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Old 04-28-2022, 09:16 AM   #1
julie020
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Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 71
Smile My long haired syrian never comes out!

Hi

I’m not new here and definitely an experienced hamster owner..I’ve had a syrian.. 4 robos…. 2 Chinese…over the last 10+ years..oh and 3 rats.

Here’s my problem..hope someone can help?

I presently have a white long haired Syrian boy..he’s about 6 or 7 months old. Snowball is his name. He lives in a massive Savic plaza upgraded from hamster heaven. Lots of ledges..tubes..massive freestanding trixie wheel and a slightly smaller one attached to cage on higher level. He has 4 water bottles dotted around different levels. He has lots of hiding places and lives in a fairly large shoe box! He loves his shoe box!

Around his cage is a playpen …lots of plastic panels tied together with cable ties...quite big and I have loads of playpen toys…

He lives in the room next to living room..it’s semi open plan and my dementia mum watches tv all day most days but not too loud….he gets a break when carers take her out.

Every night I put treats all around his cage on the ledges…and scatter feed.

Trouble is..he used to want to come out..sit at door waiting…now….nothing! Hates coming out! I have to force him out to check on him and clean/change his shoebox. He’s lovely..tame..stretches..has a clean up when he comes out…let’s me cuddle him..my husband cuddles him…he’s very tame..not jumpy or nervous…but after I’ve cleaned him out…he wants back in his cage…he won’t stay out long!

It’s got to a point I only get him out once a week…to clean his cage. He’s not food orientated so can’t coax him out. He comes out at night as my husband has seen him..I put tape on the wheels so I know he uses them..both! The treats are always gone! I don’t really want to force him out anyway..not for my pleasure…as he just wants to go back.

We go to bed early…and go to work early.

I rarely ever see him and I’m getting worried I’m doing something wrong..even although I’m experienced. Never had one like this before.

Btw..I’m not a youngster….I’m a grandmother who loves rodents!

Thanks for any input or comments.

Julie

Last edited by julie020; 04-28-2022 at 09:22 AM.
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Old 04-28-2022, 09:29 AM   #2
Chesterspal
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Default Re: My long haired syrian never comes out!

The Syrian I have had since getting him a few months go is the same way.

I have a night vision camera on his enclosure and it triggers my cell phone when he is out and about.

He never comes out during the day. Never!

Comes out around 9PM and stays out until around 6AM.

To the point, now, I only see him on the phone. He seems content so I leave him alone. He eats well and runs the heck out of his wheel. Averages 8 to 10 miles each night.

He was in a pet store with bright lights on his tiny glass enclosure most all day. People gawking in. No where to hide. Guess he now prefers the quiet and dark set up I have made for him.

It is what it is, I guess.
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Old 04-28-2022, 09:41 AM   #3
julie020
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Default Re: My long haired syrian never comes out!

Thanks for your reply chesterspal….ok..so this happens! All my other hamsters were anxious to come out..I did have a couple of not tame robos..but they used to play in their cage and I had fun watching.

Mine eats well…and seems happy when I do ‘Force’ him out….I even kiss him!

Do you think they are happy living this way?

Thought about putting him in my bedroom…but he would be in total silence all the time…there would be no noise ever…..my husband would never see him and he likes his weekly cuddle….I only sleep there….and he would keep me awake…I might be a grandmother but I have a tough job..and must sleep.

Maybe you right..mine was in a little glass tank being gawked at…maybe they appreciate the dark peace!

Perhaps I feed him too much? I over think!

Thanks for replying ….crazy rodents..gotta love them not just mine then

Last edited by julie020; 04-28-2022 at 10:00 AM.
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Old 04-28-2022, 10:33 AM   #4
Chesterspal
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Default Re: My long haired syrian never comes out!

Quote:
Originally Posted by julie020 View Post
Do you think they are happy living this way?


I think we humans want them to act the way we want them to not the way they naturally behave. Setting up these large glass enclosures in the living room for all the world to see.

Hamsters, I have only recently come to understand, are nocturnal underground dwelling creatures who seem to prefer, many of them like mine and maybe yours, the piece and quiet of the dark and like to be alone most of the time.

That said, clearly many who are on this forum do interact daily with their hamsters and crave that experience. Perhaps, so do their hamsters. If that's the case they're very lucky.

I'd not force the issue. In time, things may change.
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Old 04-28-2022, 10:57 AM   #5
cloudy
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Default Re: My long haired syrian never comes out!

Hello Julie. I am new to hamsters but on researching I have heard of so many hamsters who do not come out. I believe they can still be happy as long as they have food, water and enrichment. Hamsters are solitary animals so you need not worry he is lonely. I do not know if you are interested but I found this video about hamsters like this.
What is a Ghost Hamster? - YouTube

The person talks all about her experiences with such hamsters.
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Old 04-28-2022, 10:59 AM   #6
Stanza
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Default Re: My long haired syrian never comes out!

Hi Julie, we are in a similar situation and I’m new to hamster keeping so thank goodness for this forum as I’d be thinking we are doing something wrong. We have a male Syrian who will appear at around 10:30/11pm for his first look around pick up food, use wheel. If I want to stay up late, he’ll come out into his playpen and run about at this time or later but I’m just not a night owl. I do stay up late on a Saturday to see him properly and he’s great fun, the rest of the week I just hear him in the night on his wheel.

I just think some of the hamsters are like this. I don’t think it’s anything your doing as he’s clearly very loved, lets you handle him when he is out and his cage sounds amazing. Another member wrote a post on ‘ghost hamsters’ which are a bit like ours. I guess it’s just one of those things.

Last edited by Stanza; 04-28-2022 at 11:06 AM.
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Old 04-28-2022, 11:00 AM   #7
julie020
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Default Re: My long haired syrian never comes out!

Thinking about it I couldn’t agree more…I do not want to force him out so that I find pleasure in him.

He just popped his head out of the shoebox..and I gave him a piece of cheese….he scurried straight back inside with a big mouthful of cheese.

I also wonder if things may change in time..he seems happy…if all I do is give a little rodent a peaceful quiet life..I’m ok with that…..I just worry the tv upsets him…there I go worrying…..but that’s why I came here….just to get others prospective and thoughts…

Thank you Chesterspal. helpful and reassuring
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Old 04-28-2022, 11:08 AM   #8
julie020
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Posts: 71
Default Re: My long haired syrian never comes out!

Cloudy and stanza…thank you for your replies….very reassuring like chesterspal…I’ve never heard of a ghost hamster and I’ve had many hamsters who were very interactive which is why I was a bit worried…..

I shall look that up for sure…he seems very happy when I’d do clean/get him out..no stress at all!

Do you think the tv bothers him…it’s not loud at all…mum has dementia…she lives with me…now that’s stress!

I’m glad to hear they can be happy not coming out…..we do love him and he has the best of everything…hope he’s happy in his little rodent way
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Old 04-28-2022, 11:15 AM   #9
cloudy
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Default Re: My long haired syrian never comes out!

I would think he is okay with the TV and is used to it. It is lovely you love your hamster so much. It would be really nice to see a picture of him.
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Old 04-28-2022, 11:39 AM   #10
Ria P
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Join Date: Mar 2019
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Post Re: My long haired syrian never comes out!

It could be down to timing and the clocks going forward didn't help. A hamster often gets up late and you go to bed early so it's near impossible to spend time together.
Our first Syrian only asked to come out maybe once a week, if that but when i got up during the night at 03.00 for example, he'd sit by the door waiting. Unfortunately, i had a job to go to in the morning so couldn't oblige..

We had a hamster who spent his entire life in his cage which was his choice. He was a happy hamster but i felt guilty sometimes thinking he's missing out. I tried playpen time several times but he'd just sit and sulk, waiting to go home.

We currently have four Syrians, all of them want out of cage time in the evening but that's the way they are. They love to be free and get a proper run on the floor. Obviously, they have to wait their turn but i have set up two separate hamster playgrounds.

Then there are the ones inbetween like our dwarf who comes to her door when she wants out which is usually during daytime. Never for long though. She does a couple of rounds around the room and then comes back to me, her taxi.

They go through phases sometimes and change their habits. I'd keep offering your hamster a vessel to walk into for out of cage time when he's about and let him decide whether he wants to walk into it or not.
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