First time hamster mum, struggling with anxiety

[BoosBiggestFan]

Hello!

I have recently gotten my first hamster since I was a child and am so happy with him! His name is Boo Cat Whamster and he's a male syrian and is young. We've been doing great work bonding, however I've been struggling with the anxiety surrounding caring for him and his behaviours. I've done loads of research, but when it comes to face to face care I panic a lot. Tonight has made me close to tears a little bit. Something important to note is, I'm autistic. So I feel very strong connection with animals and want the best for them.

Some behaviours Boo exhibits that I remain anxious about:

- Tonight he woke later than usual, did a ten min run on his wheel, ate and drank before sleeping in his hut. He's never done this before.
- I had a LED light and do not know if perhaps turning it bright tonight maybe confused him.
- I am slowly working on bonding, but of course there are bumps and he becomes skittish. If he becomes scared, have I ruined my chance to work together on bonding?
- He sometimes likes napping in his wheel, don't know if that is normal.
- He has NEVER bit me or hissed at me.

He also has so many cool traits about him that make me smile!:
- He loves to climb around his enclosure on his toys.
- He loves his chew hut and carrot.
- He's eaten from my hand multiple times, and even rests his little paws on my finger.
- He loves his wheel when he runs on it!

I really appreciate any care and advice! He has a proper large enclosure btw! <3

[Aegis]

Hello! Thanks for reaching out about this issue!
The first concern with your hamster could possibly be that your LED light is confusing to him, as hamsters are nocturnal animals so the light could have made him think that it was day time, meaning that he should sleep. It's okay to have a small night-light if it isn't to bright, but hamsters generally prefer darkness to be active in.
Also, it's totally normal for hamsters to sleep in their wheel. I've had a hamster that has done that before, it was just because the wheel was her favorite place in the cage and she wanted to always be there.
I understand your concerns about bonding with the hamster, I'm actually autistic too and I totally get how you feel. Since your hamster is new, it's totally normal for him to be shy. You don't have to interact with him all the time, and just letting him crawl on your hand for a few minutes will let him warm up to you, if you're comfortable with that. If you don't feel like interacting with him, just sit by his cage while he runs on the wheel, because he might acknowledge your presence a bit more. It takes time to tame a hamster, so don't feel sad if he doesn't seem to know you quite yet.
Best of luck!
-Aegis

[BoosBiggestFan]

Hello,

Sorry for late reply! I've been working a lot. So far we've made brilliant progress with Boo! He had a big deep clean and got to use his new playpen! He seemed to not entirely like it but I'm assuming that's to change with time! However, while he has become a little more confident taking treats from me he also likes to hide from me which makes me nervous I've screwed up in some way. He was doing so well, even allowed a couple of pets but he got a fright once and now he seems more scared. I feel so bad in case I've scared him so much he's scared of me!

Gosh, I must seem a little silly, I just really love the little dude and want the best for him.