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Original poster

Advice re new pet hamster

34 replies

SpanishFly · 24/05/2021 23:41

Hi everyone. So we got a dwarf hamster a couple of weeks ago. He was very timid to begin with, so we let him settle in for a day or two, then started to put our hands in the cage etc etc. He's now totally fine with our hands being in, and we've also had him in his exercise ball a few times- by putting the ball in the cage then waiting until he goes into it, then putting the lid on. The issue is that we're not quite sure how to take the plunge to pick him up - he is faster than Usain Bolt, and I'm certain he'll just run off. The other night, we sat in a circle and allowed him out of his ball, and within seconds he'd escaped and we could barely catch him 🙈 We eventually got him back in the ball then into his cage, but none of us have managed to lift him 😖
We then bought a little hamster playpen hoping it would be a way to lift him inan enclosed area until he got used to us handling him, but he clearly hates it, and runs around in it in a kind of panic, so we won't be using it again.
We just feel a bit like we've hit a stalemate and don't quite know what to do next, without either being bitten or him escaping and never being seen again 🙈🙈
I've read posts saying to set up the bath to allow him to run around, but given that he hates the playpen, I don't imagine a big white bath being any more appealing to him, and it all seems like a lot of hassle in any case.
Any tips?

OP posts:
Muddydoor · 24/05/2021 23:47

If you want to try holding it, block off as many exits as possible and be ready for it to try to escape. Really, if you want to be able to hold a hamster, dwarf ones are not a good idea.

sequinednostrils · 24/05/2021 23:48

We have a playpen for our hamster and he loves it- but he's got lots of toys and hidey houses, somewhere to snuggle, a sand bath and interesting nibbles. He's a Syrian and very tame.
Have you tried putting something tasty in your hands and letting him eat from it? Dwarfs are social I think and like to have company.

Donitta · 24/05/2021 23:52

Dwarf hamsters are social and like to live in pairs. If the poor little guy is alone then perhaps he’s stressed.

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Doyoumind · 24/05/2021 23:52

It takes time for them to get used to you and for you to get used to them. A trick for picking up I've seen online is using a mug. Then the hamster can walk out of it on to your hand.

123rd · 24/05/2021 23:54

Was going to suggest holding food. Then after a few times have the food in an open palm so he. Gets used to you. Then scoop him out once in yr hand

Doyoumind · 24/05/2021 23:55

Make sure it's not too noisy when you get him out. Talk to him when he's in the cage so he gets used to your voice. Use treats when you handle him so he associates you with food.

DoingItMyself · 25/05/2021 00:00

You have the wrong hamster. If you want a hamster friend you need a big, long-haired Syrian. Yours needs some tiny pals of his own.

Original poster
SpanishFly · 25/05/2021 00:02

I'm a bit confused at the first few replies, as we were told that dwarf hamsters are the ones who can live in pairs (altho that can be a challenge in itself), but that it's definitely not essential. We were also told that they are very friendly. In any case, I'm more needing advice about what we do from now, as he has always been alone, so we couldn't introduce another at this stage, and don't have a big enough cage for two anyway.

Re the food in the hand etc, yep that's what we have been doing. I need to build up my own confidence, as I'm anxious he bites me, even though he's never given any indication that he might. So I kind of chicken out when he gets too close. I keep trying to remind myself that even if he does bite me, it isn't exactly the end of the world!

OP posts:
KenAddams · 25/05/2021 00:03

Depending on the type of dwarf hamster be careful with advi r I had Russian dwarf males who r territorial N fought to the death... I was also advised to have them in pairs

goshthatsawful · 25/05/2021 00:06

Dwarf hamsters don’t make good pets. Make sure he’s not in his ball for longer than 10 minutes- they exhaust themselves trying to run out of it if that makes sense

Original poster
SpanishFly · 25/05/2021 00:13

@KenAddams

Depending on the type of dwarf hamster be careful with advi r I had Russian dwarf males who r territorial N fought to the death... I was also advised to have them in pairs
This is what we were told too - that pairs wasn't a job for the fainthearted and was no walk in the park. As I said, that's not an option anyway, he was on his own in the pet shop, so couldn't have another in with him now.
OP posts:
Original poster
SpanishFly · 25/05/2021 00:14

@goshthatsawful

Dwarf hamsters don’t make good pets. Make sure he’s not in his ball for longer than 10 minutes- they exhaust themselves trying to run out of it if that makes sense
What do you mean specifically, that they don't make good pets?
OP posts:
Original poster
SpanishFly · 25/05/2021 00:16

Well, this has got me down a bit, I'd hoped for some more positive posts, rather than finding out we've made a huge mistake and can't do much to move forwards 😕

OP posts:
AlmostSummer21 · 25/05/2021 00:20

We had a Syrian -she was adorable and only bit once and that was my fault

She loved her ball. & would get properly pissy until we met her back in it. We used a soft fabric alice band around it to keep the lid on.

We had a playpen but she scaked it in 2 mins! 🙄🙄

We had a big plastic box (I think 45litres?) which we'd put toys in (see saw), log, chew toys and a dog biscuit and she'd 'play out' in there and climb onto our hands

She loved cuddling up on me (I think it's the squishy boobies)

We did also use the bath, couple of thick towels along the bottom & various cardboard tubes, hidden snacks places to hide, thins to climb.

She was an amazing little character, but small enough thanks.

AlmostSummer21 · 25/05/2021 00:27

@SpanishFly

Well, this has got me down a bit, I'd hoped for some more positive posts, rather than finding out we've made a huge mistake and can't do much to move forwards 😕
M sorry you feel like that, people are just being honest & realistic.

You CAN do all the things we did with ours, but being so incredibly tiny you have to be incredibly careful!

If he ever does 'go missing' put his cage on the floor with snacks leading up to the door and make sure he can get into the cage. Leave it set up for as long as it takes for him to come home!

A friends Syrian went missing and they looked & looked, eventually gave up he tyerned up about 9 months later, sitting on the kitchen floor as if to say 'come on then, make a big fuss of me'. They kept discovering bald patches of carpet, &!assumed that's what he'd lived on.

They had a cat too, so he was very lucky not to have been a trophy at any stage.

What have you called him?

skybluee · 25/05/2021 00:30

There's quite a bit of misinformation in this thread.

First of all, please don't use a hamster ball. They hate it and it can be unintentionally cruel. Look up some information on that and how they navigate/what the experience is like for them.

After a few days is quite early to be putting hands in, etc.

The hamster is fine on its own. Often they have to be separated (not just syrians, dwarfs too). Pairs can develop problems at any point and they HAVE to be separated once there's any indication of a problem else it can progress to one being attacked/death.

There are some quite good videos on youtube about handling hamsters - Victoria Raechel in particular.

www.youtube.com/c/VictoriaRaechel/videos

Good luck and I hope you enjoy your new pet.

InescapableDeath · 25/05/2021 00:35

Dwarf hamsters and Syrians are very different.

I had roborovski dwarves some years back that never became very tame. But I got a big
Storage box that I used for their playtime - I put some flooring material in it, a sand bath, a couple of toys, and I could lean over it with bird seed in my hand (trill) which they eventually learned to eat from my hand. They were never tame enough to hold while sat on a couch etc - they would’ve freaked and ran. Still v cute though.

I was an experienced hamster owner as had had lots of Syrians before (always easier to tame) but found these a completely different challenge. V cute though.

goshthatsawful · 25/05/2021 00:37

they bite, they don’t bond with their owners so you won’t get ‘pet/owner’ relationship, they don’t live long, are nocturnal so sleep when the kids are awake and don’t like being woken to be ‘played with’, they’re pretty good at escaping (I hope you got a tank rather than a cage as they can squeeze between the bars), they scare very easily.

You’d have been better with a Syrian/golden. Although they’re also nocturnal

Valhalla17 · 25/05/2021 00:44

Dwarfs are not great together, fight often to the death. Better its alone. We've had ours almost 2yrs, we've barely handled him as he's just too fast. He has a massive cage (ikea glass thing) and gets daily time "outside" in a playpen or the bath. He isnt scared of us, will take food from hands and climb on....but if he runs we never catch him Grin not the best hamster for a child...but I was silly to listen to the pet shop! He is very cute though, we love watching him do silly things...and he seems happy so that's the main thing.

FelicityBeedle · 25/05/2021 00:51

You can keep them in pairs but it’s really not ideal, they almost always end up fighting. First thing I would look at is how big is his cage? The U.K. minimum for hamsters was set at 4000^2 by the RSPCA (unfortunately they then partnered with pets at home and stopped recommending it!) the larger the case the calmer the hamster! Otherwise definitely try bath tub time and allowing him to sniff your hand every time he’s up and about

Champagneforeveryone · 25/05/2021 01:39

Don't have a lot of experience of hamsters, but when DS had rats he tamed them in the bath. He would sit for hours with the honking about all over him but unable to escape.

Champagneforeveryone · 25/05/2021 01:40

them

phodopus · 25/05/2021 02:03

They don't like open space. Make sure the playpen is cluttered with lots of places to hide. Cardboard tubes, boxes etc. Also put some things from his cage in there so it's not all unfamiliar. If it still scares him, don't bother with it though. Dwarf hamsters don't always need or like playpen time if their cage is big enough with lots of deep bedding for burrowing and things to do.

Definitely don't get him a "friend". They will fight to the death. They can live fine alone.

ObsidianRavenMcBovril · 25/05/2021 02:05

I had a Russian dwarf when I was a teenager... I'd had Syrian hamsters all my life before him so was more than used to handling them but this one was something else! He was fast as lightning and liked to set his gnashers on that bit of skin between your thumb and index finger and just cling on til you were able to shake him off. Horrible little thing.

phodopus · 25/05/2021 02:06

Don't feel negative. Smile Dwarf hamsters can absolutely make great pets and they can bond with their owners. A lot of stereotypes about dwarf hamsters come from the time when people kept them in tiny cages so they became agitated and bitey. Nowadays we know that they need an 80x50cm or bigger cage, though the pet shops still sell ones that are too small.