Cinnamon

Last night I walked into the bedroom at 9:45PM and to my surprise Cinnamon was up and on his wheel. I hadn't even replaced his food for the day yet. I sprinkled some food near him and just watched him for awhile, and then I offered a sunflower seed, which he took from my fingers for the first time. We ended up giving him a transport to a play area and let him run around for quite a bit. It gave him the opportunity to warm up to us more and occasionally let us pet him while he was preoccupied with chewing or eating. We have a dish towel that we put down to block him from squeezing under a closet door (which I think I'll have to clear out so he can just investigate the closet), and I don't know if he likes the texture of it or if he is trying to remove it so that he can get back into the closet (which he had done the first time we took him out, much to our shock at the time), but he goes at it like a dog with a rope toy.

He didn't even seem to want to go back into his transport, even though eventually we had to put him back so we could get on with our bedtime routine. Given that he is much more active than Wally was, I think we will have to keep expanding his play area out of the cage.

I even was able to weigh him by putting some food on a scale to lure him to it: 107 grams. Basically about half of Wally's size.

I'll have to get some better pictures soon. His coat has got some nice shine and fluff to it after a few days at home. After we put him back, he went into his hideaway to store the treats in his cheek pouches. He came out a few times after that but seemed to be watching us and then would retreat back to his hideaway. If he was frozen for a moment or two I would walk over and just pet his back and tell him to relax and then go back to bedtime reading. He must have tuckered himself out more with the earlier playtime because the videos indicate that he didn't stay up nearly as late last night as he did the previous night.
 
It’s great that Cinnamon is getting up earlier & coming out while you are around, that shows his confidence is growing & he’s getting comfortable with his new home but I would still go more slowly, let him know that it’s ok & safe to be up in his cage without any interference other than talking to him, it’s been less than a week & too much too soon could set him back a bit.
If he freezes I’d suggest just talking to him gently, not touching him, respect that he’s a bit scared & give him space to get over it.
I would watch him with the towel too, just in case he chews a bit off as that could be a problem.
He is settling in really well but I do think going at a bit of a slower pace might well pay off.
 
It's a shock when you've had a big hamster to have one half the weight isn't it :). But he probably still has quite a bit of growing to do - partly because he's still a baby and partly because he will probably thrive in your care and with a better diet. Raffy was only 97g when I got him and he was supposed to be at least 3 months old. Within a few months he was up to 180g and has settled at about 200g.

Cinnamon does sound active and full of energy! He's still in whizzy baby mode by the sound of it. It's very hard in the early days but you can probably gauge whether he is finding it ok. Although he's active and may need more space, I sometimes think it's better to keep to a smaller area while hand taming or not too large an area anyway or they just get feral and enjoy the time and don't want to be tamed! They do seem to spend a lot of their time trying to find ways out of playpen areas at first, but at least he wasn't just sitting in a corner shaking!

As Elusive says - maybe take it steady but see how he goes with it. Sometimes taming can get set back a bit but you'll get there. Personally I would suggest only take them out every 2 or 3 days for taming at first for short periods, to give them chance to still have a routine in the cage. A week is not long but hamsters can vary - at least he isn't hiding away. He might be a bit more cautious for a couple of days but we'll see! At least he let you stroke him. All the strange noises can make them freeze sometimes.

I've had some Syrians who would hide away for two weeks. But our current one was very active and wanting to be out every night from the outset! I used to call him my gypsy boy for a while as he never seemed to want to settle to anything - he does a bit more now he's a bit older.
 
elusive said:
It’s great that Cinnamon is getting up earlier & coming out while you are around, that shows his confidence is growing & he’s getting comfortable with his new home but I would still go more slowly, let him know that it’s ok & safe to be up in his cage without any interference other than talking to him, it’s been less than a week & too much too soon could set him back a bit.
If he freezes I’d suggest just talking to him gently, not touching him, respect that he’s a bit scared & give him space to get over it.
I would watch him with the towel too, just in case he chews a bit off as that could be a problem.
He is settling in really well but I do think going at a bit of a slower pace might well pay off.
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Yes- I was watching with the towel and wondering about that- trying to figure out if it was safe or not. So far he hasn't pulled any off, but I was wondering what others might have to say about that.
 
I would use a thick piece of wood or something like that if you need to block something off, don’t use any kind of fabric as it’s too much of a risk.
 
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Just keep an eye on them when they're out of the cage, that's the main thing :) Baby Syrians will probably try chewing anything so anything fabric just needs supervision. Whatever you put there he will try and chew it as he can sense it's an exit (a gap under a door). The main risk with fabrics is inside a cage where you can't supervise easily. Loose threads tangling with teeth and limbs etc or them trying to eat a bit of it.

Edit - posted at the same time as Elusive.
 
Maz said:
It's a shock when you've had a big hamster to have one half the weight isn't it :). But he probably still has quite a bit of growing to do - partly because he's still a baby and partly because he will probably thrive in your care and with a better diet. Raffy was only 97g when I got him and he was supposed to be at least 3 months old. Within a few months he was up to 180g and has settled at about 200g.

Cinnamon does sound active and full of energy! He's still in whizzy baby mode by the sound of it. It's very hard in the early days but you can probably gauge whether he is finding it ok. Although he's active and may need more space, I sometimes think it's better to keep to a smaller area while hand taming or not too large an area anyway or they just get feral and enjoy the time and don't want to be tamed! They do seem to spend a lot of their time trying to find ways out of playpen areas at first, but at least he wasn't just sitting in a corner shaking!

As Elusive says - maybe take it steady but see how he goes with it. Sometimes taming can get set back a bit but you'll get there. Personally I would suggest only take them out every 2 or 3 days for taming at first for short periods, to give them chance to still have a routine in the cage. A week is not long but hamsters can vary - at least he isn't hiding away. He might be a bit more cautious for a couple of days but we'll see! At least he let you stroke him. All the strange noises can make them freeze sometimes.

I've had some Syrians who would hide away for two weeks. But our current one was very active and wanting to be out every night from the outset! I used to call him my gypsy boy for a while as he never seemed to want to settle to anything - he does a bit more now he's a bit older.
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That's a good idea about the play area- I hadn't thought about the idea that too large an area too soon might trigger a territorial response or make him less open to hand-taming. It's nice that he's been open to active behavior in the play area a few times because it helps (helps us, anyway) with being more patient about not needing to try to get his attention every day. I figure the petting and hand-feeding are fine steps for now- maybe eventually we can get him to crawl into a hand or be held, but I don't think want to try that yet because I think even trying might be a little too much too soon.
 
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Related to some of the above, I noticed that several people put those hanging "hamster hammocks" (for lack of a better description) in cages. Thoughts on those for anyone who uses them? They look fun and cute, but was wondering if those fabrics are a risk even though they are marketed for small animals.
 
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Yes they are a risk - anything fabric in the cage. And I don't usually use them for that reason. You might have noticed an exception in Pip's (Robos) cage! It is actually tied to the roof at the very top of the cage, fairly flat to the roof, and was not intended to be used as a hammock (ie too high for him to get up to). He is in quite a tall cage for a robo, even with deep bedding so it was there as a kind of precaution in case he happened to monkey bar across the roof and falling from a height (monkey barring is unlikely for a robo) so it would prevent him being able to do that by blocking the roof bars. That particular brand is very very well made as well - so slightly less risky than some - it's fleece without any wadding inside and good stitching.

Anyway - it turned out Pip - being a maverick robo - found a way to get up there quite easily! He has a cardboard egg box hammock next to a shelf - which was there to catch any falls over a particular hard item. And he hops into that and pulls down the edge of the hammock from there and runs around in it at the top.

I discovered this early on and decided to just observe. Because Robos tend not to be chewy IME - but that is not a hard and fast rule. He has never attempted to chew it so I left it there.

The only other time I've used a fleece cube or hammock in a hamster's cage is occasionally when they are very old and past chewing things.

From a safety point of view the best advice is - don't use any fabric items at all (and even some fleece ones can contain wadding or have loose stitching) Cotton is the worst due to the fine threads that can wrap around a leg and cut the circulation off, or get caught up in their teeth.

At one time people did used to occasionally say - well I know my hamster isn't a chewer and I'll keep an eye on it. But general advice is - it's really not worth the risk as any fabric ingested (and Syrians in particular do like to chew soft things and rip them apart as it's nice soft stuff for their nest - it's their instinct to forage for nesting material) is some of it could get swallowed and cause a blockage - this type of thing used to happen a lot.

So the one I have with Pip is a bit of a one off! And I know he doesn't chew it. But that is a hard thing to know sometimes.
 
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Unfortunately, so many things marketed for hamsters aren't safe! Rule of thumb is to stick to ceramic, wood, plastic etc. I have plastic rat sputniks as hanging hammocks in our Syrian's barred cage. Even then some wood items aren't well made or have a protruding nail or glue visible or something - so it's very much "buyer beware". Even some natural things aren't that safe. Like the kapok nesting material - it's natural but it's still a kind of fluff that could be ingested. In Germany though, they think Kapok (Cotton pods) are safe but in general people see it as - don't even risk it as it's still something that could be ingested.

With free roaming you have to check the floor first sometimes as well. Stories of hamsters pouching marbles, lego and all sorts!
 
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I meant to add - some of the fleece hides can be nice for out of cage time, with supervision - if they're well made and no loose threads or stitching etc. I love my Fuzzbutt snooze cubes (and so do the hamsters - they get used as a "taxi" sometimes). Occasionally I've had a hamster try to chew a bit inside one so then I just take it away. If "no" doesn't work! So things can work outside the cage that are risky inside the cage.
 
Tonight we caught Cinnamon around 9:30 coming out for a wee. We put a "litter tray" in his hideaway, which he then added bedding to and has slept in, but he's made the corner of his sand dig box the actual spot he wees in, which is very convenient for me, because I know where to spot clean!

Anyway, he seemed very relaxed when I came in (we left him alone the night before because he seemed shy when he first came out), so I offered the igloo "transport" and he climbed in fairly quickly.

After he went for the towel by the closet again (in our designated play area), I just got up and cleared out the closet. I didn't think he'd ever give up until he was let in. Once he was let in he stopped going after the towel, so that confirmed why he kept going after our door crack barrier.

I took this video after we moved a cardboard box into the closet for him and I wanted to see if he'd walk into my hand at all if I put food in it.

He ran around the area for quite a bit, and when he started slowing down and hiding himself away I offered him the igloo again and he walked right in.

I do have to be a little more careful walking him back to his cage than I did with Wally. If I don't move my hands around the edges as a mild barrier he'll start to climb out out of curiosity before we get to his cage (he tries to crawl out into my sleeve), not realizing how high we are. Wally was always so hesitant that he never tried climbing out even if he enjoyed looking around while we moved.

 
Cinnamon is a right little fluffball! Lovely to see a video. He's surprisingly trusting already.
 
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It sounds to be going really well :-) I thought I caught a glimpse of a long haired coat with coat tails at the back there :-). He is really gorgeous and seems quite comfortable with you, especially as he's still so young and they can get spooked so easily.

In terms of a taxi - I think it would be much better to use something enclosed. I always do, even with an older tame Syrian. They can just have a "moment" and jump and fall if it's not enclosed. Many hamsters end up injured that way, falling from a height. For the same reason it's never a good idea to just carry them in your hands directly out of the cage. They can just wriggle free energetically, or possibly even nip making you jump and drop them.

I've used a few things for taxis. At the moment I use a large rat tube. You can just put both hands over either end when they walk in and carry the tube where you want to put it down. A hamster ball can make a good taxi, even though they're not really recommended as exercise toys. That can just be lowered in and lifted out with a hand over the gap (or pop the lid on).

I also use my snooze cube sometimes with a hand over the entrance. Our Syrian used to come out that way but went off it and now prefers the tube.
 
Beryl said:
Cinnamon is a right little fluffball! Lovely to see a video. He's surprisingly trusting already.
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Yes! When we picked him up, he was sleeping with other baby hamsters and his fur was a bit matted down, but after a few days with us his coat fluffed out beautifully. I'm hoping the length continues to grow like it is around his butt :LOL:

I have to be honest, that was the first time he ever took food out of my flat palm, but he did seem to suddenly have more comfort than I expected, almost fully walking into my hand for a second.

He also does still change from day to day, so we've been taking our cues from him. One day he'll seem a little apprehensive, so we leave him alone; the next day he'll want out and then we can be near him in the play area for awhile.

Late last night he must have been ready to take his cage to the next level. He'd been living solely in our 6-chamber hideaway with 2 tunnels bit in 2 chambers, but he'd ignored the Niteangel peekaboo tunnel and underground peekaboo 2-chamber hideaway. Well, this morning I saw bedding moving around, and on closer examination, I realized he had not only created two new tunnels from various places outside the 6-chamber hideaway, but he'd definitely found the hidden hideaway. The peekaboo tunnel is now filled with bedding to create a hidden tunnel to the 2-chamber hideaway. Hopefully he'll at least still come out for us at night and keep using the sandbath for a bathroom, although it's farther away from the 2-chamber hideaway.
 
It sounds like he is still exploring and familiarising in the cage and creating some habits for himself. He may be deciding on where to nest still as well. They usually do nest in the multiroom houses I find, but I did have one Syrian who was in two minds for a while at first as I'd put another largeish house in under his shelf (that came with a cage so thought I might as well use it). He was back and forth between them during the first week or two and you could almost see him thinking! I think it caused him a bit of dilemma actually - but eventually he did what the others have done and built a big cosy nest in the biggest room in the multiroom house and didn't really bother with the other one again.

My view is - they will nest in the darkest place usually.
 
No new videos as we haven't taken Cinnamon out the past 2 nights. I've focused on letting him take food from an open palm if he woke up late and then letting him be. He seemed a bit wary still when he woke up the past 2 nights and when he fully came out it was too late to put him in his play pen. He did fully climb into my hand this morning after taking a few broccoli florets and a small piece of spinach while looking to see if I had more. I lifted my hand a little off the ground and let him step off when he was ready. Hopefully tonight or tomorrow we can take him into the play area.

I did get a few cute photos (one decorated by my daughter) when he was up last night and decided he wasn't too concerned about our presence.

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Oh Cinnamon is looking so cute and fluffy sitting next to his wheel :) I particularly like the second one where he looks like he's clapping his hands. Sometimes they do turn their backs if a phone or camera is pointing their way. Raffy does the same. It's a bit like - I've had enough of that now. At least Cinnamon only turned sideways :)
 
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