[Zuzia]

Originally Posted by Petite

Hi Zuzia, and welcome to Hamster Central. Hope you find us friendly and helpful!

Congratulations on getting your dwarf hamster. Is he your first, and does he have a name yet? Since you've only had him for a week, it's very early days. He probably just needs a bit more time to really get settled; he's getting used to a whole new environment, and the process can't really be rushed
Give him a bit more time, and just let him get used to hearing your voice. He will hear it even if he runs into his nest. You could try tempting him out with a tiny portion of fresh vegetables or some mealworms. He will gradually get to trust you. Dwarfs only drink around 10 ml of water per day, so it's very likely that he is drinking, but his water level will seem to go down very slowly. He could well be eating too, but a dwarf only needs around a teaspoonful of food each day (this is what I feed my fully-grown dwarf) so if you are filling his food bowl it may look as though he isn't eating.

When I brought my dwarf home, she was quite skittish (and still is!) The only way to get to interact with her was to get up during the night when she was busy hamstering, but as she grew she came out more late evenings. Don't worry if your hamster doesn't want to interact with you during the day. My Freya won't either. They're just being hamsters.

Some other things you could try are washing your hands with unscented soap before you put them in the cage, and try not to approach her from above. A hand coming towards them from above can be seen as prey, and they will either run or freeze.

I'm sure someone more knowledgeable than me will be along soon with some other helpful tips. Good luck!

Originally Posted by cypher

Try not to worry too much, it can be a bit of a one step forward one step back process as they settle & get used to you, sometimes I find that their natural inquisitiveness makes them seem quite brave at first then they get a bit nervous again as they begin to feel that the cage is their own territory.
I would just keep talking to him for now even if he seems scared & runs off just spend time gently talking to him for a while.
Try not to put your hands in the cage except for food & water for now, do the minimal amount of spot cleaning if he’s peeing in a regular place but other than that leave things alone for a couple of weeks at least while he settles & gains confidence. Once he gets a bit braver begin to offer some treats again either through the bars or at the door to begin with just keeping your hand still & letting him come to you.
They do only eat a very small amount, is he having the same food he had before you brought him home?
You may not see him drink but it is a tiny amount, probably not more than a teaspoon a day so as long as the water bottle is working ok I wouldn’t worry.

Hi am not sure if it is the same food that he was eating before the guy in the store just said it was the best food for him but don't really like what he has to say qnqowq qqlol because a lot of what he said I've been informed was rubbish lol so any advice is great as I am Tring to make him more comfortable and happy I did write a post below but I don't know if anyone will see it as you don't reply to people and I don't get notifications when people waqnswer me but I don't know how this site works properly yet x