Probably easy on the ipad if you know how. It is the file size that needs resizing. I've used one called Crop size.
First thing - the 12" silent Spinner won't fit in that cage. Is it too late to cancel? The 12" silent runner won't fit either. An 11" wheel will fit and a good option is the Trixie wood wheel from Zooplus - 28cm. That really needs painting with Plastikote though so it's wipe clean and doesn't get pee stained or stinky. Another option is the plastic 28cm trixie wheel which is very popular. Also sold on Zooplus.
I agree that the strange noises on the way home were probably fear. He is just a baby! They get scared very easily at first.
I don't think anything sounds that abormal. They do funny things. It sounds like he hasn't quite adjusted to his cage yet.
One thing that can make them be a bit like that is if you have done full cleanouts weekly or more often. That sort of stuns and confuses them and unsettles them. Some hamsters will get very stressed and chew bars. Some more placid types will just go a bit stunned. And he can't chew bars in a tank
General advice is usually don't clean the cage for the first two weeks while they're settling and scent marking and making it their own/finding their way around. After a week you could just "spot clean" the pee area (they often choose a corner of the cage) by taking a handful of pee'd on substrate out and putting a new handful in and mixing it in a bit so it still smells a bit like a pee corner (just slightly!) and is familiar. Better still put a litter tray in that corner with chinchilla sand in it. First time put a little bit of the pee'd on substrate on top of the sand so he knows it is still his pee corner. He should use it. Then you can empty the litter tray every few days and the rest of the cage stays clean and dry. He's had about 10 days in his cage now so should be more settled and looking happy and exploring. So I'm wondering if you've cleaned out or made changes as that will set him back. If so, start again from scratch.
Leave him alone for a day or two apart from putting food out. And then don't change anything or clean anything in the cage for two weeks.
The exception to that is, before you start the two weeks, adding something to make it a bit more enriched for him. They accept things being added better than things being moved or taken away. So adding more substrate often goes down well (ideally you want at least 4 or 5" deep - more like 6" is better - especially with a tank). When you have more substrate, the cage doesn't need cleaning as often, especially if you have a litter tray.
That tank has a thing where you can slide the glass up to clean out, which might tempt people to keep the substrate lower. I'd ignore that and just spot clean from the top.
So 6" minimum depth of substrate, add a litter tray and I'd second adding a bigger house. If a house isn't big enough they either don't use it or don't settle with it. The house should be a nesting box really. A shoebox is ideal but you can buy good houses as well, with separate compartments for nesting, litter tray etc. But a shoebox house is fine. You cut the base out of the shoebox, keep the lid as a lift off roof and cut a hole for a door in one of the long sides - near one end. It is then open underneath and sat directly on the substrate. This means they can burrow down in the substrate and bury hoards under the nest, and build a really big cosy nest - so it encourages normal behaviours. I would put your bendy stick bridge over the door as well. That makes it dark inside (they need somewhere dark to retreat to) and it also makes a ramp on to the roof of the house. You could put the food bowl on there maybe.
A little house with a solid base will need cleaning out a lot. Removing their nest and hoard upsets them a lot.
So adding substrate and a bigger house/nesting box would be a good move, and a litter tray. It should then stay clean and dry and you can just occasionally "spot clean". ie take out the odd handful and replace it - but I find that rarely needs doing if they use a litter tray. You can go 2 monhts or more before needing to change the substrate like this, which reduces stress on the hamster a lot. Even when changing the substrate, don't clean anything else at the same time, and it's a good idea to keep back some of the old substrate that's clean and spread it on top of the new,so it still smells familiar.
You can clean any other items as and when needed and the wheel a different week. That way something always smells familiar. It isn't just familiarity - they scent mark everywhere to claim it as their territory and also create scent trails to help them find their way around - they don't see well. So removing all of that means - they are lost and stunned! And don't feel at home.
The other important thing is nesting material. Assume you know fluffy bedding is bad. The safest nesting material is plain white toilet paper, torn into strips. A big heap of it somewhere in the cage. The hamster will pouch or take some to build his nest. If he has a new big house added, he will almost certainly move in within a day or two and build a big nest in there.
You can leave the nest alone for a really long time - unless it's pee'd in. Baby hamsters sometimes do - it takes a while for them to get better toiletting habits - they'll use the litter tray and have the odd "accident" in the nest as well! You can take the roof off occasionally (not too often) off the house to check inside. If the nest does get pee'd in you will need to remove it, but always try and leave a bit behind - a dry bit - and put out another pile of toilet paper strips. They soon learn not to pee in the nest as they don't like the disruption!
Likewise with the hoard, I leave it unless it is pee'd on. They tend to only hoard dry hamster mix and it is fine left if dry - until you come to the substrate change in a few weeks - then I "prune" the bottom part (their hoards can get quite large) because it's oldest, but leave most of it. If you do have to remove pee'd on hoard, always replace it. Put new food back in exactly the same place - or they get quite stressed and see you as a thief!
Their nest and hoard are their most particular things. They tend to eat from their hoard mostly. The food they take from the bowl tends to be hoarded and they "snack" in bed when they feel like it.
Chew sticks are also important - to help keep their teeth in trim. Rosewood naturals do some good ones and Whimzees in the mini size are popular too. If you get the whimzee toothbrushes you can stick sunflower seeds between the "bristles" and they have great fun getting them out and eating them.
Taming tends to start slowly. Before you put the toilet paper bedding out, put a few sheets of it up your sleeve or down your bra, and leave it there for a couple of hours, then tear it into strips and add it to the cage (not actually in the house, just somewhere in the cage - they like to forage for it). Then your scent is on it and it will help him familiarise with you.
For now just talk gently to him through the cage regularly. He'll get to know your voice and your presence and it will help hand taming later. Talk often - chat to him. Like most animals they respond to tone of voice and know if you are nice or not!
The coconut hide out is a good idea too. Our hamsters love sitting in theirs because they're round. I'd add a large house first though or he may try and nest in the coconut.
One thing that is a good idea in a tank is adding a platform. It is somewhere for them to go and something to sit under (they like sitting under a shelf and grooming). And a good place to put any hard or heavy items that would sink in the substrate if tunnelled under. Also a good place for a food bowl.
There aren't many options for platforms on legs to buy. Getzoo does some great ones. I've used theirs before. Or you can make something - just a piece of wood and glue some dowels on for legs. some people make platforms out of Ikea Knuff magazine racks (I'll link some examples below). I think that might take up too much space in your tank though, with a wheel and large house as well.
If funds allow I'd get one of the getzoo ones like this.
https://www.getzoo.de/getzoo-ecketage-32x22x21cm-links
It won't take up too much space at one end and they're designed to fit in tanks. It's 21 cm tall so leaves a good gap under the shelf if you have 6" of substrate. Then you need something as a ramp when it's that high. I used a cork log next to mine as a ramp, which doubles up as a tunnel and an interesting texture to climb over. This one from rodipet is good. It's the right size for a hamster cage. Makes a large tunnel, a good ramp (they just climb up the side of the log if it's next to the platform or partly under it).
Be careful looking at the Rodipet site! They have some very nice hamster houses and they're not cheap. One of our syrians has the labyrinth house and the other has a 3 room house. They really love a large-ish house that is dark inside so they can have areas for nesting and hoarding.
So I would suggest adding enrichment to make it have more levels and textures and a dark nesting box house.
I'd spend the money on the platform and the log rather than on a house and make a shoebox house instead, and add more substrate - and get a litter tray and chinchilla sand. If he moves his pee corner inside the house - when he has a larger house, you can just put the litter tray inside the house - they do that sometimes if the house is big enough - ensuite bathroom!
I'd add more substrate and a shoebox house now, then give him that couple of weeks without any changes or cleaning apart from spot cleaning the pee once a week at first. And talk to him
And then add the other items.
This is the litter tray. I get the JR Farm Chinchilla sand from Zooplus.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trixie-Corn...072796&sr=8-18