Why is my hammy scare of me? - Paw Talk

aznhammy · #1 04-16-2004, 01:22 PM

I have my hammy for a week now i got him when he was 1 month old at the pet shop and i been doing all the right things for him..i made sure that he has fresh clean water, milk, pently of food and a good cage..i gave him food, i gave him lecttues, apple, and a warm spot when it is cold in the room i used a cloth to warm his cage. He would sleep through the night (they're notural they're not suppose to but why is he) and day and didn't play with his wheel. Although active sometime and eats what i gave him he seem to be afarid of me when i try to tame him to know me he would try to walk around my finger and plam. I hold some food in my finger and i even rub the beding with my plam but he just igore me. i want him to know me. So what did i do wrong. By the way he is a short hair golden hamster. Please help me..is he sick?

capnsweets · #2 04-16-2004, 02:44 PM

Are you sure he is sleeping all night? there is no need to give him milk, in fact it could be dangerous, I am not sure. As for taming him, I used this method. I would get a large plastic cup and hold it us to the front of the cage, most hammies will come right in, some need baited with a small treat.. Allow the hammie to climb in. Pull the cup close to you and cup your hand at the entrance, allow the hammie to sniff and possibly climb onto your hand. Make sure you wash your hands before this, they should not small like food at all or you may get bitten. I used to sit in my bathtub, free of water of course, and allow the hamster to run around me and climb on me to get to know my scent.

Why don't you give your hamster 2 days, just by himself, not bothering him but to change the food and water and then try some taming tequniques I ahve described? Maybe he needs to settle in. Make sure your hamster isn't kept were it is either too cold or too hot and not drafty. Good luck!

elfomatic · #3 04-16-2004, 08:06 PM

Capn' has great ideas...

Another thing...if it is too cold in the room your hamster might be inclined to go into hibernation (yes, hamsters do that) ... it could explain the sluggish behavior.

aznhammy · #4 04-16-2004, 10:10 PM

OO..i tried that method with the cup..it seeem to work at time but he quickly knows that it is me and tried it best to avoid the cup. I got off at a bad start with him. At the beginning i tried holding him so i can put him in the cage is that y is he still. avoiding me? O my god are you for real milk are dangerous to hammy??? i though milk are good for every pet...shoot...what should i do now??

aznhammy · #5 04-16-2004, 10:20 PM

oo and one more thing..i found out that is shocking to me..i found out from some site that i shouldn't feed him lecttuce and that is it bad for him?? what?? i though hamster get veg y is lecttuce for him?? or is it that that person is right.

elfomatic · #6 04-16-2004, 10:52 PM

Too many vegetables can give hamsters diarrhea. Lettuce really isn't good for any animal because it contains no nutritional value.

Don't worry about the milk as long as your hamster is okay now -- just don't supply it in the future.

**Sasami** · #7 04-17-2004, 12:44 PM

Instead of the milk, give your hammy some yogurt or a little bit of cheese...but I'd advise only giving it this once a week. The only time a hamster should be given milk is a little bit when it's pregnant or nursing.
As for the taming part, try laying your hand at the bottom of the cage with a treat in it. Eventually he may come over and eat it. When he's been eating from your hand for a few days, try lifting up your hand a bit so he gets used to your hand moving. Increase the height you lift your hand every day and soon you can try lifting it out of the cage but remember to cup your hands or he might jump out. Play with him near the floor. That's how I tamed my first hamster, Ginger.
I tamed both Cupcake and Kiyone (my current hammy) by placing a small cup or box in the cage with a treat inside. When the hamster would go into the container I'd lift it up and then place it in a box or hamster ball. I'd let it explore and for the first week I would stroke the hamster from the box but not pick it up. Everyday the hamster began running into the container as soon as I put it in the cage because it learned that by going inside it would get out of the cage along with some treats. After the first week passed, I let it crawl onto my hand and I picked it up. I don't know if this'll work, but I must've done something right since I've never had ANY hamster bite me. And now Kiyone will crawl up onto my shoulder.
I think it's acting skiddish because it's scared. You really shouldn't handle the hamster too much for the first week, except for petting it a little.
I'm worried about it's behaviour, though...Is it's fur dull or is it missing patches of fur anywhere? It might have a cold or something...If it seems to get worse then take it to a vet.

undercoverrats · #8 04-17-2004, 07:41 PM

To be honest we all often just get too excited with our new pet and want the little cutie to love us back instantly. I think that you should not worry too much and be patient. Trying all the great ideas that the folks here have given you slowly but surely I think that you will see results. Just be patient.

aznhammy · #9 04-19-2004, 06:39 PM

thanks for all the post guys i'll but patient..i hope he'll know me by than..i love my hammy alot i hope he won't b scare of me forever...thanks..

Minnie · #10 05-04-2004, 03:34 PM

I actually just got new hamster just April 30th (2 days ago). I named him ButterScotch. When I got Scotch from Petlove he was a little bit scared but then I put my hands first time and I am the one who got him out from the pet's store cage.

I think sometimes animals just want to communicate as well, I know it sounds silly but I do talk to my hamster a lot. I would even think he can obviously understand me as well. Everytime he plays on his wheel he would look up to see if I am watching and just notice if I am not he would stop. I would talk to him just like a other intelligent pets ( isn't he smart). I would then ask him to play for me once more " Show me you play, one more time" and he would actually do. I would let him wandering around in a coffee table as we watch TV.

Now everytime I go to the kitchen where I put his home he gets so excited and would run down and wait next to the door. I would then asked him to show me he plays first and he would and I took him out.

Try to stroke your hammie too in their body because I think they like it(stroke them the way you rub lotion on your hands). Just be patient your hammie will be fine, with mine ButterScotch is very active he gets up 12noon and awake for about an hour and goes back to sleep until 6/7pm. I stayed up with him 'til 2am the latest so he won't be alone. And this morning I tried to transfer him into his lower part of his home because I am worried he will get cold and he just sleep in my hands and out him downstairs.

Sigaru · #11 05-29-2004, 04:40 PM

no, he's not sick. like capn said, you should leave him alone for a little while...and probably not give him any more milk too...and then see how he does. He's probably still just a little scared and still adjusting to his new home. so if you leave him alone for about a day or two, and see how he does, and try to handle him just a little bit at first, then gradually move up to a little more until he is used to you. also, when you first start handling him, you might want to not want to handle him directly on your hand, like if you're wearing long sleeves, pull them over your hand, or put some gloves on(make sure his nails wont get caught in them), or just put a piece of cloth over your hand..thats how I trained my dwarf hamster at first, now I can hold her fine and she doesnt mind(as long as I dont stick my hand into her cage, because that's her territory and she doesnt like anyone else in it)