Bijou's thread

MamaBijou · 10-19-2014, 03:40 PM

Hi there,

So I'm totally new to hamster central (and keeping hamster's in general) but I recently got myself a Syrian hamster called Bijou who I absolutely adore already.

Unfortunately I'm having some behavioural concerns with him;

1. He won't let me touch him at all. I've had him about a week now and he'll go up the wall (literally) if I even bring my hand close to him in his cage thus he doesn't even eat from my hand. Bonding outside the cage is impossible as I can't get him out. I've tried tubes and the cup method but he just doesn't fall for it even with treats. This is making health checking him very hard. The sales assistant at the pet store told me the 'growth' under his tail was just his testis but I wanna be able to keep an eye on how he's growing.

2. His wheel is too small for him ( although sales assistant insisted it was fine) now at 9 weeks so I've ordered a bigger one. In the mean time I've taken out the old one because he was obviously straining his back on it but insists on running anyway. I'm not sure whether not having a wheel in his cage will do more damage while we wait for the new one as he now only has the mesh to climb (which he loves nonetheless) and tubes attached to the outside. Is that enough exercise? He won't play with toys I put in his cage and nonchalantly walks around car board tubes.

He also wouldn't sleep under the wooden bridge I prepared for him and slept in the open today which meant he didn't sleep much at all.

Sorry for the long post but being more of a guinea pig kinda girl I want to make sure I'm tailoring my care to what's best for my Syrian.

cypher · 10-20-2014, 01:48 AM

Hi & welcome to HC

Have you tried the tissue method with your ham? If you put a tissue in your sleeve or somewhere it will get your scent then put it in the cage it will help your ham get used to your smell & realise it's not a threat, just repeat that every day for a while & that should help.
What's your cage access like? If it's from above it's a lot more threatening to a ham than from the front or side so you need to be really careful how you approach your ham.
Also it may be an idea to just try talking to your ham for a while so he get more used to your presence before you try to handle him, a week isn't long & some hams take longer to settle than others.
I wouldn't worry too much if you haven't got to wait long for a new wheel he should be OK for a short time.
Some hams do sleep in the open, I'd just be sure he has plenty of nesting material, preferably plain white unscented toilet tissue shredded up & let him make up his own mind where he wants to sleep.

Hope that helps a bit.

MamaBijou · 10-20-2014, 04:33 PM

Thanks cypher I will try that. My cage has both top n front access but I never use the top.

I must say he will now get into a cup and doesn't dart off at the slightest approach. He tends to kind of just push my finger away in annoyance when I touch him so I'm not gonna force it too much.

As for the wheel... I got a 28cm trixie wheel and you're supposed to be able to take the stand off but I couldn't. Now my cage isn't high enough to accommodate the wheel on the stand so gonna have to send it back which is really frustrating because bijou is so bored he's bar chewing now

He loves to climb but I'm not sure what toys I could make/get to encourage it instead of the chewing.

cypher · 10-20-2014, 10:27 PM

Have you tried giving him dog biscuits or dog chews most hams enjoy chewing on those,it's good for their teeth as well as giving them something to do. I scatter feed too, again it helps keep them busy & they seem to enjoy it.
As for toys I'm not sure where you are so don't know what's available.

MamaBijou · 10-21-2014, 04:23 AM

I have thought of dog biscuits but they all have really meaty flavours and I wasn't sure whether he'd like them.

I've decided that considering my low cage situation, it might be better to get a flying saucer. Most shops say a 6.5/7 inch one is fine but I'm not sure.

Also, I live in middlesex, England

Willow Wisp · 10-21-2014, 04:43 AM

Hi MamaBijou

Congratulations on your new addition

I'm sorry to say but the 6.5 inch flying saucer is way to small for a Syrian

I made the mistake of buying one when Willow was young, she tried it once but fell off

I got her the 12 inch one and it's perfect, she uses it all the time. The only draw back with a 12 inch one is it takes up a lot of floor space, so if space is an issue for you it may need some thinking about. When I got Ebony, she was 5 weeks old, I gave her Willows old 6.5 inch saucer whilst she was tiny but she had grown out of it by only 7 weeks of age, so this size saucer is really only for dwarf species.
As for your Trixie wheel it should just pull off of its stand

MamaBijou · 10-21-2014, 04:53 AM

You know what willow wisp I feel so silly, tried pulling on it all day yesterday and when I tried now it came right off. I'm gonna see how it fits in the cage now as I do acknowledge that a flying saucer might not be great for space. Mind you bijou prefers climbing to running around anyway. The only running he's done has been on his wheel when it was still big enough. He usually just burrows and climbs. Little acrobat that one.

cypher · 10-21-2014, 04:54 AM

Most hams love dog biscuits so I expect yours will too, certainly worth a try.
I agree with Willow, you are going to have to give the wheel some thought, you might find this thread helpful as there's quite a bit of discussion about wheels.
What should a Syrian have? Advice please!

Maybe if you look at other peoples cages it will give you some idea of what toys people have for their hams, I only have dwarfs so I can't really say what's best for a syrian.
Let's see your cages (from January 2014)

MamaBijou · 10-22-2014, 11:11 AM

So a little update...

I've managed to fit the wheel and thankfully there's just enough space for it to spin. HOWEVER...bijou seems to wanna climb it more than run coz it's so big ��

I guess he'll get the hang of it. I did wanna ask about cowhide though like the kind dogs chew. I went to get dog biscuits and got some cowhide bones too as they seem like they'd keep him busy. ..are hamster's allowed to chew on that?

Skeever · 10-22-2014, 04:00 PM

Is cowhide the same as rawhide? I recall being warned about using it with hammies, but I wouldn't swear by that. I think it can be problematic if they ingest some of it?

I love when they push my hand away when they don't want to be bothered!!!! I mean, it doesn't make me feel loved one bit, but its so cute how pushy they can be when they want to.