[Pebbles82]

They can get quite stressed by noise like construction work, and a change of environment - generally they don't like being taken out and about and even a trip to the vets can be stressful - which is probably a shorter amount of time.

And he's only young and just settling into his new environment at yours.

So probably now is to let him settle in well. Change of environment can even be moving his cage to another room and that can cause some stress as well.

So best to keep the cage in one place - if you've found a good place for it, and maybe go back to a settling in routine for a while, plus give him healthy treats and extras to perk him up a bit and maybe for some extra calories.

A settling in routine is usually - that you leave them alone for 2 or 3 days and dont' clean or change anything round in his cage for the first two weeks. If it gets a bit whiffy you could spot clean the pee after a week - if he's got a pee corner in the cage that's easy to see. That's just taking out a handful of pee'd on substrate and replacing it with another handful.

But basically don't do weekly clean outs - if you've been told to do that - that always stresses them and it isn't necessary if you get things set up well. I go 3 to 4 months before changing the substrate and just do other bits and pieces as and when needed. It's our human instinct to clean everything at the same time but for hamsters it's better to always have something smelling familiar so partial cleans are better.

So the key is to have plenty of depth of substrate - the more there is, the longer it stays clean. And use a litter tray. I get the corner ones and put chinchilla sand in it. They will use it and then you only need to empty the litter tray once or twice a week and the rest of the cage stays clean and dry. They will use it if you put it in the place where they've chosen to pee - usually a corner of the cage. Younger hamsters sometimes pee in their nests at first as well but tend to grow out of that.

Ideally you should always leave their nest and hoard and not remove them They are very precious about the nest and hoard! If they're pee'd on then obviously you have to - but not every day. The key then is to always leave something smelling familiar so try and leave a tiny bit of old nest that's dry behind and replace any hoard you've had to remove, wiht handful of new food in the same place.

Our current Syrian was only 97g when I got him and I thought that was very low weight. I thought he must be just a very small Syrian - but he hadn't finished growing. He is now 157g four months later! Part of that is not just him growing though, it's him flourishing - he;s happy with his cage set up and environment.

So diet is another important factor. Is he getting the right nutrients? Some hamster mixes are very poor and hamsters need a lot of protein in their first year of life - to help them put on muscle. So a mix needs to contain 18 to 20% protein.

You can't go wrong if you get Harry Hamster as it includes everything needed and has the right protein levels. Then supplement that with a tiny bit of fresh veg daily - they love that and will eat it all and not hoard it - it can be something for them to look forward to. About 1cm cubed size. Eg cucumber or broccoli are favourites. But just a tiny bit.

Initially just give the veg every third day till their stomachs adjust or they can get diarrhoea - then after a week or so of that you can start giving it every day.

I also give an "extra" or treat every few days - maybe half a walnut or a few pumpkin seeds scattered in the cage - they like foraging for things scattered in the cage, so they can have normal behaviours.

Just reading back - as you've only had him 17 days, he probably hadn't quite settled into his cage environment to feel at home, before his trip out and the scary noises!

So give him the settling in period again perhaps. Give him lots of nice hamstery treats (things like sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, half a cashew nut or walnut - unsalted). Maybe the occasional blueberry or bit of strawberry if you happen to have some. Keeps life interesting!

If he shows signs of wanting to come out you could let him walk into a tube or hamster ball and carry him to a safe area for some out of cage time and hand taming - that can be a slow process the first couple of months, Eg set up a playpen area or use the dry bathtub with a couple of toys in.

Meanwhile just talk to him through the bars so he becomes familiar with your scent and voice. Everything is new to him. Usually after two weeks being in the cage, without upheavals or changes, they visibly seem more confident and self assured.

Weigh him weekly and you should see his weight improving. He's just a baby still really.

An easy way to weigh them, without stressing them, is if you have those flat electronic scales. Just put them out in the playpen or bathtub with a smelly treat on top (eg cucumber). Zero the scales after adding the treat. The hamster should just walk on and sit there eating the treat and you can check their weight while they're on there for a minute.