Just got my first hamster home!

[SammieHammy]

I just got my first hamster and brought her home, right now she is exploring her new home. Must say my experience in the pet shop was a bit stressful. The sales assistant while very lovely and knowledgable was trying to talk me into to getting a dwarf hamster, i had my heart set on a syrian and had done lots of research and felt quite put on the spot.

He was saying that I wasn't going to like a Syrian as they bite and forget who you are and you always have to re tame them as opposed to the dwarfs and was talking about wet tail a lot. I went with my heart anyway and got a lovely little cream and white Syrian female.

We haven't been home long but Im yet to see her drink, i have the savic hamster heaven and am using the bottle it comes with but it falls out of the holder due to heaviness unless i put it on an angle….which causes it to leak? any suggestions?

Also how much is too much bedding? I'm concerned iv put way too much in ?

Thank you for the help guys brand new hammy mummy!

[Shannonmcn]

Congratulations on your new little friend!! :D That shop assistant is obviously just biased (or stupid), that's absolute nonsense about Syrians being biters or forgetful. Maybe they have dwarfs they need to get rid of before Christmas or something!

I have a hamster heaven and I've never had a problem with the water bottle falling off, it's pretty secure. If you rest the nozzle on a horizontal bar and clip the bottle in near the top, that's as steady as its going to get i think. If you post a picture we could maybe see what the problem is?

You can never have too much bedding! She's going to love burrowing into it and kicking it about the place :) the hamster heaven has a nice deep base and I usually put as much in there as I can fit.

[Thin Lizzy]

Sammiehammy, that guy in the pet shop is a stupid idiot and shouldn't have put you on the spot.
I have always had syrians and they are such brilliant pets, make sure you let her settle in for a few days before you attempt to touch/hold her. Talk to her and use her name and let her get use to your voice.
As for biting, all hamsters will bite if they fell scared or spooked.
You can never have too much bedding and especially with the winter, it's good to give more.
As for the water bottle, is there anything you could use to prop it up/support it?
Have you decided on a name?

[SammieHammy]

Yes he was also being quite rough with her and put her in a second box and just let it fall in to the second box. You could hear her thump inside against the other end. I put some double sided tape on the inside on the holder and its now firmly in place so hopefully that will be ok?
I have her in the living room at the moment should i move her? My partner was saying its no noisier than the pet shop but i thought id ask you guys.

I made the mistake of holding a twig out to her that had fell through the bars and as she took it off me she let out a screech. I hope i didn't upset her. Ill make sure to just leave her to be.

I really need help with a name here are the ones i like.
Penelope
Amelie
Willow
Fawn
Alice
Blossom
Lavender
I love harry potter so i had to sneak at least one name in their.
Ill try and post a picture!

[SammieHammy]

http://i.imgur.com/8fFuf76.jpg

[SammieHammy]

http://i.imgur.com/VLEPKVu.jpg

[Shannonmcn]

Lavender is a lovely name! Though after watching the half blood prince yesterday and seeing how ridiculous they made the character I'm not sure I would use it ;) Im going to put in a suggestions for Luna, because she is wonderful! :)

That shop guy sounds like a moron, I'd avoid him the next time you're in. So long as she can't get to the tape to nibble on it that should work, my Ceecee is always getting her whiskers caught trying to chew on the tape I use to secure the lid of her exercise ball.

If you have somewhere quieter for her to settle in it will probably be better, leaving them completely to themselves (apart from food and water) in a nice quiet place for the first 3-4 days will stop them getting too stressed out in a big new scary environment and risking wet tail. Once she's a bit more used to you you can think about moving her into the living room but a bedroom or a quiet office or something might be best for now. Don't take offence at the screech, she's just stressed and nervous. I'm sure all of us have been scolded at some point :)

Edit: just saw photos, what a beautiful colour she is! :3 and yeah you can put waaay more bedding in than that in the future but I'd leave her as she is for now.

[cypher]

Congrats on your new ham!
Forget everything you were told in the pet shop & just enjoy your new friend
I have one of mine in a hamster heaven & totally fill the base with substrate, you really can't have too much!
I don't use the water bottle that came with it so I can't really help with that but I would say always try to have at least one spare water bottle in case of problems, I always use the basic cheap bottles, they fit to the bars easily & I don't have any problems with them.

Just give her time to settle & don't move her cage around, decide on where you want to keep her & she'll adjust to the sounds around her. Don't worry about frightening her with the twig but do leave her to get used to her surroundings for a day or two, apart from feeding & putting water in the bottle just talk to her for now.

[Bec]

Congratulations on your new addition, she is lovely.

I echo the comments already made above, give her a few days to settle in, talk softly to her and use this site to read up on the taming process which may help.

Look forward to seeing how this little one settles, and once you have decided on a name, think about doing a thread for her.:)

[SammieHammy]

Oh boy is she a bar chewer! i was talking to her as she chewed on the bars and once again she gave a wee screech. Not sure if she's just having a wee chat or perhaps doesn't like my voice. mind you she squeaks to herself as she goes.

[Shannonmcn]

She doesn't know your voice yet, in time she will associate it with treats and attention, I wouldn't worry :) Ceecee chewed on her bars quite a bit when she was settling in, it could be just a stress thing and she might grow out of it once she settles. Since she's only just moved in its probably not from boredom but that's something you will have to watch out for in the future.

[DrKMcK]

I think all the bases have been covered for a newly homed hammy. Congratulations on your new furry and Welcome Home Beautiful hammy. I also adore Luna from Harry Potter. And, considering how light colored your sweet fluff is, like the moon...Luna would fit. LOL
If you give it a day or so, her name will come to you. :-D

I also agree that you can't do too much bedding. Hammies love to bury themselves.

[Thin Lizzy]

Sammie what a beautiful home and a beautiful hammie.
She screeched cause she's not use to you but, that'll change over the next few days.
I use the water bottle that you put in the bars and I prefer it and it costs a couple of quid at P@H, plus I agree with cypher that the cheaper water bottles are the best and to always keep a spare.
I would keep her in the room you plan on keeping her in, this way she'll get use to the different noises and volume quicker!
You'll probably find she'll screech a bit more over the next few days but, when she does, talk to her and give her a little treat.
I love the name Penelope!

[Jeir]

Congrats on your new furball. ^_^

With the waterbottle....taping it in place? Wha? You can fit it pretty well on the outside of the cage, and the holder+bars keeps it secure. I put mine on the same side of the cage as the green platform (food and drink in one area), where the bars go vertically. If you bend the wire holder and put it on top of the side of the cage so there's about 4 bar spacings between them, you can rest the spout on the top horizontal bar and the wire holder can be slipped over the top and holds it snugly in place. Doesn't slide around at all, and is a good height for big or small hamsters. =) As for the leaking, make sure the spout is in properly, and you're filling the bottle completely; air in the bottle when you fill it can cause it to leak, but otherwise the Savic bottles are great (all three of my hams use the ones that came with their cages).

Also, as has been said, don't worry about screeching. For the first few days, my current Fluffy screeched almost every time I went near the cage, or move around my room (first out of many hamsters who did that). He soon calmed down and now he likes cuddling. =)

[SammieHammy]

Our lovely girl is named Penelope! Penny for short, we are so chuffed with her she is very sweet and we love her company. She still goes in bar chewing frenzies at the moment but it is day three. Today i held out a treat and she came and happily took it from my hand multiple times. She is oh so gentle about it as well taking them carefully from my fingers. Im looking forward to the next step of the taming process but must say am afraid of the inevitable bite :S

[POLAR WHITES]

congrats on your hamster, I hope she is settling in now, I would take no notice of that sales assistant what he was talking about was rubbish, pet shops I have found don't offer the best advice most don't even know what they are on about, Syrians can nip as can dwarfs and I wouldn't worry about wet tail just worry if that happens and we will help should you ever need it, Syrians are great pets I have owned all the species and its Syrians my heart stays with each one has her/his own personality and wont forget who you are nor will they need constant taming only if they are left to themselves and not cared about does that happen, she will get used to your voice and come when called in a little while, also she will get used to your smell and know you wont hurt her, best of luck with your little one,

[DanniDorrito]

Hey Sammie,

Congratulations on picking out the lovely Penny! The shop assistant really doesnt know what she's talking about btw so I wouldn't pay too much attention to what she has said. Every hamster has its own unique personality and you will come to find they are unique and individual in every way. Some methods you used on one hamster may not work on another, which is why you will find such a variety of advice on certain subjects.

If you are interested in any tips I'd highly recommend dog 'milk bone' biscuits if you can get a hold of any. My Syrian loves them and they keep him distracted from bar chewing, they have been one of the main reasons he keeps from the bars. Hamster need to chew because their teeth are constantly growing, like every rodent. So they need lots of things in their cage which they can chew. My hamster wont touch wood or cardboard like some would, so I've had to stick with food based chews like hard dog biscuits. They have done wonders for me :)

Another thing I'd recommend if you have the space is getting a sand bath for your ham. If they learn to use the toilet in their sand bath it makes cage cleaning a lot easier! My Syrian loves his, he will spend the majority of time outside of his bed sitting in his sand bath cleaning and eating some of the food he stashed there. For sand you can get chinchilla sand (not dust, its too much like powder) or children's play sand which has been heat treated to remove moisture and make sure its sanitized.

Hope this helps, I wish I knew about the dog bones to begin with so maybe it will be handy for you too!

[Pygmypuff]

Haven't quite had time this morning to have a good read through your posts but will later - I just wanted to congratulate you on your new hamster! I hope you feel proud that you're making another little furry life better.

Good luck on your hamstery journeys! I hope taming is going well!

[Thin Lizzy]

So glad you called her Penelope, It suits her!
Don't be afraid of her biting, hamsters can sense if you're nervous so take your time with her and enjoy this experience with her. You'll be fine!

[Pebbles82]

Hello. We got our first Syrian this year too and I can relate to a lot of the issues - I have had loads of help and great information from here. I also had an awful lot of problems with water bottles - especially as my cage has narrower bars than the hamster heaven and our syrian was very nervy of the noise the bottles made when put in and out. I tried 3 or 4 different types of bottle and this solution worked best for me

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00MHS775Y?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

It's not cheap at over £10 plus the postage is high because I think it comes from Germany, but those little mouse bottles it comes with are great for a Syrian - I refill ours about every 3 days and I only half fill it and don't screw it up too tight - this makes sure they can actually get water out (I had one bottle that failed and that was scary as they can die if they can't get water). It leaks a tiny wee bit when not screwed tight but it works a treat, no problems fastening things to cages. Not sure where you would put it in a hamster heaven though, if you have both the shelves in. Maybe you could leave one shelf out - ours liked the shelf with the slide, house and dish in it. I put a potty tray in the corner of that shelf with potty litter in and he would pop out of the pod house, use the litter tray and then go back in the pod house.

The other freestanding bottle and stand is from Germany (Cypher has this one and I ordered it as a spare). It's from the German site Rodipet so everything is in German, but it works out slightly cheaper (the price is in euros) and I've found their postage very reasonable and delivery quite quick - it's only coming from Europe. You can use google translate to help work out what's what on the website, but if it's too much hassle it might be better to get the first one. The first one I found the wood a bit smelly to begin with so left it a few days for the smell to wear off before putting it in the cage. The rodipet one didn't smell. I'd get the taller rodipet one for a syrian or she'll get a crick in her neck!

Häuser Rodipet® Tränke - Rodipet® Heimtierzubehör Shop (http://www.rodipet.de/shop/haeuser/rodipet-traenke/)

I would also get some spares of those little mouse bottles as my first one didn't work. They are quite cheap. I got them from here for just under £4 including delivery.

Classic Deluxe Mouse Water Bottle 75ml: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003ERMPXG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage)

These mouse bottles also might fasten to the cage easier as they aren't so big and heavy, if you don't want to fork out for a stand. Maybe I'm just cack-handed (probably) but I just couldn't get on with trying to fasten the bottle each time! I also tried the ferplast sippy but Hamster just ignored it - didn't like it at all!

I think the first two weeks she will be a bit scared and feel like escaping, which is probably why she is bar chewing, but that might settle down.

When you say bedding - do you mean the substrate (shavings or whatever on the bottom) or do you mean the paper bedding they make a nest with? Either way, you can't really have too much. With substrate - as much as possible, as others say - it gives them a soft landing if they fall and they can dig tunnels in it too. With paper bedding (I get the bags of white paper strips but some people use torn up white toilet paper), just put two or three handfuls in so she can make herself a nest with it. The nest is really important - it's their safe place where they can feel cocooned and hide from the world, so it's also important to try and not disturb this when you clean the cage, unless it is wee soaked or something.

Anything you put through the bars she might see as an invasion of her territory, hence the squeak. Please don't be nervous about biting. Our Syrian has never bitten once. When he was nervous at first he might jump or twist his head to see you off, but he has never once bitten. I found a hamster ball and or a cardboard kitchen roll tube were great for getting him in and out of the cage at first, and we used to tame him in the dry bath with the plug in until he got used to being handled. Just a little stroke now and then at first until he got used to it, and then cupping him underneath and letting him go till he got used to being held. But yours might be used to being handled straight up.

I would just say - calm. Ours was in the living room from day one and we have the tv on, cooking and all sorts, but he was fine with that. What helped was a routine - coming out in his ball once a day, so he got used to coming out on a regular basis. The only thing I ever held through the bars was a treat - anything that comes towards them that isn't food, they see as a threat (especially anything coming from above). For some reason tubes are ok - I guess because they see it as something safe to crawl into.

I'm glad you are enjoying your lovely little Penny. Be calm around her, talk in a low calm loving voice and she will pick up the vibes. Give her some 'space' to settle in and explore her home and try not to change anything for the first couple of weeks (except the water bottle!) - don't clean it out or anything, although you could replace the odd handful of substrate if it gets stinky. Let her out in a hamster ball for 15 minutes max if she starts chewing the bars - she will get used to knowing she can get out sometimes. Have fun! They are all different personalities and you will get to know hers. It takes a couple of weeks for them to adjust to a new environment. Once ours was settled in he was quite happy in his cage and didn't even want to come out! It's normal to be nervous about being bitten, but she will pick up the nerves and get jumpy herself so try and hide it and stay calm and relaxed - just make sure she is over something soft and low (a cushion or something) in case she tries to jump out of your hand. Or do the bath thing like we did until she is used to being held.

Hope this helps! I picked it all up on here!

Ps - the best thing I found was this potty litter tray. I put it in straight away and he started using it straight away. It's great - the cage never gets smelly and you just tip it out and refill it once a week.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00178PJ3M?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

Put it in the corner where she wees and put a bit of the wee'd substrate in so she can smell it's a toilet! I use the potty litter granules - some people use Chinchilla sand. The granules attracted him to it so it made it easier to become a habit, but they can be dangerous if eaten. Charlie only tried nibbling them once the first time and didn't like it so he doesn't do that, but if she is a ham that tries to eat it more than once, I would use something else.

[SammieHammy]

Wow guys thanks so much for all your help, its been so lovely knowing your all just a message away!
Penny is settling in nice looks nice and healthy and is very active. She has a bit of a cheeky personality which is a good laugh. I took out the tubes and penthouse as penny was peeing in them and spending all her time up there. Now iv got a lovely big wheel she seems to be biting less on the cage but every now and then she goes into frenzies for hours. Iv been taking her out via the little tunnel and putting her back in the same way. I can pat her when giving treats but she runs away when i try to pick her up by cupping underneath. Patience i suppose. I did get one nasty bite which has left two wee holes in my finger and a surprising amount of blood haha.

I was just letting her sniff me and instead of pulling away like i usually do left it linger for a bit to long and *ouch* those are some sharp teeth.

I gave her a wee taste of rocket tonight iv been trying to find out wether i can let her try a bit of a tomato next week some sites say its fine and some say its not safe? what do you guys say? Also I'm not certain how much of her food i should be giving her. When it runs out i fill the pink bowl about half way or a bit less?

Sorry for all the questions, thanks so much! xx

[Skeever]

She sounds vocal, which is always fun. Screeches are generally fear/back off!!! sounds, like screams. Or anger or being really upset. Given she has just moved to a new world surrounded by new things? She isn't screeching all that much, and it sounds like her way of saying I may be small, but don't mess with me....I am Hamster, hear me ROAR!!! And KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF MY TWIGS!!!!!! :D

[Thin Lizzy]

Hey Sammie, sounds like you've been making progress with Penny, ahh the 2 hole hammie bite and blood, been there and I had to use 3 plasters to stop the bleeding.
The amount of hamster food to give her is 10 grams, it might not sound a lot but along with vegetables and other treats it's enough.
Personally I wouldn't give mine tomato, why not try cucumber, celery, yellow peppers, carrot, sprouts, broccoli, green beans, mangetout, cabbage or spinach leaf.