Neptr

[heidii]

Originally Posted by cloudy

Oh he is beautiful! You took a lovely picture.

Unfortunately, it was the only good photo lol. He has since decided to never show his face long enough to get out the camera.

[cloudy]

Originally Posted by heidii

Unfortunately, it was the only good photo lol. He has since decided to never show his face long enough to get out the camera.

Aww, well luckily you have one clear one to cherish for now.

[heidii]

Neptr has thankfully begun to trust me enough to eat from my hand again. He's incredibly skittish, more skittish than what I thought a hamster from a breeder would be. I hope we can have a bond one day, and his rising curiosity in me has given me some hope.

I worry as his cage is really large. I had bought 140l of paper bedding, and it only had a dent in the shear quantity that I had initially put into it. He bit me as I did that change of 140ish litres of bedding, however I estimate I'd need another 200l to really have it "clean" but still keep his scent.

I've bought more bedding, but I don't want to stress him out anymore.

[cloudy]

You managed to take another lovely picture of Neptr! He is beautiful.

[Pebbles82]

He certainly is gorgeous. He may have been quite hand tame from birth but it's the change of environment and it can be like starting again sometimes. Our Syrian has bitten me a couple of times too and it put me off. Maybe wear gloves then you can do things more confidently. It sounds like he didn't like you messing with his cage ha ha!

No I wouldn't clean him out for a while - let him settle. You probably know already but most people on here just advise "spot cleaning" mainly and not doing big cage cleans. I maybe go four months before changing the substrate, and even then I only replace about a third to half of it and keep the clean old half and add it on top of the new/mix it in a bit.

The bigger the cage and the more bedding, the less often you need to do it. Especially if they use a litter tray. I went over 6 months with our robo's cage (he has 8 to 10" of bedding though).

The other key thing is to not clean everything at the same time. So if doing the substrate, don't clean anything else. You can do other things "as and when". eg the wheel another week, and any other items another time etc. They accept that much better and don't get so stressed as something always smells familiar.

Apologies if you already know all that. He looks like butter wouldn't melt ha ha.

It does sound like he is quite a shy hamster but I'm sure he'll gain in confidence. If you feel he's unsettled with the space then maybe "reduce" it a bit inside - you can make one end a deep digging area for example so the rest of the floor space feels more cosy and less exposed.

Ours have always liked their labyrinth houses (dark inside) and they take up a fair bit of floor space. Overhead cover helps them feel more confident in a cage too - like things hanging from the roof they can dive under. I always think a shelf or platform is good as they can sit under it (and it's somewhere else to go and somewhere to put heavier things on).

[heidii]

Hi, thanks for your response. He has actually gotten much better since that post. He understands that the carrier means he can come out, and he knows that I will usually lift him back out of the playpen. He has his Rodipet multichamber hide which he LOVES, and tends to just sit inside as he wakes up.
I only clean out his toileting areas. He tends to wee in his sand bath and occasional poops, but he also has a dedicated room in his hide for turds too. I think he sometimes looks very innocent, but other times looks like a very angry little man.

[Pebbles82]

He sounds similar to our Syrian in some ways. Who is like a sweet innocent angel sometimes but mean if you try and stop him chewing the carpet! (That's when he's bitten the odd time). He threatens to bite if I try and pick him up and will not be picked up. Interestingly though, I find he forgets about all that if he is a) tucking into some food or b) trying to escape the playpen - those are the times I can stroke him and pick him up and he doesn't bat an eyelid. So it seems to be when he's preoccupied doing something he likes that he doesn't care whether you stroke or touch him. But generally it's "keep off". Contrary little things!

Good to hear things are progressing. I bet he lives the Rodipet house - they all seem to like those.

[cloudy]

It is lovely to read an update on Neptr. He sounds like he has gained confidence as he now will walk into the carrier on his own.

I smiled reading how he has a dedicated room for his poops.

[heidii]

Makes cleaning very easy, that's for sure!

[cloudy]

Originally Posted by heidii

Makes cleaning very easy, that's for sure!

Lol! I can imagine!