Meet Cupcake

[ilguy]

Thank you Serendipity! She's doing great so far. We had two good interactions today, and she's no longer upset. I added a little roller puzzle, and she's been playing with that plus the treat ball while I'm still up. I think she mostly feels safe now, and comfortable with me around.

Did some little lifts with her to get used to me doing it, and we played a little bit. I tried petting her, and it was a little too much. She gave me a polite nibble to tell me she was done, such good manners!

She did do something I haven't seen a hamster do before, a somersault off her wheel! She took a little potty break on the wheel, groomed herself, then started falling forward and just kept going. I've seen videos of hamsters flipping due to neurological issues, and hope she doesn't have any. It's at about 1:30 into the first video, I hope it's nothing bad and she was just being goofy.

She also really liked some dried coconut slices. I totally stole that idea from you guys.

Wheel & Somersault
Little Lifts
Coconut Time

[cloudy]

Oh my gosh, the video of Cupcake sitting in your hand is so precious! That is just so adorable. I am new to hamsters but I wonder if Cupcake has to get used to the wheel? Maybe she is used to a different one and has to learn how to move this one. I may be wrong.

[Ria P]

Lovely videos, thank you. It's amazing how quickly hamsters learn to trust you.

I wouldn't worry about the somersault. I think that Cupcake leaned forward and toppled over which is quite funny really.

I had a dwarf called Clarissa who looked similar to Cupcake. Clarissa was very lively and would monkey bar across the ceiling doing one paw turns, she did headstands and ate while lying on her back.

Expect the unexpected of Cupcake, including somersaults.

[ilguy]

Her previous owner did have the same model of comfort wheel, just in yellow. But mine does seem to have a little less resistance than her old one from how I have the clamp set. She gets a bit high up there and LOVES it A lot of the time she bursts into little sprints.

That's reassuring Ria, and thank you! We will have to see how she progresses, she likes to have about 3-5 minutes of human time in a single go. That time she emptied her cheeks was a good 7 or 8 minutes.

Today Cupcake's personality is coming out more. She moved her above ground tunnel so it's a direct path from the food to the wheel overnight. She slept in a bit, and we had a few small interactions later than normal. But the first one was a doozy xD

She munched on seeds on my hand for a few minutes and did explore more of my wrist & arm with some nibbles. Then she ran out of seeds and gave me two of her firmer nibbles. I let my hand sit there, and she stormed off to the sand bath and rolled a good three times. Then she came back, nibbled again, and went into her castle. If I didn't know better, I'd say she was trying to bully me into more treats, then telling me my hands were dirty when she didn't get her way xD I wish I filmed it, but she already put up with me taking her contest closeup.

We had a few minutes of together time later, and she had a second go on the hand. She is starting to look for me a bit, and chirped for me a couple of times. She isn't afraid to tell me off either, and when she wants alone time is pretty clear with a click.

It's still early, and she's still young too. Cupcake does seem a bit solitary, and does like human time but doesn't crave it. I'm slowing down taming a bit, she was clearly taken care of and handled a bit, but some other things like walking past her bin and such she isnt used to.

20 seconds of rolling
Chilling and Choosing

[cloudy]

It is so funny how Cupcake is telling you off and demanding treats! Aww, rolling in the sand is so cute. I love the picture you got of her eating.

[Ria P]

Lol! I think you are right. Cupcake was trying to bully you into more treats. Small hamsters can be surprisingly assertive and hamsters in general are amazing communicators.
You have the ability to listen to and understand hamsters which is a gift not all people have.

[ilguy]

Cupcake took another good step forward, she came out during the day for the first time. She wished me a good morning, and is showing some interest that goes beyond treats.

I can also confirm Ria is right, her someraults are just a quirk of hers and not pathological. She did two in her sand bath, one was just her trying to roll and look at me at the same time. I think she likes doing them.

I'm still learning, but thank you guys! They totally are good at communicating, I love the polite no nibbles. Hamsters can be pretty smart, then other times complete goofs

Here's some of our morning interaction:
Morning Human, Goodnight Cupcake

[cloudy]

Aww, I loved that video. It was so cute when she stood up after to look up at you.

About the somersaults. Maybe she likes gymnastics.

[ilguy]

Originally Posted by cloudy

Aww, I loved that video. It was so cute when she stood up after to look up at you.

About the somersaults. Maybe she likes gymnastics.

She does really like climbing a bit based on her behavior, I'm crafting her a platform out of popsicle sticks and kids glue for her to enjoy. Plus I'm cutting some holes in the roller, she seems to need a little extra help on figuring that one out. I might do a forage board as well, I want to get her more enrichment than I did with Pearl.

I got the idea for the two toys here: 3 Toys Every Hamster NEEDS! - YouTube
And the existing slide, plus other toys I'm adding off this one: DIY Hamster Playground | #DIYJuly 16 - YouTube

[cloudy]

It must be very rewarding to see her enjoy the toys you made yourself. It is lovely hearing all about her.