New hamster - help!

[CocoKoko123]

Hi all just asking for a bit of advice. I bought a new hamster yesterday for dd in preparation for Christmas. I have tried not to disturb him too much-just if I notice he's awake when walking past I gently talk to him. Have put fresh food in and a couple of treats and bit of carrot. But he seems really scared of me - sometimes makes the screeching noise at me which is horrible to hear. I have no idea how I am going to clean out his cage let alone be able to tame him. I am petrified of being bitten and dropping him and losing him. Let alone getting to a stage where dd will be able to hold him. Any advice?

A hamster scream is quite alarming when you first hear it. You could try putting in your hand and letting him sniff with the option of getting away. I’ve had hams who would happily get in a ball to be moved- they didn’t like being carried but hopped in the ball and came out once we were on the sofa.
Depending on the hamster, it could be a few days or several weeks. They are all very different. Is he a Syrian?

Thank you for your reply. He is an 8 week old Syrian. So the screaming although it sounds alarming and demonstrates that he's scared isn't necessarily unexpected given he's had the stress of the journey home in the box and settling into his new home?
I had a Russian hamster when I was a child (he was a nippy little thing but I don't remember him screeching) in the end I gave him to a friend as couldn't cope with the biting.

Its early days and he will be terrified at the moment. I wouldn't hassle him and a simple hand in the cage so he gets to know your smell for now. Dont attempt to touch him yet. You can even wear a soft glove if you like and are worried about bites. After a few days put a treat on your gloved hand and let him take it. Build up from there and when you dd is introduced she will need to do all these things too. I spent some time in the bath with my dwarf every other day so he got used to me and also ds.

Dont handle him out of the cage until hes comfortable with you - and yes a mug or something can be used to transport him and get him used to being carried.

Thanks for the reassurance. I'm really hoping in time he will settle in. Dd has been desperate for a pet and I thought a hamster would be a good start. I will make sure to look after him well.

We put blueberries in and that seemed to go down well

I would just leave him to settle in for a bit and feel at home and comfortable in his new cage. We didn’t touch ours at all for the first week while he sorted all his fluff out for his bed and generally made himself at home. Then dd started gradually putting her hand in the cage and letting him come to her. He never bit, but she never rushed him and certainly never woke him up.

How do I go about cleaning his cage out in this first week?
I heard him awake and making noise so just spent about half an hour with him. Just fed him a couple of bits of food through the bars then dropped some food into his bowl and a toilet roll inner tube for him to play with (he seems to love it!) and no screeching in all that time so feeling a bit more like I might be able to do this!

Do you have a ball that you can put him in OP? If so, put him in that for a good roam about while you clean the cage. I had a Syrian called Harry for 3 years, he was well loved! Then we had another Syrian called Dani for 2 and a half years (we were told she was a boy, vet told us she was a girl a year in so changed from Danny to Dani!). They are lovely little pets to have. When we first got Dani, she screamed at me and I fell backwards in fear! Harry never made that noise so I was scared!

They honestly just need fed, spoken to like you've been doing and a go in their ball each day. We used to clean them out twice a week in winter and three times a week in summer. Toilet roll tubes go down a storm!

You don't need to do a full cage clean, just the area where hamster is urinating. They have a strong sense of smell, so removing and replacing all substrate can be distressing.

Offering a treat each day is a great way to get them used to you. Try a bit of fresh veg or fruit, a peanut in its shell, small bit of mild cheddar, cooked chicken. Half a teaspoon for a young hamster is plenty.

We used a round plastic tub for transporting, one of those you get flapjack bites in. When little he would go in and sit at the bottom, when older he would happily stand up with paws on the rim watching the world as he was moved about.

Watching with interest! Since yesterday we've been hiding a hamster in the utility room. So far it has filled the tubes that surround the cage with food. I keep popping in checking in on him and chatting away.

Word of warning to new owners

Our cage had external tubes with blue plastic joints in them.
#1 Joints came loose, hamster escaped and hid in room overnight.
#2 Joints came loose, hamster escaped and went upstairs to find DD2

After that, DH reinforced the tube with a wooden strut and gaffer tape.

Good to know Teenplus. I'm appreciative of all the advice. Sorry to hijack your thread OP!

If you talk gently to him a lot and feed them treats at regular times they become very tame quite quickly.

Don't change the bedding for the first week, there isn't a need to. Just keep talking to him in a gentle voice.

He'll be scared at the moment.

They are lovely little things. He just needs time to adjust.

Our older hamster had a small slice of a vegetable every day at 5pm and would wait for it. Once he escaped the family were devastated. We lived in an old house with suspended floors over earth.

I said not to worry, he'll be along at 5pm for his veg. And sure enough, he found his way back and sat In the middle of the kitchen waiting for his veg at 5pm.

We didn't catch him straight away, he did this for a few days before he wanted to be caught.

Just popping in to say he's settling in well-no more of the screeching for many weeks now.we get him out everyday for play time-dd has not been nervous around him at all and I am now getting much better and able to hold him.Have just ordered him a bigger cage with tubing as he loves his tubes on current cage.he has lots of toys and a good selection of treats.