What could have spooked my hamster??

Cheekster · 11-20-2014, 05:43 PM

Ted, my young Syrian really worried me tonight. I bought him a brilliant high sided playpen last week and he seemed to love it. I put a different wheel in it and various toys and he has seemed so happy in it the last few nights. He's not even tried to escape lol.
Tonight something seemed to really spook him. I put him in (he was wide awake and his usual busy self) and he first started grooming and then he went behind his wheel and hunched over very still for several minutes (I might be wrong but it seemed like he was cowering). I offered him his open ball but he would not budge, just stared wide eyed. So I picked him up very gently and put him back in his cage. He was so placid and seemed frozen with fear. Once in his cage he went to his nest and sat there kind of quivering. I was so so worried, I was checking on him every 5 minutes but after half an hour or so, he got up and had a drink and some food and he seemed absolutely fine, and was actually begging to come out again.
Now with hindsight this was a mistake, but I thought I'd try him in his pen again, and got the exact same reaction. I'm so confused. He loved it yesterday and I can't work out what is frightening him. Any ideas??

Btw, he is fine again now, swinging around his cage, happy as Larry 😊

BrainGirl · 11-20-2014, 05:50 PM

It could be anything really. Their hearing is so much more acute than ours that he could be hearing something far away or outside our range of hearing and we would have no way of knowing about it. Then there are his other senses, his whiskers can pick up tiny vibrations or changes in airflow. So...could be anything really

Then again, he's young and they can overreact so...could be nothing!

Shannonmcn · 11-20-2014, 05:51 PM

My previous syrian had that same reaction when I came home smelling like dog once. I had to air out the whole room, get changed and shower before she would come near me again. Have you changed anything in the room with the pen recently? Is there anything new with a strong smell? It doesn't sound like he's reacting to something he's seeing.

Cheekster · 11-20-2014, 06:04 PM

I cooked a curry!! Now you mention strong smells I think that could be it. I know hamsters can't have spicy food but it didn't occur to me that the smell could worry him. My husband was eating his tea in the same room when I put Ted in his pen.

Shannonmcn · 11-20-2014, 06:08 PM

How hot is your curry?!

If he's okay tomorrow when the smell is faded then that's pribably your answer!

Cheekster · 11-20-2014, 06:21 PM

I hope so. Thank you Shannon and braingirl for taking the time to answer me. They're sensitive little souls aren't they? I'm still new to all this hamster responsibility lark, and the brilliant advice on her has helped me lots ��

BrainGirl · 11-20-2014, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shannonmcn

How hot is your curry?!

If he's okay tomorrow when the smell is faded then that's pribably your answer!

LOL! That must have been some spicy curry

Cheekster · 11-20-2014, 06:42 PM

Lol my curry does put hairs on your chest ��

Thin Lizzy · 11-20-2014, 07:51 PM

Hey cheekster or should you change your name to Curryster lol!
You say it puts hairs on your chest, have you checked Ted's chest? Ha-ha!
I had to reply to this cause about a month ago, my nextdoor neighbours cooked a curry and it was stinking,
The stench out in our close had my eyes streaming and retching bile, and even though all windows in our close were opened - I insured my flat windows were closed, I used couple of plug ins in my hall, shut all my doors and went about my usual routine with hammies. Archie poked his head out his igloo, ran out and ran back in again and started packing up his igloo gap with all his bedding.
Weird - right?
But not Twinkle she came out and stood on her back legs like a meercat sniffing the air and looking around, it was so cute and funny, she was like that for about 15 minutes.
I have found that as Archie gets older his reactions to smells and sounds are more deeper than before.
Twinkle is just over 3 months and is so nosey!

P.S. I do like curry but, this one that my neighbour had made was stinking! I had thought a stink bomb had gone of at first, even a couple of days later there was still a whiff of it.