Raphael (Raffy's) Adventures - Page 9

Pebbles82 · 05-24-2022, 04:33 AM

Raffy is back to being sweet and happy. I pulled back a bit on the hand taming for a day or two then started again with gloves on and not trying to pick him up but put hamster mix on the palm of my gloved hand. He stopped to nibble from that then walked over the hand (usually he avoids the gloved hand). Later he accepted using my hand as a step. He had climbed on top of the "taming box" in the playpen and was contemplating how to get off it again. So I put my hand next to it as a step to walk down onto. At first he turned around and went the other way. Then came back, hesitated a few times and then just stepped onto my hand. I lowered it to let him down and he didn't panic or leap off and just walked off it again.

That feels like progress. I'd like to do without gloves! But will wait a bit more.

On a not so good note, now he has demolished all the cardboard round the edge of the cage I'm aware he has been bar chewing a bit at night. Not a lot. He just wants to be out all the time. So might add some more cardboard round the inside of the cage for him to chew. He is definitely a chewer. I noticed the toilet roll is now a third of the size and semi demolished!

cloudy · 05-24-2022, 04:57 AM

How lovely Raffy is slowly getting used to you. I think that is really positive.

Ria P · 05-24-2022, 08:15 AM

Clive shredded all the flat pieces of cardboard and then chewed the bars. Like Raffy, he wants out all the time.

So i made chewing difficult for him. I attached a bendy bridge flat against his favourite chewing area and replaced the flat and easy chew cardboard by the door with an awkward Pringle tube. He doesn't chew the tube and tried to stand on it to get to a new chewing bars place but kept sliding off! Not one to give up easily, Clive is now able to balance on top of the Pringle tube but doesn't chew the bars there anymore.
Well, he does sometimes when i'm in the room and he thinks i should catch the freeroaming hamster to let him out but making things awkward for him has reduced his bar chewing a lot. He spends more time on his wheel now and still gets out a lot.
Anything is worth a try with assertive hamsters.

Pebbles82 · 06-07-2022, 04:48 PM

Raffy has grown. We were away on holiday for a week with a petsitter coming in. Who couldn't let him out because a) he's too active for her to handle and b) he nips! I wondered how he'd manage for a week without coming out of the cage, So I put a load of cardboard in the cage before we went - replacing the cardboard edging he'd demolished. Sure enough when we got back he'd done a lot of cardboard chewing and was desperate to come out! He was actually bar chewing our first night back but that's stopped now.

Anyway I can see he has grown now so need to weigh him again. Maybe he was younger than we thought when we got him (either 8 weeks or 12 weeks - they weren't sure).

He walks onto a gloved hand now which is progress. I put my non gloved hand in for him to sniff as well but not palm up - with the back of my hand facing him so I don't get nipped. Might try the non gloved hand with him walking onto that next time.

Both hamsters came out and had some eye communication the first night back as if to say - where have you been? They seemed pleased to see me anyway. Apparently they hid away when the petsitter was coming in. Even Raffy.

cloudy · 06-08-2022, 12:55 AM

Oh how cute they were both pleased to see you. I hope you had a lovely holiday.

Ria P · 06-08-2022, 01:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

Both hamsters came out and had some eye communication the first night back as if to say - where have you been? They seemed pleased to see me anyway. Apparently they hid away when the petsitter was coming in. Even Raffy.

It just shows what an important part you play in their lives and how well they relate to you.

Interesting that Raffy hid away as well which means that he is starting to trust you. You being away for a week could be a turning point for Raffy.

Pebbles82 · 06-09-2022, 03:57 PM

Weighed Raffy tonight and he’s 157g. He has grown a lot! He is still a small hamster but looks a more normal size now. So either he was a tiny baby when he came or a bit underfed. I think he was only 97g when we got him - been reading back and can’t find it. It was less than 100g though. He really was tiny. Looks average now.

cloudy · 06-09-2022, 11:26 PM

You have done wonders to get Raffy to a good weight. He really did look tiny when you first adopted him.

Ria P · 06-10-2022, 07:22 AM

That's a normal weight but he seems small to you because you're used to 250g+ boys.

Pebbles82 · 06-10-2022, 08:31 AM

Not nearly as small as he was when he arrived! He seems average now. I think he must have been a baby but can’t quite work that out. Initially I was told he was about 3 months old and previous owners only had him two or three weeks. On arrival they said he was about 8 weeks old. That didn’t tally with previous owners having him 2 or 3 weeks. Although I guess it’s possible they got him from a private breeder at 6 weeks. So reckon he probably was more like 8 weeks and still a baby. Still can’t understand why anyone would not love a baby hamster but I guess if he nipped out of fear and was a child’s pet they just didn’t want him.

Slight set back with taming again. He is off hands again. I think noise scared him the other day - lots of racket after we came back from holiday, sorting the house out. Me shouting instructions downstairs etc. And he’s been a bit jumpy. Hopefully he’ll settle again soon. He was even a bit scared of the weighing scales last night (flat on the floor). But then he has had a few changes recently with us being away and coming back.

And he LOVES blueberries. I got some the other day and he had one instead of veg.