More advice please- Beanie the Chinese hamster :)

[souffle]

We do lift the log bridge up to get ours to come out but only if we want to have the hamster out otherwise they hide if they choose. Ours also like to wheel run a lot though they will often scuttle off and hide when you fist put the light on. Boblet always comes out to his food dish though and he's easy to pick up when he is checking out the new food!
I'd say we clean about monthly and the potty every few days. The more you clean the wheel they more they pee on it so we only do it when it is ridiculous! It's never affected Boblet though and he remains clean, fresh and unstained despite the manky wheel!

[Teddy001]

Does Beanie come out when you uncover him? I was scared I might get bit.. Lol.. But if you think he's not drinking or eating, I'd probably uncover him, just to make sure he's getting fluids and food .. I'm not sure.. I never uncovered Toby.. Maybe try calling his name?

Teddy bit me!! First time two nights ago! It was my fault .. I bought this coconut swing, had just attached it to the ceiling of her cage- started to put bedding in it had the coconut opening facing away from me, I could not see if she was in there- it was a minute that I had attached it- Teddy must have jumped in it when I left to go get bedding-( she knows right away) if anything new is put in her cage-- lol
I stuck the bedding in the opening, and must have scared Teddy, she bit my finger!! Startled me! Didn't hurt or break skin.. Lol

[Teddy001]

Oh- I read soufflés post-- yes, Toby got to know the sounds of the bags of his food bag opening!! He would pop his little head out, when he heard me opening the bags..and would come out, and look at me through the bars of his cage-- they love food!! Lol.. Toby had several pantries and also would eat burrowed under, where he was nesting- I remember Toby was a BIG fan of sunflower seeds and the corn pieces.

[Esmy]

When I uncover Beanie, he seems ok. He slowly climbs out of hiding. I keep my finger behind his head/ towards his back. Might not stop him from biting but at least my finger isn't in front of his mouth. Haha!

I've only seen one piece of poo so far. I know he's eating though. He loved the Ecotrition yesterday and came out to get some Hazel Hamster today. I don't think he'll touch the Oxbow.

He does LOVE his wheel! He seems to lack in stopping ability though. He will go round and round (360) and fall out or gets to the top and falls down. I hope he can't get hurt. It's quite hilarious to watch! He does not like the light on. I dimmed the light a couple nights ago and he came out and ran on his wheel. It's hard on the eyes to use the computer in there like that though.

He hasn't voluntarily let me pet him or touch him. He's sniffed me once. Other than that, he stays in the paper tube when I'm around and tries not to move (unless I put a veggie in there, the he'll nibble at it).

[Teddy001]

Emsy- Toby liked the oxbow- I broke them in half, cuz I noticed he had troubles holding the round pieces- maybe try and give beanie a sunflower seed or raisin from your fingers.. He surely won't be able to resist them.lol.. If he takes from your fingers, gently touch his back.. That's a start at least.. Toby's cage was in my daughters bedroom- she had a light on, but it was a side table lamp.. He got use to having the light on- although it was not bright like the ceiling light .. He also got use to the TV in.. my daughter watched TV and played video games on TV, and it didnt appear to bother Toby.. i had a modular set up for Toby- they are very smart! he knew his way around the loads of tubes and hideouts.. With Beanie I'd do what you are already doing.. Do you think he can smell your other hams? Maybe that's may be contributing to him staying under the bedding..?
I know, I wish hams were born tamed.. Lol.. It won't be long and you'll be holding him..

[Esmy]

I can try breaking up some of the Oxbow. Good idea! I have shelled sunflower seeds that my Husband eats (roasted, no salt) and a huge back of sunflower seeds with she's that I give to the wild birds. Which should I use? I gave him a peanut from a shell but he didn't go for it like I thought he would. Maybe it was too big.

I thought about the other hamsters, but he does come out and play when I'm not around. I walked in at 1:00 am yesterday and hamsters were on their wheels and so was he. The noise might bother him when he wakes up. Those Syrians are loud runners.

[Teddy001]

He's very small- I'd try the unshelled sunflower seed first- I'm thinking he may pouch them- thats what Toby did. He would take them one after another, and pouch them.. Teddy was the most challenging to tame, thus far.. I waited 3 weeks- but up to that point I was offering her a treat every chance I got- while she was up- she wouldn't take a treat from my fingers, for a good 2 weeks- but if I left the treat on her log, she would scoop it up! Lol- after a few weeks of offering, I'd pet her when she looked like she was not scared- it must have been an odd feeling for her to be touched by human fingers- she would kinda flinch-- but did not run away- week 3 I took her out using a tube- she would not come out of the end of the tube if my hand was there- so, I would wear a loose tee shirt, and put the tube on my tee shirt, like make it a hammock- once she came out of the tube to explore, I'd gently and slowly stroke her- that went on for several more weeks.. She was fine with this- didn't appear stressed- she wanted to climb up my clothes- lol- that was I'd say the ice breaker.. I'm not sure if that was the right way of taming her, but it did work well with her. You just can sense if the timing right to go a bit further with taming. .

[Esmy]

Thanks Teddy! I will give the seeds a try. I am hopeful by yours and others's stories that he will warm up over time! I'd be ecstatic if he walked out onto my shirt! Seems like you did a good job with the taming.

[Kiki_3173]

Pippa likes to go at her own pace, which sounds like most Chinese hams. She still won't walk onto my hand voluntarily (without a handful of seeds). She's out early in the morning when I wake up (5:00am) and then wakes as I am going to bed, around 9:30 or so. She comes out when she knows it's treat time and will, finally, come looking for treats from me. She'll climb up to the highest point where her food bowl is, or get on her bendy bridge, sticking her nose up in the air looking for me. She, every once in a while, will run from my voice if she's startled, but most of the time will stay out & about, scurrying from here to there. Most of the time, she has a pretty predictable schedule.

She'll hide (for what seems like about 2 days) after a full clean out (every 3 or 4 weeks), which she is not a big fan of, even if I include some of the old bedding. Most of the time she uses her wheel or her sandbath to potty in, but I find it almost impossible with the Carefresh Natural, to spot clean!

Her most favorite treat has to be mealworms. She'll eat the freeze dried ones, but LOVES the live ones! She loves to run on her wheel and is quite a speed demon.

Pippa is my first Chinese hamster. I've owned a dwarf and a Syrian...both of which were tamed quite easily. So I think I had unrealistic expectations when it came to Pippa (ask racinghamster...I was relentless with taming questions lol) I'm still taking it day by day with Pippa and I don't truly know if she'll ever be "tame", but we make tiny positive progress each and every week, so I'm hopeful! Besides...she's fun as all get out, to watch!

Chinese hams have quite a mind of their own...I'm sure Beanie will let you know when it's time to progress to the next step of taming. But don't be disappointed if it doesn't happen as fast as you want it to...just when you think you're not ever going to make any progress...Beanie will give in a little more

[Teddy001]

For Toby, Chinese ham and Candy WW, I do break the larger pieces in the Hazel Ham food for them- I noticed Candy will not eat the larger pieces unless I break them into smaller pieces- they are fine smaller, cuz they still are quit hard, for her teeth- dwarfs and Chinese hams are so small.. Just watching Toby and Candy go through their food bowl, both went or the small seeds and would not touch the larger pieces- I'm thinking cuz they are larger than their heads, some pieces are- lol.. Neither Candy or Teddy will take the shelled peanuts in he Hazel ham food-- maybe Teddy will someday, but I doubt Candy is large enough to hold and break open the peanut shells. I do like Hazel Hamster food- the no sugar is very good, however the pieces are difficult for Candy my dwarf to really eat the variety of the mix- I mix parsley seeds in with her food- she needs smaller pieces- and enjoys the tiny seeds- is Beanie eating the Hazel larger pieces? Maybe it's just my dwarfs that don't eat them unless I break them in half or quarters..