# New hamster help!



## Faye705 (Jul 22, 2015)

Hi, I have had my new hamster for 5 days! The first two nights he was very very active all night on his wheel, on the second night we started talking to him and getting him used to us, even stroking him occasionally. 

The third night he got up a lot later but when he did get up everything seemed normal, we were stroking him and he even allowed my sister to pick him up in the cage (before running off again). He hasn't bitten, I've been looking for signs of disease but he seems very bright eyed, pooping, weeing, eating and drinking normally!

Last night he didn't get up until about 9, he stayed up playing with his toys for a couple hours and then went back to bed! I went to bed after that so I don't know if he was up after, I've seen him in his bed this morning and again, I can't see any signs of illness.

Is this normal? Could he be just adjusting to his new home? (He's a Syrian) his sleep schedule has been different everyday so do you think he is trying to find one that suits him? He's only 8 weeks old


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Hamsters are nocturnal so whilst your asleep that's when he will be the most active.


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## ForestWomble (May 2, 2013)

Faye705 said:


> Hi, I have had my new hamster for 5 days! The first two nights he was very very active all night on his wheel, on the second night we started talking to him and getting him used to us, even stroking him occasionally.
> 
> The third night he got up a lot later but when he did get up everything seemed normal, we were stroking him and he even allowed my sister to pick him up in the cage (before running off again). He hasn't bitten, I've been looking for signs of disease but he seems very bright eyed, pooping, weeing, eating and drinking normally!
> 
> ...


I think you have started handling him too soon and he is a bit stressed. 
You can talk to him but don't try handling him for a couple of days.

As for the sleeping, hamsters are nocturnal so I'm sure he is OK.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Im going to have to disagree and say handle him as soon as possible, you don't want a bitey hamster.
I've taken on hamsters that haven't been handled from babies and they've bitten and drawn blood! Lots of handling will make him super tame.
If your cage has a large door at the front like the savic hamster heaven cage you can scoop him up and hold him whilst still inside the cage.


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## Faye705 (Jul 22, 2015)

Hi thank you everyone for your advice! 

I know hamsters are nocturnal haha!! He's fine, he came out this morning for some food, drink and played on his wheel for a bit  I was concerned that he wasn't coming out as much as he should at night.

We've only stroked him and picked him up for seconds at a time in the cage. 

Our last hamster lived for 3 years and she was handled from a baby, she was the friendliest little thing!! 

Thanks again everyone xx


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## Amelia66 (Feb 15, 2011)

Hes probably still settling in and although it looks like hes sleeping he may be in his bed re arranging or eating from from his food stash. Wet tail would be the only thing i would me massively on the look out for illness wise as its deadly and fast. Other than that just enjoy your new furry friend.


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## lostbear (May 29, 2013)

blade100 said:


> *Im going to have to disagree and say handle him as soon as possible*, you don't want a bitey hamster.
> I've taken on hamsters that haven't been handled from babies and they've bitten and drawn blood! Lots of handling will make him super tame.
> If your cage has a large door at the front like the savic hamster heaven cage you can scoop him up and hold him whilst still inside the cage.


I'm with you on this Blade - early gentle handling, and as much of it as possible. Hamster bites can be very painful and one of ours inflicted a wound on my daughter that needed two stitches (he was a new hamster and we hadn't realised how unused to being touched he was - he did eventually settle and became a softie, but muggins here had to do the "gentling" as nobody else would put their hands in the cage after that).

I would say though, if you have been eating (say) a sandwich Faye - wash your hands first! If he smells the deliciousness of your snack he will try to push your fingers into his pouch, and getting a digit back off a hamster is a difficult and extraordinarily painful experience - I speak as one who has wrestled with a hamster after eating crisps! (Yes - I know, I should have had more sense.)

However, I think your hamsters sound fine from what you have told us - as long as he has a clean dry bum, no signs of dire-rear and his eyes aren't runny there isn't likely to be anything wrong with him. They prefer to come out at night and rattle round in their wheel so as to cause maximum disruption to the household, but if you wake him during the day he will catch up with his zeds at night - and of course they are all individuals - yours might just be a couch potato. 

I would say to handle him as much as you can so that he begins to associate you with pleasurable experiences and being allowed to explore.


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## Faye705 (Jul 22, 2015)

Thank you lostbear and Amelia! I do think he's just adjusting, I've looked up the symptoms of wet tail on pets at home site (I got him from there) and I don't think he has any of them which is good! I was worried it might develop into something and I would hate to see him in pain!! At least I know what to do now if he does show any symptoms for wet tail.

He isn't always sleeping when he goes in his bed, he's often nibbling something or shuffling about, I thought he was just being shy.


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## lostbear (May 29, 2013)

Faye705 said:


> Thank you lostbear and Amelia! I do think he's just adjusting, I've looked up the symptoms of wet tail on pets at home site (I got him from there) and I don't think he has any of them which is good! I was worried it might develop into something and I would hate to see him in pain!! At least I know what to do now if he does show any symptoms for wet tail.
> 
> He isn't always sleeping when he goes in his bed, he's often nibbling something or shuffling about, I thought he was just being shy.


Probably digging an escape tunnel, or plotting to take over the world. Hamsters are great little Houdinis and have an over-inflated sense of their own importance. LOL


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## Amelia66 (Feb 15, 2011)

lostbear said:


> Probably digging an escape tunnel, or plotting to take over the world. Hamsters are great little Houdinis and have an over-inflated sense of their own importance. LOL


Yea this. Once had one escape and chew a massive hole in the carpet 

Bless him after a few weeks I'm sure he will be alot more active.


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## Faye705 (Jul 22, 2015)

Amelia66 said:


> Yea this. Once had one escape and chew a massive hole in the carpet
> 
> Bless him after a few weeks I'm sure he will be alot more active.


Haha I've checked for holes!! I kept him in my room last night to see if he would come out, he woke me up once and all he was doing was nibbling his wooden toy that is hanging up! But this morning, 7:00 he is wide awake and letting us handle him.

He's so cute! I'm going to clean out his cage today, is it okay to wake him up if I do this during the day? I have an excersise ball but I'm reluctant to put him in that because he's still settling in.


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## lostbear (May 29, 2013)

Faye705 said:


> Haha I've checked for holes!! I kept him in my room last night to see if he would come out, he woke me up once and all he was doing was nibbling his wooden toy that is hanging up! But this morning, 7:00 he is wide awake and letting us handle him.
> 
> He's so cute! I'm going to clean out his cage today, is it okay to wake him up if I do this during the day? I have an excersise ball but I'm reluctant to put him in that because he's still settling in.


If you wake him make sure you do it by making a noise of some sort, or by lifting him, nest box and all, into a safe place. Poking a slumbering hamster is not a good idea. :Joyful You could lose a limb like that.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Also just clean out half his cage because you don't want him upset or keep some of his nesting material which has his scent on. 

Now where are the pics of this little man?


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Do you have a room where it's free of wires? I used to let mine free roam in the hallway and have her toys set up as obstacles for her.
Or another way we did it was get some cardboard boxes and open them up to make a wall and put mo inside with her toys.


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## Faye705 (Jul 22, 2015)

blade100 said:


> Also just clean out half his cage because you don't want him upset or keep some of his nesting material which has his scent on.
> 
> Now where are the pics of this little man?


I have replaced his tiny wheel that came with the cage with a much bigger one  I'll try and attach a photo I took of him with his smaller wheel! When I cleaned him out I left some clean shavings in there and I also didn't clean out his little house that he didn't even go in, he's now made his bed in there. I guess because it smells of him

His name is Barnaby


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## ForestWomble (May 2, 2013)

Aaawwww he is so cute!


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Oh he's gorgeous! He's long haired isn't he?
Yeh most wheels that come with the cages are too small. Anything over 8 inches in diameter are best. I had a 11 inch wodent wheel in my hamster heaven cage for mo.


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