What does your hamster like?

[Chiela]

Chiela doesn't like much else than meal worms, hazel nuts and sunflower seeds.

She acts like she doesn't know what it is and that she doesn't like the smell of it. which means that she wont even try it out. Can it really be that she doesn't know what it is? Pr. instinct I mean.

So like the headline said.... What does your hamster like?

I have another question, that i make here so I don't make like 100 threads ^^
It is about behaviour and taming a hamster (campbell as I don't quit know if they are that different^^).

I have been watching a video about taming a hamster. (she was talking about robo's which should be harder to tame than a campbell)
The girl said to put your hamster in a box and to put your hand in, so they get desensitised to being afraid of you, and your hands.
Another girl in another video said to do this 2 - 3 times a day

First I have no idea on how to do this that many times a day as Chiela, sleeps the hole day, and doesn't even come out when i give her fresh food and water. She comes out around 02 - 04 o'clock in the night, so sometimes i don't even get the chance to talk with her.
I talk to her many times in the day time, even though I don't see her fx. I say godmorning Chiela, hi Chiela are you having a good sleep?, I ask her if she wants some new water and food, and tell her when i have given it to her, and i say good night of course. And so on, even though i don't see her. I hope you get my point ^^. When I do see her, she isn't scared i think to walk up in my hands and take a treat, although she doesn't wanna stay there for to long.
So today I tried to put her in a box, put alot of different treats in there too, and my hand. But the way she acted, made me think she was stressing out instead of being just curious.
She was walking around, checking the box and (trying to) the area around it, she took one (half) meal worm and started all over again. Then she started grooming herself, but like really grooming. and scratching herself as if she had lice or something.

I am right no?
She was stressed, and didn't like being in the box at all. I moved to fast right? I mean Chiela wasn't ready for this.
But how am I gonna get her really tamed, if this stresses her and she never comes out, in the day time?
There is something really wrong....
She is a campbell, they are normally very territorial, but Chiela doesn't mind me putting my hand in the cage, what did I get wrong.

I would love, if possible to make her trust me as much as Poro does. Poro is always ready to come up and cuddle or get a treat. Even if you (gently of course) wake her up. she even comes out of the cage, trusting we catch her.

Any advice/opinion would be appreciated. I have already grown to love that little girl.

And sorry for the long post, just trying to explain.

[Baby Grrr]

She could be just spoiled. I have a tip just don't give her anything else just leave it and she will probably become not fussy when it come to food.

[cypher]

I tried the taming box with some of my hams & they absolutely hated ti! They spent the whole time just running around the edges looking for a way out.
Some kind of playpen has worked a lot better for me with all of mine, it can be one of the metal ones you buy or a home made one made with sheets of cardboard or plastic.
You basically need a safe area they can't escape from (you can use the bath too) with some toys, a box or house they can hide in if they want a little break! a wheel is good too as they will often go for a quick run if they're anxious, you can just take things out of the cage if you don't have spare things to use.
With a larger play area I think they don't feel so trapped or threatened when you put your hand in & it's easier to approach them from the side rather than above.
How long have you had her now? She may just need a bit more time to adjust before she'll be happy coming out during the day.
If she's happy for you to put your hand in the cage she's fairly tame already so you could try making gentle noises to wake her in the early evening, give her a treat if she comes out & then try her in the play area just for very short times to begin with, if she's really anxious maybe once a day will be plenty for her to start.
Try to make it fun & rewarding with toys & things to explore & maybe a few favourite treats hidden away, you could always just break those mealworms up into a few pieces & scatter them around.
I'm sure she will come to trust you, try not to compare her to Poro though, they all have very different characters & it takes time to get to know them.
As for what she likes to eat some hams aren't particularly food orientated so not overly interested in treats, does she eat her normal mix ok? If she's ignoring that you could just leave it a bit longer & she should eat it if she's hungry (& not getting too many mealworms or sunflower seeds!) or try another mix, what do you feed her?
Fresh veg, just tiny pieces make good treats too so try her with some of those.

[Chiela]

Originally Posted by cypher

I tried the taming box with some of my hams & they absolutely hated ti! They spent the whole time just running around the edges looking for a way out.

Yes that's exactly the way she looked to me.
Sorry about my English, it's sometimes hard to find the right words <3
She looked really stressed, and like she didn't like it at all.
Will a stressed hamster start grooming excessively and scratching itself?

Originally Posted by cypher

Some kind of playpen has worked a lot better for me with all of mine.
With a larger play area I think they don't feel so trapped or threatened when you put your hand in & it's easier to approach them from the side rather than above.
How long have you had her now?

Okay thank you I will try that, Emma (my youngest) has a playpen in metal.
I just thought the area would scare her, because it would be to big.
But I will definitely give it a try ^^
I had her for about 14 days, and just saying this is making me blush it looks I am a bit impatient right But good advice and ideas on how to make her come out of her shell.

Originally Posted by cypher

She may just need a bit more time to adjust before she'll be happy coming out during the day.
If she's happy for you to put your hand in the cage she's fairly tame already

OOh so even though she is willing to climb up in my hand, she might still be scared? What an idiot I am, I should have seen that one coming I just took her acceptance as she was ready for the next step.

Originally Posted by cypher

some hams aren't particularly food orientated so not overly interested in treats, does she eat her normal mix ok? If she's ignoring that you could just leave it a bit longer & she should eat it if she's hungry (& not getting too many mealworms or sunflower seeds!) or try another mix, what do you feed her?
Fresh veg, just tiny pieces make good treats too so try her with some of those.

We are feeding them with Burgess for dwarf hamsters.
as far as we could find out, this should be the best for dwarf hamsters yes?
Well Chiela is very particular, I didn't think much of it before, as being a problem I mean, but she does dig in her food bowl, kicking alot of it out, I honestly just found this a bit funny and cute, as I didn't see it as anything else than her being a dwarf hamster damn I am getting a headache from banging my head into that wall
Could you (or anyone else) recommend a good mix I maybe could try out for her, you are absolutely right, maybe she just doesn't like half of what's in it.
Givin her fresh veg, gives me the same problem, as she just don't come out to get it. I understand that she might not know it, but I would think that she just pr. instinct would try and take al least a bite of it right?
Yeah yeah I hear you, I will tell Chiela that it is your fault, that she wont get that many meal worms and sunflower seeds hahahaha

Thank you Cypher this was very helpful.

[cypher]

Burgess dwarf mix is a fairly good mix but it doesn't seem to have a very wide range of ingredients & I must admit it's not a favourite with my hams although they do eat some of it!
I rotate a few different mixes so they get plenty of variety (easier with three as you do end up with quite a lot of food doing this!) I use the JR farms & Bunny dream dwarf mixes that I get from zooplus as well as the Burgess & this one from Ratrations.
It's quite normal for them to have a good dig around in the bowl, kick things out & pick & choose a bit so if she's eating some of it I wouldn't worry too much.
It's worth trying a few different seeds as an addition or as treats too to see what she likes, millet, pumpkin seeds in the shell, hemp & flax seeds usually go down quite well.
I would just keep trying her with different veg, she may come around & begin to enjoy it at some point, it is quite unusual for them not to like it at all although my little Mickle was quite confused by veg at first & would have boxing matches with it until she learnt it actually tastes good lol!
It's still early days so just take your time with everything & don't worry too much, just enjoy her

[peasypea]

Nellys favourite veg are pepper, courgette and cucumber. She also loves tofu. Like really loves - she gobbles it down straight away whereas everything else gets stored for later. She also likes cooked pasta and rice! Spaghetti is fun to watch her eat :P

[cypher]

I've really tried to get mine to like tofu but always fail lol!
A little cooked rice is quite good as a treat, brown is best & wholemeal pasta better than the more refined pasta, particularly with the russian hams as they need the fibre & not too much pure starch.
I think broccoli is probably the favourite veg around here but they do love peppers, courgette & cucumber too.

[Chiela]

Thank you guys
I never would have thought to give her tofu, but definitely something I want to try

Cypher>> Thank you for the links. Just wrote to Ratrations to ask if they ship to Denmark.
I love the way Bunny dream looks too ^^ I am a bit worried that JR Farms mix is a bit to fattening although it looks really good.

I have been looking up on hamster mixes and would really like your opinion.
From what I can understand dwarf hamsters need:
Protein 17% - 22%
Fibre 8% - 10%
Fat 4% - 6%
and as campbells are prone to diabetes, I have to watch out for this too.

Tiny Friends Farm, Supreme Original, I was also thinking about this one, I know it is pellets, but i was thinking that with them she cant pick and choose Hamster Complete
What do you think?

[cypher]

Your right about their nutritional needs, no hamster food will match it exactly & most tend to be a little low in protein but as she enjoys her mealworms that's not really a problem!
The ratrations food doesn't have any added vitamins or minerals so it can't really be fed a their only food but they do enjoy it once every few days.
I wouldn't go for Hazel hamster for a dwarf, it is more of a syrian food really & you might find she struggles with the larger pieces.
The Hamster complete does look quite good though, I'm not a fan of all in one biscuit type foods myself, I do think they're good to supplement other food but I think it's good for them to have small seeds to open & to forage for, it's hard to forage for a biscuit!
I wouldn't think of the JR food as fattening, it's quite well balanced, has a good mix of ingredients & reasonable amount of animal protein which they need.
So long as you avoid sugary things or fruit (the very occasional piece of something like apple or blueberry, the less sweet fruits are ok) I wouldn't worry too much about diabetes, you can keep an eye on her weight & adjust her food accordingly if you do think she's getting a bit overweight but she's probably still growing right now so needs plenty of nice food!

[Chiela]

Originally Posted by cypher

The ratrations food doesn't have any added vitamins or minerals so it can't really be fed as their only food but they do enjoy it once every few days.

Yes I did notice that
I was thinking it as a supplement.

Originally Posted by cypher

I wouldn't go for Hazel hamster for a dwarf, it is more of a syrian food really & you might find she struggles with the larger pieces.

Okay, no Hazel Hamster for Chiela

Originally Posted by cypher

The Hamster complete does look quite good though, I'm not a fan of all in one biscuit type foods myself, I do think they're good to supplement other food but I think it's good for them to have small seeds to open & to forage for, it's hard to forage for a biscuit!

Honestly I am not a fan myself of all in one pellets, I find the diet to get a bit boring for them, but I do see the point in them not being able to sort the food and only eat their preference.
That said I don't know if that is what Chiela is doing, i have to get to know her more. I am convinced though that Burgess is not her favorite

Is there another word for "forage"?
The translation I can find is the word for "food" and in this context I don't understand what you mean

Originally Posted by cypher

I wouldn't think of the JR food as fattening, it's quite well balanced, has a good mix of ingredients & reasonable amount of animal protein which they need.
So long as you avoid sugary things or fruit (the very occasional piece of something like apple or blueberry, the less sweet fruits are ok) I wouldn't worry too much about diabetes, you can keep an eye on her weight & adjust her food accordingly if you do think she's getting a bit overweight but she's probably still growing right now so needs plenty of nice food!

No, I see your point.
And Chiela is still (as you say ) in the growing age, so for her at the moment, it is probably therefore a really good idea.

I also LOVE the link to Ratrations, all the dried food they have
Chiela is going to be the most spoiled dwarf hamster in Denmark
Have you tried out the dried fish?