A new arrival

[ristole]

Ok, so I've had Willow for 3 weeks today and taming seemed to be going quite well- she is more and more comfortable with me. But the last couple of days she's been quite jumpy. She seems fine when I pick her up, and sits on my belly while I watch tv on my laptop, but a few times she must have been startled by something while I'm holding her (runs into the first corner she can find, either the crook of my elbow or between my crossed legs, and stays still for a minute or so). I don't know what it could be- I'm not aware of myself making any sudden movements, I'm gentle with her, and there is nothing audible to my ears, apart from sometimes the computer which she hasn't seemed to care about before now.

Since yesterday, I've been doing my friend a favour and I'm looking after her syrian (Peaches) for the weekend, and poor Willow seems even more skittish than she was the day or so before Peaches arrived. I'm being very careful with not letting them be aware of eachother, their cages are on opposite sides of the room and I'm washing my hands between interacting with each one.
I don't know if I should put Peaches outside my room? (If I can smell her from my bed sometimes, then I'm guessing Willow can too).
Will this help her calm down? I am just a bit concerned that (student house) outside my room will be cold and loud, and then Peaches will be upset too.

I really don't want to undo the positive steps of the past couple of weeks and today was the first time she's bitten me and really meant it

Apologies about the haphazard paragraphs- I'm sad about my sore pinky and want to avoid having another (!)
Side note: I'm very glad I'm a dwarf hamster owner. I forgot (or didn't realise when I was younger) how smelly syrians are :P

[Skeever]

If I'm not sure doing something with a hammy will make them bite me, I always ask someone else to do it first, and see if the hamster bites them. Then I know. You only have two pinky's and they have to last

But seriously, er, I think hams exposed to the presence of a female in heat may get a little hot and bothered but usually that lessens over time. For now, I wouldn't put the other cage in a noisy trafficked room if I could avoid it.

I can't smell my Syrians at all , God knows I've tried. Like trying to smell desert air. Nothing. I haven't had females though, so I don't know about their in heat scent...

I did catch both my Syrians, on different occasions (lest you think they were doing it in unison) , farting...and though not pleasant. It could be worse.

Other than that? No smell. Not even on their greedy, seed stuffed breaths.....

[Skeever]

As for the sudden fleeing, their hearing is amazing and often I have no idea what pitch, frequency or volume it is that makes them jumpy. Ziggy would light M-80s in trash cans if I let him, but when I cough, Pook jumps ? Overall, you can't really tame too SLOW, sometimes there is a step forward then back...so its just a step at a time no matter how you slice it...but the progress is generally forwards no matter how slow it seems.

[Pebbles82]

Yes there will be steps back and forwards. I still get setbacks after a bit of a cage clean or rooting out old veggies from the hoard. Charlie gets very skittish at being handled then because he knows I've been messing with his cage!

[cypher]

I'm not sure keeping her on your belly while you're watching tv on the laptop is such a good idea, hams can hear things we can't & they can sometimes be a bit disturbed by computers.
I think it's better to give them all your attention for a shorter time then let them go back in the cage or put them in a playpen or ball, which ever your ham prefers. That way you should have more idea of what if anything you're doing that might disturb her a bit & cause her to bite.
I wouldn't have thought the presence of another ham in the same room would make that much difference tbh.
Like Serendipity says taming can sometimes be a bit of a one step forward, two steps back process, just persevere & take it slowly & it should be fine.

[ristole]

Thanks for the advice guys. I had given her cage a clean out about an hour or two before so maybe she was just grumpy.
She calmed down a lot after the first two days of Peaches being around, and now Peaches has gone home she's so much better!

Skeever, I'm quite impressed that your syrians didn't smell. I haven't even had the slightest whiff from little Willow, and the moment Peaches comes to stay my whole room smells of hamster wee. I guess it just depends from hamster to hamster? Unfortunately, Peaches started a 'wee while in the play ball' competition- they must have been smelling each other on my carpet and they wouldn't stop weeing while they were running around..(!)

You'll also be glad to know that my pinky is fully recovered. And that after 'the bite', worriedness led to clammy hands, and clammy hands led to Willow licking my hands for a good minute...

[Skeever]

Why do I love the idea of a wee in the play ball competition? I mean, so long as it happens to someone else...

They do the occasional MY playpen Wheel! Pee.....but infrequent. And theres the occasional Pook pee on mine own person. But that is simply his out of control enthusiasm at being soooo near to the one he loves. Namely me. Zig is self toilet trained though, and Pook....he dissipates the smell by peeing on me, his playpen ball, a food dish.....so it gets a bit diluted..... I'm still shocked at how little smell they produce in a given month. When any smell is present, its cleaning time, or a major partial clean, or well chose spot clean. But they themselves, have NO smell that I can discern. And I try.....

Cept when they break wind. I don't have to try.