Quote:
Originally Posted by Ria P
Hamsters are all so different with their own little personalities. I have a hamster who was tame and unafraid from day one and another, a rescue hamster, who was scared of everything and everybody at first but is now a tame and confident hamster who swings around his cage to get my attention.
It is generally recommended to leave a nervous hamster alone for a week or two to give them time to settle in but to keep talking to them so they get used to voices.
My scared hamster I left alone for nearly two weeks but kept talking to him and offered a treat through the bars when he came to the front of his cage. I also put tissue paper up my sleeve for a few hours and then put it in his cage torn up so he became familiar with my scent. I changed his food and water when he was asleep in his house because he was scared of hands. Once he became less stressed i started to stroke him lightly while he was busy eating and then slowly moved on to taming sessions outside his cage.
I didn't worry about spot cleaning for the first two or three weeks and an appropriately sized cage with deep substrate doesn't need cleaning for the first couple of months or so.
Many hamsters use a corner toilet filled with sand to pee in which forms clumps and can be scooped out and poops aren't anything to worry about.
What species of hamster is Penelope?
It is very early days and with time and patience, i'm sure she'll learn to trust you.
I had expected for my very scared hamster to need two to three months before he trusted me, if at all (he had been wrongly treated previously) but he was tame and confident in just over a month.
The fact that Penelope comes towards you already, is a very positive sign. I would show her the treat and when she's not brave enough to get it, leave it for her or drop it in her cage.
Paperbased substrates like Carefresh or Kaytee clean and cozy (more economical when bought as 85l bags) shouldn't irritate the skin so the itching is more likely down to the fact that Penelope is a new hamster in new surroundings.
Keep in mind that your patience will be rewarded.
|
Yes, I think I'm going to leave her alone for a few more days and as you say just talk to her a bit. I've been dropping the treats into her cage just as you say and they're always gone when I go back to check
I just changed her water and food whilst she was sleeping so I didn't stress her out with my hand being in her cage. She is a Syrian and hopefully in time she will become more confident as your hamster did. The idea of the tissue up the sleeve is a great idea, will definitely try that! I actually just ordered her a toilet and sand as I've read lots of hamsters do actually use it to wee in and enjoy the sand.
I'm quite out of practice as I haven't had a hamster since I was a teen- about 7 years ago! I've found that lots of things have changed such as recommended cage sizes, having lots of substrate in the cage for them to burrow in and wheel sizes etc. Penelope was quite an impulse buy and although I had been thinking about getting a new hammy for a while I definitely hadn't done enough research so her cage is slightly under the recommended size and I'm not sure I'll be able to leave it that long without cleaning it? I've just bought a large storage bin to make her a cage (didn't know these were a thing until I researched
) which is 555 square inches which should be a lot better so when she's settled in more I will be transferring her into that cage and she can then have a deeper substrate too. I'm guessing it's probably best to leave her in her cage she is in at the moment for a while before putting her in the bin cage as I don't want to stress her out even more?
Thanks so much for all your help and ideas!