Please can someone advise?

[GreySyrian]

Originally Posted by LouHam

Yes I did take my hand out which I don't know whether I should've been a bit braver and left it there? She bit me on Monday, the day before yesterday. Thing is it bloomin hurt and it was more reactionary than anything! She still take treats from my fingers but if I'm honest I've lost a bit of confidence now

When Dandi bit me it felt like a hard pinch and stung for a bit afterwards, not sure if this was similar or if yours was worse. I'm having the same issue, you kinda loose trust in them anticipating the next time they'll nip. I was at P@H the other day (window shopping at it's best) and got talking to the girl who worked there, she was saying how in her experience the hamsters can sense if your worried and are if they sense that they will be more likely to bite. I guess we shall just have to learn to trust them and with any luck we'll avoid sore fingers/hands!

Have you tried to bath tub method? I'm currently having short session of putting my hamster in a bath (with toys/towel on bottom) eventually your meant to get in 'with' the hamster but I'm having to work on my confidence in her too. Put my feet in once and she came right beside them and started biting the towel .... couldn't have taken them out quicker haha!

* After a bit of reading I learned your not meant to take your hand out (quickly at the very least) as it teaches them your hands a threat and biting you will make you leave them alone.

[Jen250]

Aw, I went through this same thing with the tubes on my cage when I first got Hubble. I have the Savic Sky, which is very similar to the Hamster Heaven. He was nesting, hoarding, and peeing in the tubes, and it just wasn't very healthy, so I had to remove them. He seemed a little upset at first, but he settled in not long after. It's better in the long run to prevent it from happening, I think. Plastic tubes aren't a great place for a nest.

[LouHam]

Makes sense really and yes it was exactly like that! I haven't tried it yet because we've moved her so much and upset her in such a short space of time I'm thinking she can have the next couple of days to have the house completely to herself and then I will start things like the bath tub method! It's hard to tell yourself they won't do something when you know it's a very real possibility!! ��

[LouHam]

I'm hoping that Milly settles quite quickly too, I'm going to leave her be but she's worrying me now. A couple of times she's climbed the bars to the opening and then fallen off ��

[Coco61]

Fresh water and food in the bowl before leaving tomorrow will be fine. I would leave the cage entirely alone for cleaning until you return. Then spot clean the pee area. Poo is dry and does not smell at all so just leave it alone. Some people just pick up the scattered pieces during a spot clean. I have two sputniks hanging in the cage and Mocho seems to poo there so I take them out every now and then. The stuff in his nest I leave until a partial clean. I think people just assume they ought to clean out more often and it is not necessary.

[LouHam]

Originally Posted by Coco61

Fresh water and food in the bowl before leaving tomorrow will be fine. I would leave the cage entirely alone for cleaning until you return. Then spot clean the pee area. Poo is dry and does not smell at all so just leave it alone. Some people just pick up the scattered pieces during a spot clean. I have two sputniks hanging in the cage and Mocho seems to poo there so I take them out every now and then. The stuff in his nest I leave until a partial clean. I think people just assume they ought to clean out more often and it is not necessary.

Excellent thank you

[Coco61]

Just read your last post. Falling is a worry. Make sure she cannot fall on a corner, toy or anything that could hurt her. Best thing is to have good deep substrate for a soft landing.
Hopefully she will work off her energy on her new wheel.

[LouHam]

Originally Posted by Coco61

Just read your last post. Falling is a worry. Make sure she cannot fall on a corner, toy or anything that could hurt her. Best thing is to have good deep substrate for a soft landing.
Hopefully she will work off her energy on her new wheel.

There's a fair bit but I'll shove some more in - it's right by the shelf which I can't really move - no corners as such but she hasn't done it for a while so hopefully she's given up on it now

[Amys_Mum]

You've had some excellent advice on here, but I wanted to also say that when we first got Harvey (in a Ferplast Laura so tiny compared to the Hamster Heaven!) she was fine until I cleaned her cage, top to bottom, throwing everything out and putting all fresh in. She reacted by promptly setting up home in the tubes, blocking them up every night and me unblocking them again in the morning. She kept her food in there, and went to the toilet, so the food was wet and smelt, plus the wee leaked out of the air holes in the tubes so I was finding yellow patches over the carpet where it dripped! Luckily I found Hamster Central and was able to put things right!

[LouHam]

Well it looks like she is still talking to me

Looks like she's now having a nap out in the open bless her heart