Hey, I'm new!

[PurpleGaia]

Hey I'm new here, I recently brought home my Syrian Coco and I've been wondering about some of her behaviours. She hasn't touched her wheel in the four days she's been home which I know is normal but it's also slightly worrying, also she hasn't chewed any of her toys and she spends a lot of time in her tube. She's eating and drinking fine and she will take seeds from my hand but I was wondering if any of the more experienced hamster owners could give me some advice. Thanks :)

[pinkneon]

Hi and welcome!
She may still be very scared. My hamster didn't touch his wheel for about a week when he first came home!! She could also be using it at night when you are asleep - put a bit of bedding on the top of it and if it is still there in the morning you will know she hasn't used her wheel. Also, it is best to leave her alone completely to let her settle before you start taming her. Some hamaster need a week or two!

[PurpleGaia]

Thanks for the advice, I think the tube is her hiding spot, I just hope she doesn't decide to make her bed up there because she's quite a large Syrian and I don't want her getting stuck.

[cypher]

Welcome to HC & congrats on getting Coco.

As pinkneon says she may be too scared to use the wheel especially when you are around but do check it's spinning freely just in case she can't use it.
A lot of hams won't chew things that are meant for chewing! You could try giving her a whimzee/antos dog chew as most hams love those.
If she's sleeping in her tube I would remove it if you can, it can get very unhealthy for them if they sleep, stash food & pee in a tube, even just sleeping in there can cause condensation build up which isn't healthy for them.
Give her a nice house as an alternative, a cardboard box with the bottom cut out & a door cut in one side with lots of shredded toilet tissue will make a good alternative if she doesn't have another house.

[Coco61]

Sound advice from cypher. If you follow this and give her time to settle things should improve. If the cage has tubes, do you know which one it is?
BTW - she has a great name!! Pix please!

[caitlinr222]

Hi and welcome! I'm new to this site too, but I've had accounts here in the past. As everyone else has said, she's probably just frightened of you now that she is new. Give her a week or two and she should be just fine. I agree with taking out the tube. I have a tube made of this hard cardboard a breeder gave me a while back that my hamster absolutely adores. He also loves chewing on it. Tubes are dangerous unless they are a material that doesn't condense as is said above, so I'd recommend removing it and finding a better material perhaps a hideaway.

[PurpleGaia]

Coco has three different houses to sleep in and the cage is a hamster heaven, and I don't think she really sleeps in there, just eats and chews or lies in it. Also I couldn't resist calling her Coco because of her colouring, also thanks for all the replies and hello :) to give her a little more background I found her at a local pet shop and she's five months old, her pervious owner had to move house and sadly sell her hamsters but I'm glad I found her.


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[caitlinr222]

She looks absolutely beautiful. Give her a kiss from Caitlin and Aspen! <3

[Coco61]

Keep a close eye on those tubes and the 'penthouse' then. I have an HH and so does my adult daughter. Neither of us use the tubes or penthouse but customised the interior instead eventually taking out the shelves and pods too. That is fun to do when you can't resist buying stuff on good internet sites! I upgraded to the bigger barney cage after 6 months but my daughter still uses the HH.

[cypher]

Ditto what Coco said!
I have a HH too & have never used the tubes penthouse or levels, I find it a much better cage without them.

She is a gorgeous colour, what a lovely girl!

[PurpleGaia]

Keep a close eye on those tubes and the 'penthouse' then. I have an HH and so does my adult daughter. Neither of us use the tubes or penthouse but customised the interior instead eventually taking out the shelves and pods too. That is fun to do when you can't resist buying stuff on good internet sites! I upgraded to the bigger barney cage after 6 months but my daughter still uses the HH.

Ditto what Coco said!
I have a HH too & have never used the tubes penthouse or levels, I find it a much better cage without them.

She is a gorgeous colour, what a lovely girl!

I just couldn't resist her face, and I did have a problem with the penthouse when I first put her in the cage, the tube turns were a bit too tight so I ended up removing it, although she hasn't quite figured out how to climb the bars I'd need to wait to take off the tubes just so there isn't two holes in the cage, but in a few weeks or so I plan of getting a detolf and making a cage out of that as she is quite large.

[Coco61]

Did you get the cage new? If so, you should have been supplied with two plugs that fit in the holes if you remove the tubes.
She is a lovely girl, quite irresistible little face I agree!

[PurpleGaia]

Did you get the cage new? If so, you should have been supplied with two plugs that fit in the holes if you remove the tubes.
She is a lovely girl, quite irresistible little face I agree!

I did buy the cage, but it was about 4 years ago or so I've lost the box, but I did try to take the way up to the tube off but she somehow ninja'd her way up, I suppose she won that one. :D

[SirLawrence]

Wow she is absolutely beautiful! She looks like a little bear in those photos!

I was also worried about everything when Lawrence first moved in, what he was doing, what he wasn't doing, why he was or wasn't doing something! I was so anxious about it all and Im sure he was just going about his hamster days and nights without a bother!!

[badwolf]

Oh she really does look like a little bear! Gorgeous <3

[Thin Lizzy]

Hi and Welcome! Aww Coco is so blooming gorgeous!