Help

[Kaymcd]

Hey so im new here, I’m wondering if anyone had any advice regarding a very scared hamster, basically we got her fro pets at home 3 weeks ago and when the lady picked her up she was squealing and hissing but they lady said oh she was just scared she will be fine however she is still squealing and hissing a lot at me and at nothing in her cage.. we only brought her out the cage twice to clean it and she jumpes out our hands pees on us and hisses and makes this scream squealing noise, she’s also does this when she’s in her cage alone and nothing is near her she does the same it’s a bit concerning I have phoned up pets at home for advice and they said to wear gloves and keep picking her up but I think she’s already still nervous and scared I don’t want to scare her anymore:( does anyone have any advise plsss

[Amethyst_ice]

Hello,

Im sorry you and your new hamster are havign such a stressful time. What kind of hamster is she?

You said you haven cleaned out twice but had her 3 weeks. Leave any more cage cleaning for a month, she needs to get her scent in the cage and established to her surroundings. Where do you have her cage?

I personally don't recommend gloves as the way a gloved hand feels is different to a bare hand.

Let us know a bit mroe about where you have her, cage and what kind etc and we'll suggest some help. Try not to worry, it is still early days

[LunaTheHamster1]

Your hamster is just very scared right now, If she is in a decent sized cage I wouldn't be cleaning her out for at least the first month, not even spot cleaning, just replenish her food and change her water.

What hamster species is she?

Whilst she is like this I would be leaving her alone, let her get used to her home, give her a few days of silence and no interaction whatsoever. After this if the hissing/squealing has stopped/calmed down then I would start talking to her so she gets used to your voice. If the hissing/squealing continues give her more time and space.

What type of cage is it, if it is a barred cage it's quite easy to offer food through the bars, but I would not be doing this at all until you have got to the stage where she stopped hissing/squealing.

Do keep us informed on how she is going, as we can help with advice/ideas along the way.
Like Amethyst says if you can let us know a bit more about her cage/setup etc then we can hopefully offer more advice/help.

[Ria P]

I have a rescue hamster who was extremely scared when i first got him so i left him alone for a full two weeks, only fed and watered him and didn't do any cleaning at all.

As already said, hamsters need time to settle in and feel safe and this won't happen by removing her scent if you keep cleaning her cage so often.

A hamster needs deep substrate and plenty of hiding places. They don't like to feel exposed being prey animals, that makes them nervous.

With a lot of patience and plenty of time my scared rescue hamster turned into a confident one who is now tame, loves out of cage time and he's a joy to be with. In time, there is a very good chance that your hamster will become confident too and people here will be happy to help you.

You could post a photo of your cage and set up and have a look at the thread "Let's see your cages" on the Forum under Housing to see if there is anything in her environment you could possibly improve on to make her feel safe and settled.

[Kaymcd]

Hey, so she’s a Syrian hamster around 8-10 weeks old when we got her a few weeks ago the only reason why we cleaned her cage was because pets and home told us to clean it once a week, I’m a first time hamster owner so have little knowledge about hamsters... she has red eyes and I was worried that maybe she was blind because she is hissing and squealing in her cage when no one is near almost like she’s scared 24/7 ? I’m not sure pets at home said no she will be fine Syrians are very vocal but I will let her be for a few weeks see if she calms downs, yeah her cage is a wire cage not sure if the sizes but it was one recomened by the assistant at pets at home so I’m presuming it is ok size wise for now but after Christmas I’m going to look into getting a much bigger cage for her but right now I just want her to settle and calm down and feel safe before I switch cages ect, thankyou for your advice tho x

[Amethyst_ice]

Hello,

Red eyed hamsters can have slightly poorer eyesight than black eyed but overall they tend to use smell more to get around so I wouldn't imagine that is the issue.

Unfortunately, minus a few cages, most P@H cages are far too small and this can cause additional stresses. Good wire cages include the hamster heaven (at P@H), Barney & alaska (zooplus), it is generally accepted that 80 x 50cm is the right size minimum.

Weekly cleaning is also too often. You can spot clean toilet areas but if you have a good deep layer of substrate you shouldnt need to clean less that fortnightly and there shouldn't be any smells. Cleaning too miuch can cause distress as it is removing their smells.

Syrians can be vocal but if she is screaming and hissing that isn't quite so normal. Does she do it when nobody is in the room also?

[LunaTheHamster1]

Unfortunately, if it was a cage off the shelf at pets@home it probably is too small for a syrian. Like Amethyst stated they do sell a couple of cages that are more of a recommended size for syrians but these are ordered online and delivered to your or the store for pickup. The savic plaza is also a good sized cage 100x50cm, they normally have these in the sale after xmas.

Yes, hamsters can be vocal, but they make different noises for different reasons, and right now it sounds like your hamster is still very scared and unsettled. I do think with a lot of patience and working with her slowly she will calm down though.

Does she have plenty of hides and a big enough wheel in her cage, you would be looking at a 11-12inch wheel for most syrians, this is so their backs do not bend.

Forgive me if I am telling you stuff you already know, just that you said this was your first hamster.
If you can attach a pic of your hamster cage we may be able to offer other suggestions to try and help your hamster feel safer and more relaxed in her new home.

[Kaymcd]

Yeah so it’s the £45 Xl one at p@h so probs is smaller it was just that they had said that one is what’s recommend so that’s why we got it, I’m looking at the heaven on it’s on their website @£75 am sure, I just didn’t want to move her into a new cage especially when she’s so stressed atm. But then I’m thinking if I can get her the new cage delivered quickly then I can start again and just put her in there and leave her alone let her settle not clean the cage just where she toilets and then after a few weeks try see how she is then.. yeah she makes all the noises in her cage alone when no one is near unless she can smell me out at the other end of the room or when I’m in bed and she’s awake during the night she’s still doing it, I did phone them up and tell them as she was also making these noises when the lady was trying to grab her out the cage when I was getting her but I was told she is fine and she was only making the noises because she was getting disturbed out of her sleep. I’ve held her twice when I was moving her to clean the cage and both times she squealed and peed on me and was jumping away trying to get away it’s just so hard bcoz I want to help her but I know I’m probs going to have to change her cage and she might get even more distressed or scared, she does have hide places she had a wee wooden house with bedding in it she does tend to stay in there a fair bit but still does the noises when she’s alone inside her house it’s really weird I mean she could be totally fine but just scared I just want to make her feel safe 😭