Meet Harry

[HarryHamster]

Hi guys,
I am new here and I wanted to introduce my baby Harry. I got him on 13/05/2015

I am wanting any tips you can give in taming him as all he does at the moment is sleep, eat and drink. Is this normal? My Syrian Chase passed away last week and I really needed a new friend, cause I miss him so much.

Here he is eating in his food bowl and sitting in his wheel.

[cypher]

Hi & welcome to the forum :)
Congrats on getting Harry he's really gorgeous! :)
I'd give him a few days to settle in before you think about taming, start with the tissue trick if you haven't already (putting a tissue up your sleeve for a few hours then putting it in the cage so he can get comfortable with your scent) talk to him a lot & give him some time. He'll probably get more active once he's made himself at home & feels nice & safe to come out to play more.

[racinghamster]

Hi HarryHamster and Harry! Russian dwarf hamsters can be hit and miss temperament wise, but most will settle fine and allowing Harry to settle in and get to know you just by talking to him, spot clean around him (rather than doing full cage cleans too much as this unsettled them) and let him be part of it. Let him tell you what he wants and be patient.

Sorry for your recent loss of your Syrian hamster Chase. Harry will hopefully fill that empty space in your life. x

[HarryHamster]

Thank you every one for the kind words and helpful tips, I have done the tissue trick and he took it straight into his bed. Fingers crossed we are starting to bond.:p

[Thin Lizzy]

Hi HarryHamster and Welcome to HC.
Your Russian Harry is absolutely gorgeous! Gorgeous markings!

[HarryHamster]

Thanks Thin Lizzy, I have started taming and he is loving attention. I tried him in his ball today, first unsure wanted out so I took him and reassured him. Two minutes later he loves the ball and is going crazy around the room.:D

[Josie]

Hello HarryHamster and Welcome to HC, Harry is such a cutie, love his colour :cool:

[DrKMcK]

Hello HarryHamster and Harry. Welcome to the forum! Harry is lovely. As the others have already said, it's early days, so give him time to settle in. :-)

[cypher]

Sounds as though Harry is settling in already, I would be very cautious about putting him in a ball though as dwarfs feet or legs can get quite easily injured in balls.
Could you try making a play area with some toys, you could just use a large deep box or buy a wire playpen for him to run around in, it makes it easier for you to interact with them too rather than them just running around in a ball.

[DrKMcK]

By the way, it just occurred to me...Harry Hamster! The same name as the food! LOL :-D

[HarryHamster]

Thank you Cypher for the tip, I won't put him in the ball from now on, I am going to build him a play pen. I don't want him to get hurt. Yes it was my Syrian Chase who passed away named him.

[Thin Lizzy]

By the way, it just occurred to me...Harry Hamster! The same name as the food! LOL :-D
It clicked with me but, I kept thinking at the time that the name Harry Hamster sounded familiar lol!

[HarryHamster]

Hi guys

Just wondering anyone can give a tip to find a wee corner? At the moment trying to find Harry's wee spot is finding a needle in a haystack.

Thanks

[cypher]

Wait & see is about all I can think of lol! A healthy dwarf really doesn't pee much at all & it can take them a little while to settle on one spot but once it's established you should be able to find it when you need to.

[HarryHamster]

Thanks Cypher I am also training him not to bite too, with the no command and gentle blowing. He did well today we had lots of strokies :p

[Thin Lizzy]

You're making good progress and keep at your ham's pace.

[HarryHamster]

Just an update about Harry, he only nibbles sometimes but usually a happy, fun loving, energetic boy. I find he doesn't like to come out much, but goes crazy in his wheel. He is quite active most the time of the day and night.

Also a bit of news I am going probably get a syrian hammy at the end of November.

[HarryHamster]

Just a little picture of Harry 10 weeks

[Piebald]

Aww he looks very snuggly in that pouch.

[cypher]

Cosy ham :)

[HarryHamster]

Thanks cypher and Piebald, he loves that pouch. He had his first spot clean out and he rather enjoyed helping me out and he now stands up if he wants a kiss on the nose. :p

[DrKMcK]

OMG...Mega cute. He stands up for kisses on the nose! I Love it! :-D