New hamster excessive itching-worried!

[MrsPHammy]

Hi everyone,

I bought my hamster only yesterday so I've mostly been leaving her alone to settle in. This evening I was trying to feed her through the bars just to try and make her more comfortable with me which was going well. However, every couple minutes or so I noticed she would go and itch in the corner of her cage? Does anyone know why this could be, is it stress, mites etc.?. Do I need to take her to the vet (would rather not due to the stress it could put on the little lady).

Thanks guys!

[Ria P]

Hello and welcome to HC?

Some new hamsters groom a lot when they are settling in and still feel a bit insecure.
What happens when you don't try to interact with her? Does she still scratch a lot or does she carry on with hamstering about like exploring and foraging for food?
It's a good idea to put half her food in her bowl and scatter the other half about in her cage for her to find.
A big heap of torn into strips plain white toilet paper left near her bottomless house for nest building also helps them to make their home and become less stressed.

If you notice any red or sore patches of skin or bald areas then i would take her to the vet now.
What kind of substrate do you use?

[cypher]

It sounds like quite normal behaviour, when they’re nervous they will often groom & rub their scent over themselves, just take your time with her & she should be fine, it doesn’t sound like anything to worry about unless you see excessive scratching all the time.

[MrsPHammy]

Originally Posted by Ria P

Hello and welcome to HC?

Some new hamsters groom a lot when they are settling in and still feel a bit insecure.
What happens when you don't try to interact with her? Does she still scratch a lot or does she carry on with hamstering about like exploring and foraging for food?
It's a good idea to put half her food in her bowl and scatter the other half about in her cage for her to find.
A big heap of torn into strips plain white toilet paper left near her bottomless house for nest building also helps them to make their home and become less stressed.

If you notice any red or sore patches of skin or bald areas then i would take her to the vet now.
What kind of substrate do you use?

Hi, thank you!

I think it may just be stress to be honest. When I'm not interacting with her she's fine going about her business, on her wheel and is eating and drinking plenty. Love the idea about scattering the food as well so will definitely try that out with her. She's on carefresh at the minute which surely couldn't be agitating her skin. However, the lady I got her from had her on shavings and I've read those can carry mites/be irritable for their skin? I can't really get that close to look at her skin, it's her 3rd day with me and she's still very nervous when I even come near to the cage-often running away. I've tried giving her treats through the bar and she's come towards me but then ends up retreating away from me. I'm assuming she wants to be left alone mostly still. My last hamster was the tamest little man ever- coming out of his cage and wanting to be handled in a matter of days but Penelope couldn't be less like this haha! I'm hoping she warms up to me in time

Also another quick question,
Because she's frightened I don't know when the best time to do things in her cage would be such as change her food? Would it be better to do this when she is sleeping as it won't make her as scared. I have no clue what I'm gonna do when I have to clean her cage if she's still really nervous!

[Ria P]

Hamsters are all so different with their own little personalities. I have a hamster who was tame and unafraid from day one and another, a rescue hamster, who was scared of everything and everybody at first but is now a tame and confident hamster who swings around his cage to get my attention.
It is generally recommended to leave a nervous hamster alone for a week or two to give them time to settle in but to keep talking to them so they get used to voices.
My scared hamster i left alone for nearly two weeks but kept talking to him and offered a treat through the bars when he came to the front of his cage. I also put tissue paper up my sleeve for a few hours and then put it in his cage torn up so he became familiar with my scent. I changed his food and water when he was asleep in his house because he was scared of hands. Once he became less stressed i started to stroke him lightly while he was busy eating and then slowly moved on to taming sessions outside his cage.
I didn't worry about spot cleaning for the first two or three weeks and an appropriately sized cage with deep substrate doesn't need cleaning for the first couple of months or so.
Many hamsters use a corner toilet filled with sand to pee in which forms clumps and can be scooped out and poops aren't anything to worry about.

What species of hamster is Penelope?
It is very early days and with time and patience, i'm sure she'll learn to trust you.

I had expected for my very scared hamster to need two to three months before he trusted me, if at all (he had been wrongly treated previously) but he was tame and confident in just over a month.

The fact that Penelope comes towards you already, is a very positive sign. I would show her the treat and when she's not brave enough to get it, leave it for her or drop it in her cage.

Paperbased substrates like Carefresh or Kaytee clean and cozy (more economical when bought as 85l bags) shouldn't irritate the skin so the itching is more likely down to the fact that Penelope is a new hamster in new surroundings.

Keep in mind that your patience will be rewarded.

[AmityvilleHams]

Carefresh actually can and in fact surprisingly frequently has been known to cause various forms of irritation. It's typically one of the dustiest substrates unfortunately - changing to a higher quality paper substrate without the dust(ideally Small Pet Select's paper bedding or Oxbow Pure Comfort or something of similar quality as both are virgin fiber and entirely free from any additives etc unlike other products on the market) may very well help!

[MrsPHammy]

Originally Posted by Ria P

Hamsters are all so different with their own little personalities. I have a hamster who was tame and unafraid from day one and another, a rescue hamster, who was scared of everything and everybody at first but is now a tame and confident hamster who swings around his cage to get my attention.
It is generally recommended to leave a nervous hamster alone for a week or two to give them time to settle in but to keep talking to them so they get used to voices.
My scared hamster I left alone for nearly two weeks but kept talking to him and offered a treat through the bars when he came to the front of his cage. I also put tissue paper up my sleeve for a few hours and then put it in his cage torn up so he became familiar with my scent. I changed his food and water when he was asleep in his house because he was scared of hands. Once he became less stressed i started to stroke him lightly while he was busy eating and then slowly moved on to taming sessions outside his cage.
I didn't worry about spot cleaning for the first two or three weeks and an appropriately sized cage with deep substrate doesn't need cleaning for the first couple of months or so.
Many hamsters use a corner toilet filled with sand to pee in which forms clumps and can be scooped out and poops aren't anything to worry about.

What species of hamster is Penelope?
It is very early days and with time and patience, i'm sure she'll learn to trust you.

I had expected for my very scared hamster to need two to three months before he trusted me, if at all (he had been wrongly treated previously) but he was tame and confident in just over a month.

The fact that Penelope comes towards you already, is a very positive sign. I would show her the treat and when she's not brave enough to get it, leave it for her or drop it in her cage.

Paperbased substrates like Carefresh or Kaytee clean and cozy (more economical when bought as 85l bags) shouldn't irritate the skin so the itching is more likely down to the fact that Penelope is a new hamster in new surroundings.

Keep in mind that your patience will be rewarded.

Yes, I think I'm going to leave her alone for a few more days and as you say just talk to her a bit. I've been dropping the treats into her cage just as you say and they're always gone when I go back to check I just changed her water and food whilst she was sleeping so I didn't stress her out with my hand being in her cage. She is a Syrian and hopefully in time she will become more confident as your hamster did. The idea of the tissue up the sleeve is a great idea, will definitely try that! I actually just ordered her a toilet and sand as I've read lots of hamsters do actually use it to wee in and enjoy the sand.

I'm quite out of practice as I haven't had a hamster since I was a teen- about 7 years ago! I've found that lots of things have changed such as recommended cage sizes, having lots of substrate in the cage for them to burrow in and wheel sizes etc. Penelope was quite an impulse buy and although I had been thinking about getting a new hammy for a while I definitely hadn't done enough research so her cage is slightly under the recommended size and I'm not sure I'll be able to leave it that long without cleaning it? I've just bought a large storage bin to make her a cage (didn't know these were a thing until I researched ) which is 555 square inches which should be a lot better so when she's settled in more I will be transferring her into that cage and she can then have a deeper substrate too. I'm guessing it's probably best to leave her in her cage she is in at the moment for a while before putting her in the bin cage as I don't want to stress her out even more?

Thanks so much for all your help and ideas!

[MrsPHammy]

Oh really, I've had all my hamsters on it in the past and never had an issue but will look into it for sure. As I live in the UK I'm not sure we have the beddings you mentioned as readily available but I was thinking of switching her to Kaytee clean and cozy anyway so maybe that would be better? Thanks!

[AmityvilleHams]

Small Pet Select actually have a UK website. They're online only but that's hardly a bad thing especially with things going on in the world at the moment.

Small Pet Select's UK website:
Food & Supplies - Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Hamsters, other Small Animals

Personally I've found Kaytee Clean and Cozy to be dusty and it isn't the same quality by any means as the other substrates I've mentioned. It would be a step up from Carefresh, but the others I've mentioned would be better.

[Ria P]

When you convert the storage box into a bin cage make sure that you add sufficient ventilation. You'll need to mesh the lid and a front window. I also add a meshed back vent to ensure good air flow.

While Penelope is a baby she'll be fine with a 8in wheel but she'll need a 10in-12in wheel when she's fully grown. Wheels that come with cages are usually very small like 6in or so.
I'd get the bin cage ready now and move her when she's a bit bigger and more confident. My scared hamster lived in a smaller cage (Grosvenor) at first and after about two or three months i moved him into an Alaska cage.

Kaytee clean and cozy is a good and popular substrate. Opinions vary on many hamster related topics and sometimes its a matter of finding out what works best for you and your hamster. I've never had any issues with Carefresh either and stil use it for a splash of colour.