"Pip" Pipsqueak's Diary

Update:We were about to give up on seeing Pip last night (although I had raised the roof of her hideaway once to see if she was awake. She totally was and looked up at me briefly- little stinker- but I didn't want to force here out), when she came out late (after 11PM).

When she saw us, she went into her new ceramic mushroom hide and tried to wait us out! I offered her two snacks with my fingers, and she did come close to sniff but didn't take them. She did come out later and then finally moved around in our presence. I noticed that she took a dried chicken cube I'd left for her and ate it out in the open rather than pouching it. So the next time she went into the mushroom hide, my daughter offered her a chicken cube with her fingers (btw, these are dried bits specifically for hamsters), and she took it! She still didn't come back out right away, but we considered this progress! Unfortunately, I didn't get many new pictures or video (one short one of her foraging flax). Mostly because we had the lights down very low, and to get a good photo or video, I had to turn the phone light now, and I didn't want to bother her too much with the suddenly brightness.

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Oh but she is sooooo adorable I am sure in a few days everything will progress

Little Pip is so sweet

Amy said:

Oh but she is sooooo adorable I am sure in a few days everything will progress

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My daughter says, "Thank you, she is! "

She really is! She looks more confident already and to have grown a bit.

Here are the current updates:
Monday I started work again, so we haven't been able to stay up extra late, and she intentionally stays hidden until 11PM or later. I say 'intentionally' because a couple times I gently lifted the lid of her hideaway in the evening, and she was totally awake, but still shy- ran to another chamber to get away from me.

So Monday, we couldn't lure her out and didn't see her. She won't come to her door when called or offered food yet.
But yesterday she came out right when we were getting ready for bed, and we successfully got her to take food from our fingers again! We gently attempted a finger pet when we offered food, but both my daughter and I could see her start to get "on guard" as soon as a finger moved past her head, so we backed off. I'm hoping that a few more days of offering food, and then maybe this weekend, if she comes out early enough, we can ferry her to the bathtub and see if a safe play area warms her up more.

Advice on our pacing?

Pip continues to be very timid, although when we do catch her out (not usually until 11:30PM, which means we can't see her every night!), she will still take a chicken cube from my fingers. I considered doing some bath tub time with her last night if she got into a hide in which I could safely transport her, but she didn't. In fact, after she took the chicken piece from me, she briefly went into a ceramic mushroom hide (I had considered covering the door and lifting this if she'd stayed in) and then she went underground into a peekaboo hide. She literally sat in there, awake, until we went to sleep! We stayed up for awhile watching some videos and playing a word game in bed, with the lights turned off, and periodically I would use the flashlight on my phone to see if she'd moved. Each time, she was just sitting and looking back from the peekaboo hide.

So do I keep just trying the handfeeding when I see her for the next week? Do I try to lie my hand flat with food on it? Do I keep trying for a transport to the bathtub or wait on that? I do keep forgetting that she is only about 6 weeks old at this point!

I tend to leave them along the first two weeks apart from talking through the cage and offering the occasional treat. And then get them out into the bathtub With Higgins, I just picked him up and popped him into his taxi. He was fine with it. With Tino he gradually edged towards the taxi each day and then finally walked into it. She's very young so I would think you could just pick her up and pop her in the taxi.

Maz said:

I tend to leave them along the first two weeks apart from talking through the cage and offering the occasional treat. And then get them out into the bathtub With Higgins, I just picked him up and popped him into his taxi. He was fine with it. With Tino he gradually edged towards the taxi each day and then finally walked into it. She's very young so I would think you could just pick her up and pop her in the taxi.

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This is why I need the forum- for reassurance! I'm not sure if she'll let me pick her up soon (even for transport placement), but I'll try (she is quite quick when she wants to escape)

It's something that depends sometimes. With her being so very young, she will normally have been handled a lot by a breeder for various reasons and they seem more accepting of just being picked up. If she was still in with her Mother, her Mother would be picking her up with her teeth by the scruff and dumping her places

Maz said:

It's something that depends sometimes. With her being so very young, she will normally have been handled a lot by a breeder for various reasons and they seem more accepting of just being picked up. If she was still in with her Mother, her Mother would be picking her up with her teeth by the scruff and dumping her places

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I should give that a try one night- just scooping her up (and into a safe transport). Perhaps I've been too hesitant, but at least it's made give her plenty of time to acclimate!

Hamster Haven said:

Advice on our pacing?

Pip continues to be very timid, although when we do catch her out (not usually until 11:30PM, which means we can't see her every night!), she will still take a chicken cube from my fingers. I considered doing some bath tub time with her last night if she got into a hide in which I could safely transport her, but she didn't. In fact, after she took the chicken piece from me, she briefly went into a ceramic mushroom hide (I had considered covering the door and lifting this if she'd stayed in) and then she went underground into a peekaboo hide. She literally sat in there, awake, until we went to sleep! We stayed up for awhile watching some videos and playing a word game in bed, with the lights turned off, and periodically I would use the flashlight on my phone to see if she'd moved. Each time, she was just sitting and looking back from the peekaboo hide.

So do I keep just trying the handfeeding when I see her for the next week? Do I try to lie my hand flat with food on it? Do I keep trying for a transport to the bathtub or wait on that? I do keep forgetting that she is only about 6 weeks old at this point!

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I have a similar experience with Mr. Nibbles. He comes out every evening and he doesn´t seem frightend of me. He will take treats and I have been able to stroke him several times. But he will not climb into any transport taxi, and I have tried various things...
If i scoop him up, I know he will be terrified.
I dont have a bath, but I also am quite sure if I did he would also be complety terrified and just run around in panic.
I have bought a container box (the ones some people use as a cage) i think it will be the best alternative when I eventually get him out, to put him in there with a bit of bedding. Its hard to know when is the right time, am I being to careful....
But I have noticed that although he is quite relaxed with me giving him a treat and talking to him, he is still not ready for more.
My friend had her hamster out on the third day she had him, he was calm and didn´t mind being picked up at all. They are so different in their characters, I quess some are easier to tame than others.

Picking up briefly tried...last night I couldn't fall asleep, and at about a quarter to midnight I heard Pip on her wheel. I went over with the flashlight on my phone and opened her cage. She sat in her wheel staring back at me for a bit and wouldn't take a chicken bit, so I put it down and scooped her up. She was very calm in my hands, and I didn't try to "push" too much. I held her for a few seconds above the ground but let her climb out after that on her own. I tried to put seeds in my hands and leave them flat in her cage to see if she would climb into one of my hands for food. She was still too timid to do that, but eventually she walked past one of my hands but was comfortable putting a paw on one of my fingers as she did so. Then she dug under some bedding to hide So she STILL doesn't love being completely out and about with us, but at least I learned that she's pretty easy to scoop up still, and at least she still got a few minutes with me learning that I'm really not a threat

That sounds really positive I'm sure she'd get used to more of that out of the cage and in the bathtub