New dwarf hamster who's absolutly petrified

[Lexie_Gians]

Hi, I just got a winter white dwarf hamster (probs a hybrid), and I've been noticing how terrified he is of everything.

I have a 50 gallon tank with 9 inches of bedding, different substrates, chews, multiple different types of hides and a 8.5 inch wheel.

I have only had him for 2 days now and this could just be my anxiety but I've noticed my hamster, Foo's, peculiar routine which consists of him coming out of his corner burrow at around 2am (where he spends his entire day), only about twice in the day and night to eat and drink, not even run on his wheel. He just spends the day and night in a corner burrowed.

My concerns
- I cant spot clean because he never leaves his little den long enough for me too get the soiled bedding.
- He is very unactive and I'm worried he might be so stressed its impacting his daily life.

I got so worried today, the 2nd day, that he was sick or escaped so I moved a bit of the bedding to find where he was, accidently waking him up and sending him into complete panic screaming at me, and I tried having him go on my hand so I can give him a quick observational health check but he was so scared he wouldn't go near me, I tried for about 30 seconds before giving up because of how scared and stressed he was. I really do feel bad and I know I shouldn't have woken him up but I am very concerned for his well being.

Should I wait a couple more weeks to see if he eventually acclimates to his environment or do I bring him to the vet asap?? He is my first hamster btw, I'm very new to this so constructive criticism is preferred.

[velma]

Congratulations on getting your new hamster. I'm sure he's adorable. You've only had him a few days so he'll still be settling in. With all that bedding, he may be busy underground so just because he's not out in the open much yet, doesn't mean he's not busy. Having said that, some of my male hamsters have been pretty lazy though...

Coming home is a big change for a little fellow - everything is new so it's perfectly natural if he seems a bit unsettled. His enclosure sounds lovely but personally, I've found with my dwarf hams that a smaller cage/tank with less bedding as a temporary home can help them get used to you quicker as there's less places to hide and therefore less of their home to disturb, before upgrading them. With mine that have come from pet shops, it seemed to help them adjust quicker as they've previously been used to the small shop enclosures so it's been like a stepping stone or them.

Something that can help is the Tissue Trick. Get some cheap white loo roll and pop some up your sleeve or down your top for a while and place it in the cage/tank - it will help your ham get used to your scent and be more comfortable when your hands are near him. If you start talking gently near his home so he gets used to your voice, and gently rustle some bedding when you change his food so he get used to your hand being in the tank without bothering him, he should hopefully start feeling a bit more confident and curious. If he comes out, you could offer him a treat. If you're really concerned about him and want to check him, try getting a jam jar and encourage him to get in that (I put a treat in the bottom) and then you can gently lift the jar and do his health checks looking through that.

There are some great tips in the threads so I'd encourage you to look through the boards for ideas of how to help him settle, as there is no one set way - every ham is different and different methods work for different hams.

But I'm sure you'll get there with a little time and patience.