Won't Come Out of His House!

starbug · 04-14-2010, 01:08 PM

Before the clocks changed, Toffee had a nice little routine where he would come out of his house at about 8:30pm and we could have playtime at approximately the same time each night. Since the clocks went forward, however, this has all gone out of the window! Now, he won't come out of his house voluntarily while we are still in the room and I have to coax him out of his igloo with a treat. We have to go to bed at 11pm to get up for work in the morning, so can't wait up for him after that; if I didn't coax him out, he wouldn't get a playtime at all. After his playtime, he then goes back into the igloo, instead of climbing and being active like he did previously. I haven't done anythign differently - it appears to be the time change that messed up the routine.

I know he's active at night because things move around the cage and he appears perfectly healthy - he just seems to have become very unsociable and I don't know what to do about it. For instance, tonight, it took me 10 minutes at least to coax him out, then I usually let him wash and pee etc before taking him out of the cage. Tonight he came out, stuffed his pouches full of tissue paper and food and has now gone back to bed. I'm now wondering whether to try again or just leave him for the night, but I feel cruel leaving him without a playtime. I did leave him for one or two nights to see if he started coming out on his own, but it didn't work.

It's very frustrating because it feels as though we've gone back to square one. I'm worried that my frustration is starting to coming out in my voice when I try to call him out: if he senses that I'm getting cross, it will make him reluctant to come out, but it's difficult not to! I wish I hadn't given him a little house because it's made everything more difficult, but his original house came with the cage and now that he's used to having one, I can't really take it away again.

One thread recently said to take hamsters out of the cage little and often, but I can't do that - if I take him out for 15-20 minutes, he then goes back to bed and I don't see him again. Please can you advise me what to do before I pull out what's left of my hair?!

fluffymunchkins · 04-14-2010, 01:21 PM

how old is he now? Young hamsters and older hamsters sleep more and it just can't be helped!
I'm sorry your fustrated

If it really is lowering his play time and your socialization, then you may have to be a little more forceful. He won't be upseted by losing the house a nice big fluffy nest is just as good. Plus he'll here you coming.
Let him associate coming out with a load of nice things, so hestarts to come out more quickly or even wake up before your even ther.

taylr1996 · 04-14-2010, 01:55 PM

as you have seen before the clocks changed hamsters like routine and i agree with fluffy compleatly you need to wake him up and get the routine back but 1 hour later dont go poking him but like tap on his house or knock on the door lol but then he will come to expect it and will get up with out being asked !

as for me i like dopey to just do what he wants to do if i am up and so is he i will get him out give him treats and such but somedays he comes out for food then goes back in his house and i know he wants me to leave him alone if he does that so you know your hammie the best judge it and tell us what you think !

i hope this helps and keep us posted!

souffle · 04-14-2010, 02:38 PM

Once they are settled hamsters really are predominantly nocturnal and he will be most active at 3-4am likely so it doesn't matter if he goes back to bed.
I would remove the house or use a house with an open bottom that you can just lift off to get him out. This way you won't waste ages encouraging him out with treats.
Take the whole lid of the cage and gently waken him and lift him out.
You can do this during the evening a couple of times but I would say one hald hour playtime is fine.
Once they are used to it they are just fine even being picked out their nests!
Don't wait for him. He will soon fit into your routine and enjoy his out time

Cheeky · 04-14-2010, 03:00 PM

Lila is like this all the time. She is late to wake up - she'd sleep in until 2am if we let her. No amount of coaxing will get her out of bed. I actually reach in while she's in her house and take the entire house out and put it in the playpen! Then I take the top off the house. I know, I'm a meanie. She looks dazed and confused for about 5-10 minutes while she wakes up. Then she will come out to find why she's been transported to Oz, and playtime can begin. She certainly never comes out when we call her. But you have to set the schedule, just like with kids. Pippa had this done to her and now she wakes voluntarily about 9-10 PM. The other option is having playtime in the morning before work.

**Hope** · 04-15-2010, 03:04 AM

Yep I aggree, time to be a bit more forceful with the little tyke! I sometimes have to wake Boris up or he would do nothing but sleep and eat. Try getting him out of bed at the same time each night you get him out and im sure he will soon adjust to the routine.

Humphrey Furball · 04-15-2010, 12:26 PM

They have minds of their own, mine is the same, he gets up when he wants, and sometimes I'm snoozing in front of the TV, only to be woken up by the click-click of his waterbottle! Sometimes I tempt him out of his house with treats, but don't want to go overboard; I found rustling / digging a little among his bedding at the other end of the cage to his house makes him come out to investigate, and if I leave his open ball in his cage, he will often get in then look at me as if to say "come on then, lets get out and rolling!" - different toys seem to make him stay up rather than going back to bed. I think it seems more a case of H training me, rather than the other way around

starbug · 04-15-2010, 12:57 PM

Result! I tapped on his igloo and there was no response, so I took the igloo out of the cage and he walked out a few minutes later. We had a playtime of about 25 minutes and now I've put him back in the cage to groom and have a sand bath - and then probably go back to bed, but at least he's been out. I will definitely do this from now on at a regular time, to get him used to coming out again.

Thank you all so much for your advice. I was spending ages trying to entice him out and last night it took so long that I was getting quite discouraged. Toffee's only about 4-5 months old, so I don't think he's sleeping a lot because of his age. Maybe he's just turned into a lazy teenager!

fluffymunchkins · 04-15-2010, 01:12 PM

lol - like me then!
didn't wake up till half twelve this afternoon today

FluffNoodle · 04-20-2010, 11:12 AM

i let jabba rest went im not home obviosly cant play with him if im not there but as soon as i get home or up in the morning i wake him up and we have play time then he has his nap or he does what hes doing now and fell asleep in his ball on my desk

i usually just pick up his house and pick him up he doesnt try to bite me or anything