Death wish, way too fearless or just plain silly?

[zak]

Why do hamsters think some things are such a good idea at the wrong times? I was walking across my bedroom with, Darcy, chilling in the corner of my arm to go and sit in my chair with her and then she started to try and climb my other hand that was there to keep her safe but she managed to still fall anyway by running that fast across my arms to the point where she lost her footing and ended splatting on the floor like an egg. I couldn't catch her in time :/ She squealed upon impact and was shaken up by it! At first I thought the worst had happened since I didn't see her move but luckily she is okay now despite the initial shock.

[Pebbles82]

She probably didn't realise how high she was and panicked a bit when you started moving. When they are out of the cage, it's up to us to make sure they can't injure themselves really, so ideally never have them up too high. A fall of more than 30cm can cause injury. I have Charlie out on the sofa sometimes but have a blanket along the edge so he can't leap off and I can pick him up if he goes too close to the edge. If I'm carrying him somewhere I always carry him in something he can't jump out of, like his ball. They can get scared by movement, even when they're tame.

If you think about it, hamsters are ground animals - being lifted up high must be quite scary and they try and run away.

Keep an eye on her to see she is walking and climbing ok over the next few days and if she isn't then she might need a vet check. I'm not a great fan of hamster balls but they can be very useful for carrying a hammy somewhere from room to room.

This has happened to me too, before Charlie was tame - I followed advice to only carry them low down if you handle them and I was kneeling down so he didn't fall far and fell on to carpet, but he jumped quite high so the fall was bigger. He was definitely shaken up and started vibrating. It's a bit of a scare, but another time only have him on your arm when you're sitting down on something soft like a sofa.

A playpen is a good idea for out of cage time

[Piebald]

It may seem paradoxical but hamsters actually lack a fear of heights. They are ground animals so as long as they are living on the ground they don't need to fear heights. Add to that poor eyesight and they really have no clue. Another way to think about it is tree dwelling monkeys have a great fear of falling.
The result is you cannot expect a hamster not to run off the edge. Their instinct is to move and run and they do not distinguish being elevated. I hope that helps explain some of the seemingly death wish behaviour?

[zak]

I always crouch down when I get them out of their cages and try to remember to not lift them up too high when transferring them but I think a ball or even a large mug would be a pretty good idea because there will be no room for accidents. I'll get something tomorrow! I sometimes forget that hamsters can still suddenly freak out regardless of how tame they are or how much you trust them once up in the air despite how comfortable they may seem or whatever is there to protect them. I've learned from my mistake and I am now going to do things differently from now on.

[oddlyoblivious]

The ones I have that don't like handling are particularly notorious for this, I've wondered myself if it is just fear or an adventurous spirit. Seems to be a combination. Aurora just loves exploring while Eve freaks out at being handled anymore.

[Pebbles82]

I'd use the ball It has a lid you can screw on! If ever I've carried Charlie in something that is open he will still try and climb out once you start walking (he tends to look alarmed), and that's in something bigger than a mug. I did once use little boy's wellington boot and he still scaled to the top and tried to jump out. So a mug could be a bit fraught as you'd have to put your hand over it and your hammy would feel trapped.

Hope your hammy is ok now. We all make mistakes!