Angel’s shenanigans

[Angel's Teddybear]

Angel has arrived!

She has been up to many shenanigans recently, one being me having to help her clean out her burrow .. I was taking out the bedding she was kicking up, then repeat. And repeat. And repeat! She has also made her ceramic mushroom hide her stash room. AND cleaning out her whole 6 chamber hide to make sure she was at the verrry bottom of the cage. Such a silly girl!

I call Angel silly girl, but most of the time it’s just Angel or Angel baby.

Angel isn’t tame yet, as a matter of fact I don’t think she will ever want to sit on me and like my company. Every so often she will let me stroke her, usually while she is eating or chewing on something. But I’m ok with that, since she is so cute that I love her anyways!

I’ll keep up the posts on the hilarious shenanigans she is up to!
This is the picture of what Angel was doing for her burrow! I just was continuously clearing it for her!

 

[Maz]

She is so gorgeous and fluffy! She has a kind of cheeky look about her there. I think once she starts having some out of cage time she may well become handleable It can take time.

 

[Angel's Teddybear]

I have tried to take her out, but she seems to get super stressed. I’ve taken her in the bathtub, she didn’t like that. I’ve also tried in a bathroom with toys, she didn’t like that either. Any recommendations?

 

[Maz]

Maybe just give her a bit longer Could you set up some kind of playpen area or fenced off part of the room? They often prefer that to the bathtub as it feels more like a bit of free roaming - until they reach the edge! Also if you have a spare wheel you could put that in it. I wouldn't take the wheel out of her cage though as that will bother her - it belongs in the cage to her.

 

[Tulsi]

My goodness her cuteness is off the scale.

 

[Angel's Teddybear]

Maybe just give her a bit longer Could you set up some kind of playpen area or fenced off part of the room? They often prefer that to the bathtub as it feels more like a bit of free roaming - until they reach the edge! Also if you have a spare wheel you could put that in it. I wouldn't take the wheel out of her cage though as that will bother her - it belongs in the cage to her.

I could definitely try! I will 100% see what I can do. Also, I currently don’t have a playpen as my past hamster chewed a hamster sized hole. I’m currently wanting a new one, though!

 

[Angel's Teddybear]

I could definitely try! I will 100% see what I can do. Also, I currently don’t have a playpen as my past hamster chewed a hamster sized hole. I’m currently wanting a new one, though!

Ok. I’ve tried free roam again.. it didn’t go so well. I made a playpen using random tall things (tubs, aspen shavings, etc.) and laid a blanket down. I included a wheel, a different substrate, a hide, a bendable log bridge hide, a cork log, toys, and water. She was still so stressed that she wouldn’t even take food from me. (Which she will usually do.) I don’t think free roaming is her kind of thing. If I’m doing something wrong, or if you have an idea, let me know! All she did was sniff at a few things then search for an exit. And then she started trying to chew on things.

 

[Maz]

I think it's just very early days and she maybe needs longer to feel at home in her cage without any changes before she's interested in coming out. It can take a good two weeks for them to adjust to a new cage and make it their own. It's really hard when they're new but I'd give her that couple of weeks from now, since adding the new things, which is a bit of a change. She will still be scent marking her enclosure to find her way round, and building up a hoard and deciding on favourite places to sit etc. So it's maybe just a bit soon for leaving her enclosure or starting any taming.

You could talk to her through the cage and add some toilet paper strips with your scent on for now (you can put a few sheets of toilet paper up your sleeve or down a bra, against your skin for a while and then tear them into strips).

I'm sure her personality will emerge and in a couple of weeks she'll be more confident and probably wanting to come out

 

[Angel's Teddybear]

I think it's just very early days and she maybe needs longer to feel at home in her cage without any changes before she's interested in coming out. It can take a good two weeks for them to adjust to a new cage and make it their own. It's really hard when they're new but I'd give her that couple of weeks from now, since adding the new things, which is a bit of a change. She will still be scent marking her enclosure to find her way round, and building up a hoard and deciding on favourite places to sit etc. So it's maybe just a bit soon for leaving her enclosure or starting any taming.

You could talk to her through the cage and add some toilet paper strips with your scent on for now (you can put a few sheets of toilet paper up your sleeve or down a bra, against your skin for a while and then tear them into strips).

I'm sure her personality will emerge and in a couple of weeks she'll be more confident and probably wanting to come out

I’ve had her since January, so I’ve done a lot of talking and just getting her used to my scent. She’s been in her new cage for maybe a month or a little longer, but again I definitely have been doing a lot of changes. I’ll give her some time to settle in without change, and see if that will help!!

 

[Maz]

Oh sorry - I was forgetting you'd had her a while and it was just a cage change. Yes it might help to give her a bit more time to settle. What was she like in the old cage? Did she like to come out then?

 

[Angel's Teddybear]

It’s fine! She never liked free roam then, but she would love to sit on my lap and eat/tear at her *sugary* crunch stick. I don’t give it to her anymore, since I’ve been giving her different treats that are more healthy. She also had a lot of cage rage, so during the time that we both were awake she would be cage-raging.

 

[Maz]

Ah ok. If she used to sit on your lap before, I'm sure she'll get back to that, but it's been a big change of environment for her, even if it's for the better. Have you taken the old cage out of the room? One thing I found after a cage upgrade is, even when it's an improvement, they still kind of miss the familiarity of the old cage, and I think it can bother them if they can still smell it. This is based on my own experience - the hamster used to get quite bothered by it still being there, so I took it out of the room. He still used to go over to that area and sniff. So I had a good clean and hoover in that area where the old cage had been to remove any scent and he settled down after that.

It's hard when you want to carry on as before but I think she probably does need a bit of time alone - maybe a few days, and then a bit more time to adjust. When she's adjusted she'll probably be much more active in the enclosure and confident and then she might be wanting to come out. Although sometimes they're less fussy about coming out when they have a lot of space in the cage. And need tempting out with a treat in a tube or something.

She's probably anxious about leaving the enclosure at the moment as it's still quite new.

 

[Socks Mum]

Ok. I’ve tried free roam again.. it didn’t go so well. I made a playpen using random tall things (tubs, aspen shavings, etc.) and laid a blanket down. I included a wheel, a different substrate, a hide, a bendable log bridge hide, a cork log, toys, and water. She was still so stressed that she wouldn’t even take food from me. (Which she will usually do.) I don’t think free roaming is her kind of thing. If I’m doing something wrong, or if you have an idea, let me know! All she did was sniff at a few things then search for an exit. And then she started trying to chew on things.

Female Syrians seem to have an urge to nest build and chewing things up might need part if it, although cage rage and bar biting might be something else. @Lovelyness Blossom is an avid chewer of egg boxes, which she tears into small shreds

 

[Lovelyness]

My Blossom doesn’t really like to come out of her enclosure…she prefers to just potter about in her cage doing her own little hamstery thang! She is 15 months old now, and we have built up a mutual understanding about such things! She does love to chew, so I’ve provided her with loads of different natural chews, and lots of bits of egg box, which she has loved shredding since she was tiny

 

[Maz]

That is a beautiful box of hammy treats - where did you get them?

 

[Socks Mum]

My Blossom doesn’t really like to come out of her enclosure…she prefers to just potter about in her cage doing her own little hamstery thang! She is 15 months old now, and we have built up a mutual understanding about such things! She does love to chew, so I’ve provided her with loads of different natural chews, and lots of bits of egg box, which she has loved shredding since she was tiny
View attachment 8160View attachment 8161

 

[Lovelyness]

That is a beautiful box of hammy treats - where did you get them?

It was Blossom’s birthday box from Pride Rock Blooms

 

[Angel's Teddybear]

Oo, that’s so cool!! I will check that out.

 

[Lovelyness]

My egg box loving girl…

 

[Angel's Teddybear]

Ah ok. If she used to sit on your lap before, I'm sure she'll get back to that, but it's been a big change of environment for her, even if it's for the better. Have you taken the old cage out of the room? One thing I found after a cage upgrade is, even when it's an improvement, they still kind of miss the familiarity of the old cage, and I think it can bother them if they can still smell it. This is based on my own experience - the hamster used to get quite bothered by it still being there, so I took it out of the room. He still used to go over to that area and sniff. So I had a good clean and hoover in that area where the old cage had been to remove any scent and he settled down after that.

It's hard when you want to carry on as before but I think she probably does need a bit of time alone - maybe a few days, and then a bit more time to adjust. When she's adjusted she'll probably be much more active in the enclosure and confident and then she might be wanting to come out. Although sometimes they're less fussy about coming out when they have a lot of space in the cage. And need tempting out with a treat in a tube or something.

She's probably anxious about leaving the enclosure at the moment as it's still quite new.

I still have her in the same room, but it’s in a different place. I don’t think I can move the cage to do a deep clean, but I’ll definitely give her a few days without trying to handle her.