Clive

[cloudy]

Wow. I am curious to know if he has a huge hoard.

[Ria P]

Originally Posted by cloudy

Wow. I am curious to know if he has a huge hoard.

Same here but i have to think how best to approach this. Clive is a sensitive hamster and easily upset.

He squealed like a piglet the other morning when my partner called him for his porridge.
He's done that before when i spot cleaned his cage while he was in the substrate somewhere.
Of course we backed off but he can get himself into a right state.

[cloudy]

Aw. He does sound sensitive. I hope you can figure out a way that suits him.

[ilguy]

I used to think the scream of a dwarf hamster was the worst sound anyone could possibly hear, but that's right. Syrians have that awful sound, its just the worst when they sound so scared

[Ria P]

Syrians have a huge range of vocalisations. Clive is the most vocal one here. I think he's scared when he squeals but when he squawks its more annoyance. I've never heard them screech like dwarfs do. An angrily screeching dwarf makes anyone back off, lol.

[lovehamsters01]

funnily enough my one Syrian Daisy doesn't make any sound whatsoever. I believe she screamed the 1st night we got her when she was scared so i know she's able to, but since then, I never once heard anything from her!
my robos on the other hand make this clicking/squeaking noise the whole night long. their tanks are right next to each other, so I guess they're communicating? I don't know but its adorable.
and then my dwarf hamster Dusty once squealed when I was cutting his nails (oops) but other then that I've never heard him make a sound either

[ilguy]

I've heard the click/squeak combo a few times with my winter whites, I think it's usually a "happy to see you" or "come over" sort of deal.

The pure click is just always "go away".

[lovehamsters01]

Originally Posted by ilguy

I've heard the click/squeak combo a few times with my winter whites, I think it's usually a "happy to see you" or "come over" sort of deal.

The pure click is just always "go away".

oh, that makes sense. I also find my robos do it for the 1st hour or two when they're doing their 'chores' around the cage but are still too sleepy to go on their wheels. so, I'll hear little clicks/squeaks as they stock up on food, update their hoards, make new tunnels etc. I just assume it means that they're content and enjoying themselves. at least I hope that's what it means!

[Ria P]

Following on from the "moulting" thread, i've decided to rule out anything environmental before taking Clive to the vet, should his hair loss get worse or not improve.

I do believe that Clive has been very poorly bred. He's probably the result of a backyard breeder breeding hamsters that weren't compatible but this is speculation because i don't know.

He's small and his fur is incredibly soft like a bird's fluffy underside. He never had a thick coat to start off with and he scents frantically when out and i talk to him or try to pick him up which wouldn't help matters.

The other thing i've noticed is that he has a huge hoard in the burrowing area of his cage where he sleeps. There's sometimes quite a commotion down there creating a lot of noise. Now i'm wondering if he sleeps in the hoard and moving around on the grains caused his fur to rub off.

So, today i took the little man out and put him in a holding box which i put in another room. I then took all the substrate out from the burrowing area and removed the layer of hoard from the bottom of the cage. Clive is now sleeping on soft Kaytee clean and cozy.
I checked the substrate and established that his poops are normal and there wasn't anything unsavoury to be found.

Surprisingly, Clive didn't get upset. He really seems to trust me now which is lovely.

I'm also starting a food diary for Clive in my own diary. Leafy greens are off the menu anyway because he can't tolerate them. I think too many sunflower seeds can also contribute to hairloss so they will be rationed to a couple daily. He needs to cut back on junk food and i need to find a healthier substitute for a nibble stick or only give him a stick on the 2 nights pw i'm at work and he can't get out to free roam. Linseeds he gets anyway and i'll supplement him with Dr S potent brew once a week but need to weigh him first to get the dosage right. He'll get a bit more protein as well.
Today he had a cube of fresh tofu and loved it.

See if that makes any difference.
If anybody has any thoughts on that, please let me know.

[cloudy]

So Clive loves tofu too! How cute. It is lovely he trusts you so much and was okay with you tidying up his cage. His hoard must have been making it uncomfortable for him to burrow and sleep underground.