New fella - Page 2

Tildauk · 12-09-2015, 09:19 AM

We did the tissue trick and I sang to Lois when we first got her - I find it hard to talk randomly for any length so I would sing softly about how happy we were to have her and all the fun times we were going to have, its definitely worked she is super tame now

Pebbles82 · 12-09-2015, 10:52 AM

That's very good of your daughter. I'm an adult and found the wait really hard when we had just got the little fluffball. Definitely take it slowly. Keep talking to him through the cage now and then, offering the odd treat, either through the bars or on your hand, then see how he is. Ours was very untame and I couldn't even put my hand in the cage or he would run at it and see me off! He would walk into a kitchen roll tube though so I would put one end in his cage and the other end in his ball and let him walk into the ball, have a little run around, and then we'd take the ball up to the bathtub and let him out in the dry bathtub for taming. You put the plug in and some towels on the bottom. The first couple of times we let him run around in there with the odd toy or tube. Then our little boy got in the bathtub first and the Hamster would run all over him, so he got familiar with him. (Watch out for escapes at this point in case of running up an arm to a shoulder). We kind of did this a couple of times a week and then one day we could stroke him on the back with one finger while he was in the bathtub and he didn't leap 3 feet in the air or see you off. He jerked his head round. But the next time he accepted it and after that it was like a barrier was broken. We moved on to cupping a hand under him, lifting him a couple of centimetres and letting him walk off again. Then suddenly he was tame and we could pop him in a pocket and pick him up and he was so docile!

Anyway - ours was a tough one to tame - it took a few weeks. I'm sure yours won't take that long. Once he's feeling more familiar with his environment, he'll get a bit braver and more interested in exploring.

Generally handling is best done out of the cage as they get territorial in their cage and 'the hand' comes in and freaks them out.

don · 12-09-2015, 05:17 PM

He spends most of his time in his nest. He's a bit skittish and it doesn't take much for him to head off back to his nest.

We're doing the tissue trick so I guess it's just a matter of talking to him and giving him time.
How long should I wait before trying him in the bathtub do you think ?

**DrKMcK** · 12-09-2015, 05:29 PM

Hello Don. I just got 2 new hammies 11/30. I just started them both in the bathtub last night. I waited a week. One is a dwarf hammie and the other is a Syrian. My little guy also stayed in his house a lot at first, and boy, can he run for home fast! The big boy is braver, but still is very jumpy. The bathtub training should help both relax and not be so jumpy.
When you start, have hammy walk into something. I use a tube from the habitrail cage. I hold my hands over the openings until I get to the tub. It works pretty well for transport, as both hammies would leap out of my hands at the first opportunity.

don · 12-10-2015, 02:21 AM

How long should a bathtub session last, and how often ?

cypher · 12-10-2015, 02:31 AM

Little & often is best, try to stick to a routine if you can same time each day & just begin with maybe 10 minutes, a little more if your ham seems ok with it but stop if he starts to act stressed.

Pebbles82 · 12-10-2015, 02:41 AM

Ours were for about 20 minutes, a couple of times a week. I think it helps them get used to being out of the cage in a safe environment (ie where they can't run away and get lost!) and get into the routine of coming out of the cage. Our little boy desperately wanted to pick Charlie up and hold him when we first got him and it was tough as we had to wait a few weeks. But for some people it happens quite quickly. It's kind of like moving house I guess - you want to get unpacked stock up the freezer and settled in before you have time for normal routines!

I have a little video of one of our first bathtub sessions. We were quite nervous at that stage as you can tell by the shrieks and oohs and aahs and worries (might be best to turn the sound off lol). We thought he might have banged his head when he jumped out of something, but he hadn't it was a plastic toy hitting the side of the bath.

We had a few toys in and hid treats in them. Our little boy seemed more interested in videoing Charlie than playing with him at that time - I didn't realise he was making a video until part way through.

I agree with Dr McK that it is best to transport them in something (we used the hamster ball) until they are tame and handleable, as I tried lifting him from a to b in my hands once and he wriggled, leapt and fell - luckily he didn't fall far and onto something soft, but he did run away and tried to get up behind the gas fire eek! (It wasn't turned on). We blocked that off and he shot behind something else. Took me an hour to catch him lol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IndB6nkeP7k

Piebald · 12-10-2015, 03:21 AM

Oh That vid had me giggling Serendipity lol it was fun to see young Charlie giving you worries

Sorry for the threadjack don. What colour is your fella don?

don · 12-10-2015, 03:52 AM

He's beige. Here he is :

cypher · 12-10-2015, 03:55 AM

He's so cute!