Concerned about my Trembling hamster???

Michele4Mouse · 10-11-2005, 04:32 PM

I adopted my long hair syarian hamster Skittles back in August. He was 4 months old when I got him, the shelter said that he was a stray. I work with him everyday, however he still is quite shy and timid. I've noticed that he shakes when I hold him. I can feel his little body tremble, it worries me that he is so scared that he is going to have a heart attack or something. I think a vet trip would freak him out. Other than the shaking, he eats, drinks and sleeps normaly. Why does he do this? Can I do anything to help him? Should I take him to the vet?

Here is a photo of Skittles.

SnuggleHam · 10-12-2005, 04:40 AM

Hello Michele4Mouse Welcome to Hamster Central!

Your Little Hamster Skittles is just adorable. Now, concerning your issue. It sounds to me that Skittles is just nervous and shy. Is he acting normal besides when you take him out? Has he lost any weight, his he eating and drinking normally, playing normally at night when he usually wakes up? If he is still acting normal then my guess is that he’s still a bit timid and I suggest you take your time with him.

How much do you try and regularly handle him? When you do, how do you take him out of the cage? It may be a good idea to start training him again by going back to the stages where you gently talk to him and offer him goodies and get him use to the scent of your hand..

While on the topic of hands.. Do you have any other pets, and do you wash your hands before you handle Skittles? The strange smell of another animal may be causing the reaction.

Another thought; It may possibly be just from excitement! Could it be possible the hamster is just happy to be out and about? I know that my Syrian tends to feel a little shaky and it a bit jumpy when out of his cage, but he runs around like a little roadrunner, his eyes bright and ears alert.

If skittles were showing sighs of illness besides just some mild shaking then I would take him to a vet. Placing him on a box or carrier with bedding from his own cage, this will help him with the stress of the ride. Also covering the carrier so it nice and dark.

Michele4Mouse · 10-12-2005, 12:24 PM

Thank you for your help.

I take Skittles out to play once or twice a day. I started with just a few mintues a day, now I'll have him out for about a half hour or hour. It does seem like the more I have him out to play, the less he shakes. I hold him with two hands cupped around his body. He seems to prefer being held that way, otherwise he is very quick to bolt. When I talk to him he seems to listen.

Skittles didn't know how to use the wheel in his cage when I first brought him home. Now he has learned how to use it and loves to run on it.

I do have a male mouse, Jasper housed in the same room as Skittles. Their cages are compltely separeted from one another. Skittles's cages are on a table, Jasper is on a shelf. I'm always careful to wash my hands well before & after handling each of them.

Here is photo of my rodent room I'm talking about. Skittles's 3 cages are on the table, Jasper's cage is on the shelf unit.

After I clean his cages, I'll change the tubes around to give him new things to explore. He loves the hiding spots behind the wheels.

**pophammy** · 10-12-2005, 12:35 PM

Wow!! What a fantastic set-up your hamster has! And he is sooooo cute too!!!!! Half an hour is quite a long time for a hamster to be out in one session. If he's not comfortable with it maybe you could give several shorter sessions throughout the evening? Does he still shake a the end of his session or just at the beginning? You seem to be handling him well so just persevere and he should settle down!

Michele4Mouse · 10-12-2005, 01:39 PM

He seems to shake almost all the time. It is not noticeable until I hold him and feel his little body tremble. I'm not sure what happened to him at the shelter or before I had him. I think someone may have abused him and that would explain his nervous behaviour. He has always been very jumpy. Whenever I walk into the room, he will bolt into one of the tubes. That is his safety zone. I'll talk to him and offer a treat, after a few minutes he will come out to see what treat I have for him. If anyone else goes into the room, Skittles will bolt into the tube and not come out until they leave.

Our house is fairly quiet, there are no other pets in the house other than the ones in my signature. He does not seem to have lost any weight, in fact I think he gained a bit since I've had him. I really need to get a scale.

I will go back to doing 5 and 10 minute play times like I did before and see if that helps. I don't want him to be so scared. I was going to try one of those round play pens that sit on the floor. What do you think of those? I don't think Skittles would like one of those hamster balls. I think he would be too scared to enjoy playing in it.

**babyboos** · 11-02-2005, 10:54 AM

How is he behaving now with reduced length of playtimes? Is he learning to trust you a little more. I do hope he is.

Michele4Mouse · 11-02-2005, 02:27 PM

Yes, Skittles is doing much better. Thank you.

He seems to shake a little bit when I first take him out. Once he runs around a bit, he is fine. I got him some chin sand to play in and he really loves that, like a kid playing in the sand box. I put the sand in an empty pie tin and have that inside his play pen. (a plastic bin about 130 quart size) So the mess does not go everywhere.

**babyboos** · 11-02-2005, 02:49 PM

Yes the sand does tend to go quite far but it is worth it to see them enjoy themselves so much

It is quite humbling when we feel our little one's heartbeat through their feet I imagine it must be very scary indeed for them and this makes me love hamsters even more that they do learn to trust these huge pink creatures (us)

Michele4Mouse · 11-02-2005, 02:57 PM

I can only image what Skittles may have gone through being a stray pet. (If that's what really happend to him) A little hamster out there all alone with so many cats out on the loose or other natural enemies. He is lucky to be alive and healthy. That must be so scary for such a little critter. I think Skittles is doing a great job trusting me, he has come so far. I'm very proud of him!!!

Michele4Mouse · 12-01-2005, 03:35 PM

Here is a current photo of Skittles. He is a happy little boy!!