Chumley

[Hammy Chum]

Hello, we're back!! (had to change username a bit!)

Here's our fluffy best boy, Chumley is cheeky, funny, overly picky, often sulky and very clever! Likes: sunflower seeds, strawberry, his coconut hide, his wheel and sand bath and chew sticks. Dislikes, being touched or held in any way haha, looking at places he cant get to via climbing or digging, and anything clear plastic must be attacked immediately.

We think he'll turn one around November, we've had him since January. Our first Syrian (and hamster) so a learning curve, made lots of mistakes along the way.

 

[Maz]

He's still very cute and fluffy I've reconnected your previous posts with your account now, so all back as before

 

[Hammy Chum]

Question! The last two nights Chum has come out earlier than usual, and immediately pouched his fresh food and half his bowl in almost a paniked way then gone back in for an hour or so to his lair. He has seemed a bit frantic with it? Tonight he was also quite bitey with his water bottle along the metal bit - I had a panic it wasnt working but Id just changed the water and it was working fine when I tested it and water is coming out!
No big changes in cage, I put a small new climbing wooden thing in a few nights ago by his sand bath but he's had lots of little changes like that before and was ok?

 

[Socks' Mum]

Hmm, Chumley, what's the matter? How old is he now? He might have got to a stage where his system is producing more adrenaline, preparing him for life in the wild and he has aerial predator angst, something which Socks experienced until recently, which fades a bit with old age Otherwise a sudden loud banging noise might have made him nervous, lots of very noisy human activity, but it would have to be very very noisy, a dog or cat. It's interesting. Levels of light also affect their behaviour as certain birds of prey hunt at dusk and dusk is the most dangerous time for a hamster to be out.

 

[Hammie-O]

Oh my goodness, he's absolutely adorable

I hope he's feeling braver again soon.

 

[Maz]

Question! The last two nights Chum has come out earlier than usual, and immediately pouched his fresh food and half his bowl in almost a paniked way then gone back in for an hour or so to his lair. He has seemed a bit frantic with it? Tonight he was also quite bitey with his water bottle along the metal bit - I had a panic it wasnt working but Id just changed the water and it was working fine when I tested it and water is coming out!
No big changes in cage, I put a small new climbing wooden thing in a few nights ago by his sand bath but he's had lots of little changes like that before and was ok?

Has he had a clean out or spot clean recently? Higgins got like this about food after I had to remove some of his hoard because it was pee’d on.

 

[Hammy Chum]

@Maz I spot clean every day, just odd poos etc so he's very used to that. He's actually due a proper clean out - annoyingly he's ALWAYS eaten his fresh veggies etc straight away so I have tended to leave his lair / hoard as I know it's just dried stuff but the last few times he's taken his fresh food down there too so I'm worried its now going off and he hasn't actually eaten it!

@Socks' Mum we 'think' he will be around one mid November? We got him mid Jan and apparent he was 6-8 weeks old? we dont have any other pets aside from fish haha so pet noise not an issue, we have done odd house bits but nothing out of the usual (eg we've always hoovered when he's been asleep, etc)

I did wonder if it being light an issue as he's usually out about 8.30pm - 9pm ish but these few times he's come out around 7.30pm-8pm, manically pouched then gone back in for an hour... he seems ok when he then emerges, aside from looking very peeved there's now nothing left in his treat bowl!

Will see what he's like tonight!

 

[Maz]

Sometimes we don't know what triggers a sudden behaviour change - maybe he just wants attention Or having one of those weeks!

 

[Hammy Chum]

I watched a video back and noticed his ears are flat while he's doing it and apparently they do that when stressed? So something worried him! Last night he was ok, we just left him when he emerged (its quite funny as he has to wedge himself out of the lair hole, he could dig it wider but obviously has decided not to so his ears literally 'pop' out haha) and he did eat his broccoli first.

I guess I'd better plan a nest clean out soon though in case anything going mouldy! Its a nightmare to get to.

 

[Hammy Chum]

fluffy little grump!

 

[Maz]

It can mean they're unhappy if their ears are flat, but it's also normal for their ears to be flat when they've just woken up So it's possible he'd just woken up and headed straight for food.

 

[Socks' Mum]

Reaching for the coffee? It's a lovely photo His eating well is a good sign

 

[Rescued One]

He is adorable

 

[Rescued One]

Zelda used to bite her metal water bottle pipe and would actually slam the whole thing against the side of the cage if it wasn't dripping fast enough. Her water bottle would gum up sometimes. The biting may be instinctive?- an attempt to get liquid out of a plant stem or root, perhaps? Try putting a shot glass full of water in the habitat near the water bottle and see if Chum prefers that. You have to change it out daily because they kick fluff into it I use a couple of squat baby food jars and rotate them weekly into the dishwasher to keep them from getting scummy or slimey.

 

[Maz]

I'm trying to imagine Zelda slamming a water bottle against the side of the cage

 

[Hammy Chum]

Zelda used to bite her metal water bottle pipe and would actually slam the whole thing against the side of the cage if it wasn't dripping fast enough. Her water bottle would gum up sometimes. The biting may be instinctive?- an attempt to get liquid out of a plant stem or root, perhaps? Try putting a shot glass full of water in the habitat near the water bottle and see if Chum prefers that. You have to change it out daily because they kick fluff into it I use a couple of squat baby food jars and rotate them weekly into the dishwasher to keep them from getting scummy or slimey.

I have tried with a heavy weighted glass one but unfortunately Chumley feels anything glass or perspex must be immediately attacked and destroyed at all costs. I'm still recovering from the time we tried a perspex litter tray.... took a week after taking it out before he'd look at me again.

 

[Hammy Chum]

He's been better the last few days, hopefully it was a random thing!

 

[Maz]

Glad he is doing ok Does he seem a bit happier now? How is it going with the socialising?

 

[Hammy Chum]

Glad he is doing ok Does he seem a bit happier now? How is it going with the socialising?

Oh he still is displeased by most things, including us haha!

He will tolerate a stroke while distracted / bribed with food, but you can tell he's like GET OFF ME and immediately goes and cleans himself in a sulk in his coconut hide to remove all trace of human. I think if we tried to pick him up I'd lose a finger.

He's still not a huge fan of the playpen. He tends to get a bit frantic in there and want back into his cage after 5 mins or so - I've actually just ordered another wheel for in there too, to see if he will tolerate being in there any more.

So funny my husband always says to him £12 eh chumley? £12?? (he cost £12, then an additional few hundred after hahaha keeping him bloody happy on top of all his set up)

But we love our funny grumpy boy so much and he's such a character. It would be a nice if he was a bit more loving but I'm not sure thats going to happen! He loves interaction, being talked too (comes straight to the bars), playing on all his things... hes just not a 'snuggly' hamster I guess!

 

[Maz]

It sounds good actually, if he likes interacting and being talked to at the bars - he's just not that confident about humans yet. It will be good to hear if the wheel in the playpen makes a difference. I'd also suggest adding one of those carrot cottages - all my hamsters at some point relax and get distracted by nibbling the top of those. Also maybe a bit of food and a whimzee in there. Plenty of hidey places too (but well away from the edge of the playpen or they climb out!

It sounds like he hasn't got past the hand barrier yet. They often don't like being stroked when inside the cage. Could you try having a hand flat in the play pen (palm up) with some food on it? They gradually go from nibbling the food to putting a paw on you or even walking across your hand. It really is baby steps with hands! But then it can suddenly break through.

With Higgins I have the playpen right up against the sofa. He has a snooze cube hide in the playpen he goes in and I sometimes lift that out onto the sofa, with him in it. Then handle him a bit on my knee (seconds usually!) and let him explore the sofa a bit. If he jumps off (which he hasn't yet) he just lands back in the playpen. It's the edges/sofa arms you have to watch as if they head up there they can jump off the side, which isn't over the playpen - and that's when you have to pick them up and put them back in a safe place. And they get used to it. Generally they hesitate before jumping off a sofa arm as its higher! If you're worried he'll nip, you could wear gloves when doing that.

Higgins soon got used to being picked up on the sofa