chinese dwarf won't leave her house

[akmatulic]

Hi,

So I just got my first hamster 2 days ago, and it's a Chinese Dwarf Hamster. The guy at PetSmart told me to let her be for 2 days so she can adjust, but for some reason she barely leaves her house. She was in it all day yesterday, and today. She even sits there when she's awake and doesn't move. The only time she left was when I turned off all the lights so it was pitch black. Then she even only left her house for like 30 minutes. I know that Chinese Dwarf's are really shy but I'm not sure if I should be concerned or not. It's the first pet I got by myself and I really don't want to mess anything up so I'm getting paranoid about all these little things haha. I was hoping to start taming her tonight and no matter how much I try talking to her she won't leave the house. I don't want to scare her, so can anyone tell me if this normal behavior for them and what I should do? I'd appreciate it! Thanks

[racinghamster]

Hi and welcome. Especially to Chinese hamsters, good choice! First things first. Very few hamsters will be settled within a few days in a new home/cage, so you really need to be prepared to wait and be very patient to get the rewards. With a Chinese hamster, you are probably looking at a few months at least for the hamster to be totally chilled. But in the days and weeks to come, you should only speak to her and don`t force any unwanted attention on her as this will just turn a positive into a negative result.

Have you read through this section? It really would be worth your while to read all or most of the threads in this particular section as most Chinese owners (old and new) will have posted here for information on a number of issues from diet, caging, handling and taming. That word taming is a little broad, because I don`t believe any animal should be `tamed`, but allowed to show it`s own character. Sometimes this will mean the hamster will tolerate you really well, sometimes they just don`t become 100% tame and will nip or prefer to be handled just for very short periods of time.

Chinese hamsters like to have a sleeping house/box without a floor as they love to tunnel downwards and make a round nest. They also like to climb, but the cage should still be safe and not too high. They should not be fed any treats with sugar/honey/syrup or molasses or fruit, apart from a small thumbnail piece of apple which is beneficial and they enjoy a few times a week. A sprinkle of dry porridge flaked oats will also be enjoyed, as will millet spray sold for caged birds.

My advice as always to first time Chinese owners, is step back, allow the hamster to settle in and never rush them. Hope this helps a little but there are many other posts to catch up on.

[hamsterhelper]

Originally Posted by racinghamster

Hi and welcome. Especially to Chinese hamsters, good choice! First things first. Very few hamsters will be settled within a few days in a new home/cage, so you really need to be prepared to wait and be very patient to get the rewards. With a Chinese hamster, you are probably looking at a few months at least for the hamster to be totally chilled. But in the days and weeks to come, you should only speak to her and don`t force any unwanted attention on her as this will just turn a positive into a negative result.

Have you read through this section? It really would be worth your while to read all or most of the threads in this particular section as most Chinese owners (old and new) will have posted here for information on a number of issues from diet, caging, handling and taming. That word taming is a little broad, because I don`t believe any animal should be `tamed`, but allowed to show it`s own character. Sometimes this will mean the hamster will tolerate you really well, sometimes they just don`t become 100% tame and will nip or prefer to be handled just for very short periods of time.

Chinese hamsters like to have a sleeping house/box without a floor as they love to tunnel downwards and make a round nest. They also like to climb, but the cage should still be safe and not too high. They should not be fed any treats with sugar/honey/syrup or molasses or fruit, apart from a small thumbnail piece of apple which is beneficial and they enjoy a few times a week. A sprinkle of dry porridge flaked oats will also be enjoyed, as will millet spray sold for caged birds.

My advice as always to first time Chinese owners, is step back, allow the hamster to settle in and never rush them. Hope this helps a little but there are many other posts to catch up on.

Totally agree. I have had my latest Chinese for about 2 months now, and she still spends a lot of time curled in her house without floor, and she is so tame! She eats out of my hand and loves being handled, but when she is in her cage, she just likes to spend all her time in her gingerbread house, or her main house, or her yellow tunnel, i guess it's just the way Chinese hamsters are.

[Clairealex]

Hello

Racinghamster has given you absolutely excellent advice regarding Chinese! I've had my little guy for two and a half weeks now and we're nowhere near being cuddly yet. I've allowed him to go at his own pace. He seems to get brave for a day, be timid the next few days, become a bit braver again, then back off for a bit. Some days I don't see him at all as he just doesn't want to interact with me. But the two times he has climbed on to my hands has made this very slow process all very worth it. Let your ham learn to trust you. Show then you can be there and cause them no harm or force them to do things they don't want to do. Your little one will slowly realise that you're a nice safe thing! Eric was a rescue with a traumatic start though, so you may find your wee one settles easier.

Also, I recommend finding a treat your little one loves and using that to hand feed whilst chatting. I've found my Eric loves peanut. If using fresh foods, make sure you introduce tiny bits very slowly to avoid upset tummies. I've discovered Eric loves red belle pepper and spinach so far. He's not a fan or broccoli.

As RH said, chinese are diabetes prone so avoid all sugary extras. Use a decent mix in it's entirety (if you're in US I've heard Hazel Hamster is one of the only ones with no added sugars. This is called Harry Hamster here in UK!) and treats such as mealworms, peanuts, pumpkin seeds and millet will go down a treat.

One more thought: Chinese love hidey holes. Do you have places in your cage for your little one to feel safe if she comes out to explore? With Eric, I have about 20cm substrate, tubes buried and above substrate, a log hut, rock cave, bridge, teepee house and logs dotted about. He often goes from one to the other when moving about his cage. He must feel safe being able to hide if need be.

Also, as a racinghamster says, there are loads of threads with great info here. It's helped me loads! And just for timescale: I have a little Russian dwarf who's now about 13 months old and came to me at 6 months. He took a full 6 months to become tame. He's my best wee bud now. And his species are supposedly much easier to take than Chinese's! So patience is key and don't give up on her if you start to think it'll never happen!

[akmatulic]

Thanks a lot for the advice guys! I will definitely try all of what you said and give her her space.