Aleš Lombergar

Please buy a wire cage for your new hamster with a plastic bottom. It breaks my heart when I see them in glass cages, its so restricting for them. Hamsters need as much space as possible to feel free, to get exercise and to feel at home. The bigger the cage the better. This could well be your problem here, he does not sound a happy hamster.

I have had my syrian hamster a year. When I first got him he was very small. I brought him the basic starter home, plastic bottom, and plastic walls and lid. He hated it. It restricted him, and he would try to scamble and scratch his way up the sides of the plastic to escape and it broke my heart. He grew so fast as well, he doubled his size within weeks.

In the end me and my husband got him a wired, 3 storey cage. So in theory 3 times the size of his original cage, but because it was wired he felt less enclosed. It truly is his palace now. He has a seperate nesting area on each level, secret hidden treats on each level, ceral chew bars, and of course tubes for him to get to each level. Yes, its a chore to clean and disinfect everyweek but he adores it, and he is the happiest, healthiest hamster I know of.

He clearly needs alot of attention too, He sounds scared of you. But dont panic. Please keep doing what you are doing, but get him a better cage first and leave hima week or so to settle in before attempting to handle him again. Its a mixture of pot luck and loving, caring handeling to whether or not your hamster is tame. It will happen though. We were blesses to have such a laid back, cuddley hamster like Harry, but not everyone has this experiance with hamsters. People assume because they are so small, they dont need alot of care and attention, but as your finding out first hand, it could not be further from the truth. Once he has settled in and starts to trust you he will demand an awful lot of attention to come out and play at all sorts of random hours. Harry will want to come out and play, but instead he often just curls up on the sofa next to me for a doze!! Be patient, invest in a proper cage for your hamster and with luck all will be fine.

because he is a roadent not a dog he is not looking for effection he is looking to eat and reproduce

Just give him time and keep trying! He has to get use to you! He probably was not handled at the store you got him from, he is just scared! Keep trying the treats, and maybe some company would help, if you do buy another hamster ask the sales person to handle them 1st to see how it behaves, if it lets him pick it up and doesn’t bite or try to run and hide then buy it! It all ways help to see how an animal reacts 1st. Good luck!

He doesn’t sound happy with his enviorment. A 10 gallon tank is very small. There is cage toppers out there (usually metal) that go on top of 10 galls at they basically can use the bottom tank half for digging or whatnot (put soil in there). Then the top you can put a wheel in/food/water/bed.
I had hamsters growing up. They take alot of time to socialize. Don’t give up. You could try taking him out, go in the bathroom or sit in the bath & let him run around, he will walk on you this way- smell you & come near you will getting excersize. Just remember, he’s a baby & just got taken away from mom- so be patient! Good luck!

About how old is your hamster and what breed is it? The young ones (under 10 weeks) aren’t social mature enough to know not to bare the teeth at you. This is a defense posture and he thinks you are an intruder there to harm him. Try offering a piece of food first to give him a different scent and to say you’re friendly. Careful of the fingers, try a piece of wheat bread or something with finger safety distance. Try getting him to go into one of the toilet paper rolls first then get him to come out into your hand, we did this with many of them and it worked quite well. Remember to always talk to him the whole time with a gentle voice. If there’s any nervousness on you’re part they will pick it up and act that way too. You’ve only had him a few days and we’ve had some hamsters that took 2 months to stop this behavior (they were rescues and mistreated). Most were friendlier in less then a month. I was working with one we got in last week and in just a few days, my 11 yr old daughter could hold him in his cage (in case he jumped for his safely), sadly he passed tonight unexplained.

Personally I only use tanks for my mice since they’re too small for most all wire cages, but we use mesh tops for maximum ventilation. All my other small animals (rescues and private pets) are all housed in wire top cages and they love them. Just be cautious of the chewing and make them stop (easier said then done sometimes). Bar chewing can lead to broken teeth, misaligned teeth and teeth pulled out at the root if caught where 2 pieces of metal are close together. Plus it’s very nerve racking to hear them chew on them.

May I ask you what bedding you use? Using cedar or pine should not be done due to the chemicals in them that when mixed with the urine create toxic fumes thet will build up in a cage and even more easily in a tank. This can cause respiratory infections or death to small animals. Also pine and other wood litters like aspen cause allergies in them that cause watery eyes, sneezing and in some cases respiratory infections. (I know this from past prior experience and getting small animals from those who housed them in the wood litters that became sick within a few days of having them or that were sick and the vet diagnosed these problems.) I only became aware of these problems with wood litters within the last 3 years as a now former breeder. I started small animal rescues this year. We have been using only paper litters such as Care Fresh and the allergies have not been seen. Even our allergies have lessened over the last few years since finding out about what wood litters cause in small animals. I even this my one cat was allergic to the woods because his hair has grown back and stayed, but before he lost his had and itched all the time. I had used a pine cat litter for the last few years and stopped last year.

He might just be scared so try to soothe him by talking to him softly or just being
near him. I doesn’t sound like he is bored so that isn’t the problem. maybe he wants some company maybe another hamster. it also might be that he is just not used to his new environment. give him some time. if it continues take him to the vet.

Hope that helps:)

sometimes males are meaner than the females, offer him snacks, like sunflower seeds, yogurt drops, etc, yes your bedding is good, you can also get super shavin’s at petsmart or petco, its good too. about the cage, I prefer the crittertrail type at petsmart, and petco, they have open air flow which is good, also some have 2 and 3 levels, and get an exercise ball, about $4-5 same store, they love to run in them. if it dosn’t get better in a few weeks, get rid of it and get a syrian at petsmart, they sell only females. he’s scared because if you put anything over them ie your hand, they assume its an attacker swooping down on them, so go get a crittertrail cage, it has a front door, and also sky towers to get in and out.

What is with all the stupid comments guys? Why bother waisitng your time on here if your not going to act like an adult, move on.

Anyway,
I deffinatly agree what people are saying about the cage. I find it very cruel as its bad enough they are trapped in a age full stop never mind it being glass and no proper air getting in. Dont worry though, you may have been told or thought this was a good idea, nothing you cant change though.

I have just had a terrible audele with my baby hamster. He is now 2 months old, i was struggling to get mine out of the cage. Took me about half an hour to get him out, i have to use the ladder, when he walks down his ladder i quickly unclip the ladder and magic, he walk straight on to my lap. He will not freeley walk on to my hand, even with food on it, he backs away when i go in for the move.
He has just escaped his cage and managed to get in to my walls in my apartement. Even worse as if it was a house i would have freely bashed each and every wall down to get him. He got out of his wired cage and after 24 hours i couldnt find him anywhere, couldnt even here him on a night. i live on the 3rd (top) floor of a block of apartements and my neighbour reported rats in her walls. Obvs this was no rat it was my bruce! he had some how managed to find a whole in the wall in my flat (although i cant see any!) and go 3 floors down in the walls and trapped himself.
This was absalout horror. Felt so sick!
Yesterday my neighbour kindly knocked his wall down in the aring cubourd and got him out. Nightmare!

My point is, now he is even more reluctant to let me go near him, i couldnt even look to see if he was ok, wanted to check for cuts as today there is drops of blood in his beeding – not surprised really with the mission he had the last 2 days.
I am upset that its put a set back on me bonding with him but i am just going to try everythingi can, treats, time, patients and loving, if you do the same i am sure he will be fine with you.
Good luck
Stef

I bought my syrian hamster last monday, he was only 14 weeks old, he’s very timid and does scratch and make a noise, he’s calmed down abit now but I still haven’t held him, I’m too scared incase he runs out of my hands, just get him used too your scent and talk too him, sounds silly but your voice will calm them, hope this helped 🙂

I have two dwarf hamsters in a glass aquarium! They seem to like it, and they have a house to hide under, They eat treats from my hand, but I have to wait patiently for a few minutes. Luckily, I got two VERY sweet hamsters, but if yours are a bit moody, don’t worry, their instinct to get food is stronger than their instinct to dislike you.

Great question. I just recently got a hamster about a month ago and he’s become very friendly and jumps into my hand to come out and play. This is what I did.

You need to let your hamster agust to his new home and surroundings, give him at least a week of being left alone. Also trying to pet your hamster before he has even gotten the courage to sniff you is a VERY BAD idea. This will just frighten him and cause the process of handling him take even longer. Slowly lower your hand down towards your hamster not even to the bottom just to allow him to get interested and smell you. Remember you’re a big scary creature entering his space. As he gets more accustomed to your scent try feeding him a treat and then eventually picking him up and handling him.

This process is going to take time. They’re very smal skittish creatures and you are much bigger.

On the fact that he’s jumping on the glass. Hamsters are always looking for a way to escape and find shelter. Maybe add a box and some more bedding so he can borrow and feel safer.

Hope this helped!

please can I have advice on hamster behaviour. we got my daughter a Syrian hamster about 5 weeks ago{ first one} we have a cage which she is settled in and to help my daughter get used to the hamster and handle her we set up a very large plastic toy tub to place the hamster in with toys and tubes. The hamster will play, allow my daughter to stroke her and has just started letting her pick her up. She will clean herself and take treats. however she keeps jumping up against the sides of the plastic tub, play and then do it again.Is she distressed or just extra active. she does not bite us when we handle or stroke her .

There is nothing wrong with glass tanks. They need to have the right amount of floor space and enough hieght so you can put lots of bedding.. 12 inches of bedding is ideal.. a 40 gallon breeder is the smallest size you should have or equivalent.. it is 36 by 18 by 18 about.. Hamsters have bad eyesight and depth perception so they shouldn’t have three level cages like someone suggested. Look up German or UK hamster cage recommendations and we are WAY behind in the US. Hamsters deserve better than teeny tiny 10 gallon tanks or little plastic and wire cages. In the wild they run miles every night and make huge burrows.