Faster than the speed of light!

[Taze1992]

Hi everyone,
I've just got a new hamster after my previous hamster bashful sadly passed away.

I'm having trouble with the new hamster, named Doc, as he pretty much is as fast as the speed of light. I'm completely unable to handle him and I'm not familiar with this at all.
Does anyone have any advise on how to slow him down?

I'm very concerned as unfortunatly he is far too quick and has nearly got away/injured himself two times now. Luckily he shaved them both and is still perfectly fit and healthy!

I'm concerned that I'm not the right owner for him at all but he did seem very different in the pet store when I seen and handled him.
Is there a possibility he would slow down after a while?
I've had him for a week now and been talking to him every day he's very comfortable in the cage and with me stood watching him but just isn't easy going or relaxed out of the cage.
I'm contemplating taking him back to the pet store but don't want to do this as I want him to have a nice home, I'm not sure I can provide what this little guy needs

xxx

Any help is great, thank you

[Bailey]

Is he a Roborovski dwarf hamster? (Robo) They are super fast, but that's normal. Most Robo's never get overly comfortable with being held like other hamster species can, although some do. Could you post a photo?

When you take him out, make sure you're sitting on the floor in an enclosed space, like the bathroom; just in case he gets away or jumps. He may be scared of your hands, but you could use a cup or a scoop of some sort to gently take him out, then put him in your lap.

Does he have a good wheel? He may just need some time to get used to you, or maybe he just isn't going to be the cuddliest hamster, and that can be perfectly ok too.

[racinghamster]

Hi Taze, you have posted in the Chinese hamster section so I`m presuming Doc is a male Chinese hamster? If he is, Chinese hamsters are typically shy and will require a set up with lost of hidey holes and places where they feel secure. They also love to climb but you need to make sure any barred cage has no wider bars than 1cm. Tanks are safer, but may not give him the same enrichment that a barred cage would.

Anyway, apart from the cage, it sounds to me as if he just needs plenty of time to adjust and settle. Chinese hamsters respond to gentle attention but they are very lovable normally. Changing species can be an eye opener sometimes if you were used to having another hamster species. Chinese hamsters are more like mice in many ways.

If you can give a little more clues as to why he`s being to aloof and flighty? It might be a good idea to handle him inside his cage and only do so when he`s fully awake and attentive. There is a YouTube video I can link to about taming a Chinese hamster, so if you want to see it, just ask and I will link to it.

[Taze1992]

Hi, sorry he is a Chinese hamster silly of me not to say. My previous hamster was also Chinese but Im thinking they just have majorly different personalities.
At the moment Doc is in a mini duna I do have a ferplast kios but was worried as he is absolutely tiny. At the moment he has a total of three large hidey holes, like houses and logs etc, with a few tubes as well. He has a UFO spinner, not sure that's what its called, the 6inch one which he does run on I see him on it often and you can hear it through the night.

Im feeding him silvers dwarf special mix with no shrimp. Before he was on pets at home dwarf mix, at first I thought maybe this food just perks him up way too much lol.

At the moment Im treating him as I did my previous hamster when I got him, so I use a very dark tube and he walks in there happily and due to his speedy nature and a lack of box atm Im popping him in a ball which perhaps is the problem? I am working on getting a box as then it doesn't matter if he does run for training because he cant harm himself or get anywhere.
If you have any other ideas instead of a box that may be more accessible im all ears.
He doesn't bite or anything he just doesn't seem to like being out of the cage, he lets me stroke him now which is progress.

Thank you for your time xxx

[Julia9290]

I think you are treating your hammy well! They all do have different personalities... Please put a different number of X...

[racinghamster]

He is very young still so that could be one of the reasons for his activity level! The Kios cage is bigger and has very narrow bars, so this would be a really nice cage for him when he`s settled a bit more and you want him to have more space. Chinese hamsters love climbing and because they are good climbers, they do appreciate having a barred cage as apposed to a tank style, although I kept my adult female in a Gabber Rex, I plan to keep an adult male Chinese is a two tier Imac Fantasy at some stage. Very tiny Chinese are safer in a tank until they fill out a bit though!

If you use the hamster ball to just get him out, that`s fine. But if your using one to close him in to run around, I would advise not to. Purely because Chinese hamsters are shy, timid and nervy and placing him in a small round contraption could be causing him anxieties, but as said, if it`s only for transportation reasons, that`s okay.

I only allowed my female to play for short periods on the bed with me once she actually expressed an interest in hopping into a pocket hammock and wanted to come out for a bit, otherwise, she preferred to be in her own domain, her cage.

Sounds as though Doc is just still a little excitable but he will settle with time. I always say to people to try and slow things down and not be too keen to see their new hamster as not compatible with what they expect. Most of the time, it`s just because they do have different personalities and need time to adapt. x

Edited to say: The Burgess Supahamster Dwarf mix is a nice mix for Chinese if you ever run out of Silver`s mix.

[Taze1992]

Thanks for your answers guys.

I really appreciate the help, and it does just seem like I should give him more time to settle in and hopefully he'll like seeing me a little bit more than now
x

[racinghamster]

I`m hoping my next Chinese hamster is a little more active given that I will be using an Imac Fantasy cage set up so he will have more floors to climb about on!

[Kirsty1987]

I have a chinese female and is very quick and energetic when i get her out i just make sure she has somewhere to hide if she gets scared normally this involves her hiding in my clothes or under my hair but she is much calmer as she has somewhere she can run and hide makes her feel safer.
We have her out on the bed for about 15 to 20 mins each night unless she seems very skittish then we just leave her be until she wants to come out. It took a few months for her to settle but she is much better now and i don't have to scoop her up i just put my hands down and she runs towards me and leaps on.
Every hamster is different and i love it because you never know what to expect even if they are the same species they are all different personality wise

[racinghamster]

What Kirsty said is very true of Chinese hamsters. Once they `become` tame and settled, they are gorgeous little hamsters to keep. And the hiding in safe cosy things is what they excel at! Clothing being one of their favourites!