Meet Emoji!

[cypher]

He looks very sweet
Hope he settles in well in his new cage & enjoys the extra space, maybe bigger burrows!
He may be using the wheel when you sleep, have you tried leaving some food or treats in the wheel & some substrate on top so you can see if it's moved in the morning?

[BorisPasha]

Hope Emoji is enjoying all his new space

I had a ham that never used his wheel either, not the saucer or the upright wheel and they both worked. I used to do what Cypher suggested and put some bedding on the top of the wheel to see if it was gone in the morning and it was still there! I ended up getting him an enclosed wheel and he took to it like a shot. I don't know what wheel you have but something to think about if you find he definitely isn't using it after you try Cypher's suggestions

[emojimom]

I did try the substrate trick on his old wheel (which is now Cress's wheel, since she's smaller), and it never moved! But this morning it was clear he'd used his new wheel, because there was poo and pee all over it. Well, at least I know now!

[emojimom]

Well, Emoji had quite the evening! He's like a completely different hamster in his new large habitat, which I've heard can happen. And he seems to LOVE zooming around his cage. I didn't realize how fast he was! He had the room to do this in his bin cage, but I think 1) he was still adjusting to living with me and 2) he had such an intricate burrow going on that he didn't need to come out as often if he didn't want to.

First of all, he WILLINGLY climbed into my hands on multiple occasions tonight. His new cage has a front door, rather than a top one, and I had my hands at the edge to keep him from leaping out, and he just walked right onto my palm, no treat or anything! I lifted him up slowly and gently and put him back inside, but he wanted another go. I'm sure a big draw was getting out of the cage, but this is such progress in taming! There was also a rather scary moment when I was refilling his food bowl. I had his bowl on the table in front of his cage and the big bin of food, and he took a flying leap into the food bowl and pouched as much as he could in a few seconds, but when I tried to pick him up to put him back, he got onto the table and scurried about as I frantically tried to grab him. He also ate flax seeds out of my palm and demanded more when they were gone (to which I of course obliged) and when those were gone, he bit me quite hard. I'm sure he just mistook my finger for food, but Wow! It hurt. No hard feelings, though, and he didn't break the skin or anything. I did my best not to flinch and scare him.

I didn't get any photos because the room was dark but for a very dim light, and I was too busy bonding to bother with photos, but oh, he was so sweet. I also caught him running on his wheel, though I think I'm going to get him a new wheel, because the one he has just doesn't seem as smooth as it ought to be. Actually, I have a new one on order already that I was originally going to give to Anya, but she has the Silent Spinner that she loves. I wish that came in a smaller size. I know dwarfs can use them, too, but it takes up so much room. I do have a Wodent Wheel I could try with him, but it's pink, and poor Emoji is already so surrounded by the ladies! I tried to butch up his cage with some camo colored bedding. lol

I am so thrilled to see Emoji gaining confidence, and to have made progress with taming. And even if he's never cuddly, I just love watching him zoom around and burrow and run in and out of his hidey holes.

[AmityvilleHams]

The Silent Runner comes in a 9 inch size that would be ideal for dwarf hamsters of any species,luckily it happens to be orange rather than pink(the 12 inch size comes in a green wide version though!) They're honestly the best wheel on the market,much better than Silent Spinners(which are honestly best avoided being such poor quality wheels)which if you're lucky last a few months but never remain a truly silent wheel plus they're even safer than the Wodent Wheel which is still not exactly 100% safe due to the axle and stand(plus it tends to be a lower quality wheel,but the Silent Runner is the highest quality of all wheels and tends to last years and go through several hamsters!).

[AprilPearl]

Emoji is coming along really well! It is so rewarding when they start coming out to see you of their own accord. Sounds as though you and he are developing a bond already

As Amity says, the silent runner is awesome and comes in a 9 inch size. It is honestly the best wheel I have ever had and completely silent. I would say that its silence is actually the wheel’s one drawback, as I did used to enjoy listening to Mushu running but I can’t hear him at all anymore! Besides that, it is really sturdy and safe.

[cypher]

That's so lovely to hear, he's clearly very happy now & a front door does make such a difference with interacting, I did have to laugh at the food bowl incident!
The bite sounds as though he was just looking for more food, it does hurt I know only too well! Sometimes it can become a bit of a habit for a short while with some Russian hams, hopefully it won't but you can usually break the habit quite easily by not giving food from your hand for a short time, just put it down in front of them instead.
Sounds as though he's really full of beans right now bless him, he may become more cuddly with time though once he settles a bit, all my male Russians have been very cuddly!

[Hamsterita]

His new cage sounds fantastic, and he looks very cute in his coconut hideout. I'm glad the change was for the better and that he's gaining confidence! It's so heart warming to see them roam around

[Thin Lizzy]

That 2nd pic of him in his coconut is so adorable.

[BorisPasha]

Aww that's great news that Emoji is enjoying his new home and that he's using his wheel. Sounds like things are going nicely with the taming too