Clive

[Member ID2]

Hmm, where do i start with my oddball Clive.
I always thought there's something not quite right with him. Maybe poor genetics from bad breeding, i don't know. One thing i do know is that he will always be my baby hamster because he is the youngest and behaves very babyish at times.

Clive's history:
He was in the small ads looking sad and lost in an awful bare cage with a wheel he couldn't run in. He was quite far away and the asking price was silly. But his photo haunted me.

 

[Member ID2]

..continued
I asked my OH if he fancied a day trip in the camper van and he replied ' where's the hamster'.
The family who had him told me that they didn't like him and that he had not been given a name but they would only sell him with his cage.
I put Clive in a Samla bin cage when we got home and left him to enjoy his house, good food and a proper wheel until he was ready to make contact.

 

[Maz]

I won't post anything much until the next episode! Except that I adore his face! And I really laughed when your OH said "where's the hamster?"

 

[Member ID2]

Clive was very fast and wriggly displaying some odd behaviours. He would throw himself about scenting when out and quite frantically so. He was difficult to handle and catch because he kept jumping and leaping about. He was also quite vocal.

I couldn't pick Clive up with my hands and had to go down on the floor so he'd walk onto my arms and then he'd let me pick him up. I was also able to pick him up from my lap but i had to hold him against my chest like a baby. He's still a bit like that now.

In time Clive bonded with me and followed me around and wanted to be where i was when outside his cage. He's right next to me now running in a wheel on the floor.

 

[Maz]

He's absolutely gorgeous. Such great colouring. I am not surprised he was jumpy after never settling with his previous owners, but glad he's settled with you.

 

[Member ID2]

....continued
Clive is a very sensitive hamster and easily stressed. In some ways he's very confident but in other ways he's very childlike.

He can be very vocal and sometimes without a cause obvious to us. He gets spooked.
Clive has squealed loudly like a piglet just because someone talked to him, he squawkes and makes guttural sounds like a pigeon. When i took him to the vet he did all these noises at once at top volume because a stranger handled him. Soon as i took him back and held him against me he was quiet.
He's like a baby sometimes.

 

[Member ID2]

...continued
Clive developed health issues at just under a year old and lost a lot of his fur on his lower back but otherwise behaves as per usual. He was hyperactive as a youngster and is still very active but not so manic.

Vet thinks its something hormonal or a poor immune system due to poor genetics. An overgrowth of demodex is a possibility so she's ruling that out first and exotics vet thinks i could be cushings but there are none of the other symptoms and it is rare amongst hamsters. No tests have been done as yet.

I need to weigh things up though. Considering that Clive is a highly strung hamster who gets very upset when taken from his familiar environment and does not show any signs of discomfort or illness aside from the furloss it may not necessarily be the best option to put him through invasive tests at this point.

The furloss happened gradually over 3 months and he changed colour as well. He always had thin and very soft fur.
All a bit odd.

 

[Maz]

I have never had a vocal hamster, but it's lovely he settles when you hold him. How old is he now? Fur loss can happen for so many reasons. And changing colour I think is not that unusual with certain colours. Moo was black and white, but some of his black was more browny and as he got older it turned much more brown.

 

[Member ID2]

He's about a year now. Clive has settled really well here and seems happy. He's just a bit different. Some humans are like that.

 

[Maz]

They all vary in personality anyway. I think, as you say, he's a sensitive hamster. Is he quite a large hamster by any chance? Our first Syrian, Charlie was very sensitive - and also like a baby.

I think you're right to just see how he goes. It doesn't sound like the fur loss pattern that comes with Cushings. And although 1 year is not as old as you'd expect for ageing fur loss, there can be a number of reasons. It could even just be a moult. As long as he's settled and happy, that's the main thing

 

[Member ID2]

He doesn't look big so i was surprised that he weighs 202g now. This is typical Clive. He sits on his bum in front of his house and washes or just simply sits like that

.

 

[RainbowBrite]

What a funny little pose! He is so cute.

 

[Maz]

Aw he's a lovely big boy and he looks very contented.

 

[Maz]

This might be helpful re the change in fur colour - it could be just a normal ageing thing for a Sable. Clive seems to be a Sable.

Sable: A sable is a black-eyed cream with the umbrous gene added. The base of the hairs are cream whilst the tips are a sooty colour. A tell-tale sign of a sable hamster is the cream eye-rings. As a sable ages, the colour will develop orangey tones. A sable always has grey ears unless it is patterned.

Syrian Hamster Varieties

There are five species of hamster, which are as follows: Syrian Chinese Winter White Russian Dwarf Campbells Russian Dwarf Roborovski Dwarf

harveyhams.weebly.com

 

[Member ID2]

Yes, he has orangy tones and his whole tail end area has always been cream. Now he has this bold band and then the fur goes darker.
My OH says he looks like his trousers are coming down which is quite an accurate description.
Clive spent about three hours free roaming last night in three individual sessions because the others only wanted out once or not at all.
He is a very active and energetic hamster but has matured a bit now. He has quit the immature, impatient behaviour of rattling and chewing the bars of his door when he wants out.
Clive is still not the easiest to handle because he's fast and wriggly. Too fast for my OH but knowing Clive, he'd probably squawk and squeal if anybody but me handled him.

Jack was sniffing around on my OH's desk last night which reminded us of Henry who used to do that. Like Henry, Jack is very comfortable with my OH stroking and handling him. A deja vu moment.

 

[RainbowBrite]

Three hours of roaming is a long time! I bet Clive was tired afterwards. How cute he only likes his mum handling him.

 

[Member ID2]

Three hours of roaming is a long time! I bet Clive was tired afterwards. How cute he only likes his mum handling him.

Not Clive. I put him back inbetween free roaming sessions or he comes to me to get put back, has a snack and drink and then sits by his door asking to come out again!

I think he knew the others wanted a night in and thought there's my chance to stay out all night.
Trouble is that humans need to sleep at some point of the night, lol.

 

[RainbowBrite]

Not Clive. I put him back inbetween free roaming sessions or he comes to me to get put back, has a snack and drink and then sits by his door asking to come out again!

I think he knew the others wanted a night in and thought there's my chance to stay out all night.
Trouble is that humans need to sleep at some point of the night, lol.

Wow, he is so full of energy! I imagine he would like to stay up until the morning. Haha. you do so well to stay up as late as you do.

 

[Member ID2]

I've always prefered the night to the day but have to go to work sometimes.

My natural sleeping pattern is 02.00 - 08.00.
Often there's only me and Clive wide awake so we spend quite a lot of time together. I think that's how he became attached to me.

 

[RainbowBrite]

That is so lovely. I can just picture the two of you spending quality time together.