body language

[msdemi]

Hi I was wondering if there is a comprehensive thread on Syrian hamsters body language

[Bertiebobbins]

I've not seen a thread but this reads pretty well

Hamster Behavior

[cypher]

I don't think there is a comprehensive thread here either but there are a few key things to be aware of.
Ears held up generally alert & happy, ears down, nervous or unwell.
Excessive face washing, often seen during the early stages of taming/bonding, nervous.
Sudden emptying of pouches also a sign of fear or nervousness.
Hunched body usually indicates ill health.
Other than that I find body language is usually fairly easy to interpret.

[Bertiebobbins]

The other thing is noises - my hams are noisy squeakers so it's no surprise to hear quite a wide range of noises from them, but generally noises from a hamster = something bad if it's not something they usually do.

[cypher]

Sounds can be a bit harder to judge, I think unless it's obvious screeching you have to get to know your ham to figure that out, if you can!
I forgot to mention freezing, another sign of fear or being startled, too, probably a bit obvious but it can be a bit disconcerting when you first see it as they appear totally oblivious to everything, if they do this I always find it best to just talk to them quietly & slowly move may hand close to them until they snap out of it.