Help with scared hamster

[kikisdeliveryservice]

Hi! I just got my syrian hamster (born 3.9.2024) eight days ago. Her cage wasn’t proper when I got her and I have made certain adjustments ever since. I have changed the bedding on the side that she wasn’t sleeping on to paper based bedding since the one she had first didn’t hold burrows. She went to the other side as soon as she noticed it. I also put a tunnel in her cage and a platform under her wheel since she had burrowed close to it which had blocked the wheel from spinning.

I tried to hand feed her on the second day which was way too fast, but since I haven’t interacted with her. Only done things in her cage while she was asleep such as scatter feeding and changing her water and fixing the cage. Now I have only sat close to her cage and when I hear her shifting around I start talking to her. She might pop her head out after a while but when she hears or notices me she quickly goes back to her burrow and blocks the entrance. Then she wakes up again in an hour or so when I go to bed. Once I woke up at night when she was roaming around and went up to her cage and talked to her, she froze and after a while she ran off. I want to add more hides in her cage but I don’t know if that’ll stress her out more. Should I keep talking to her or wait for her to get up? Or should I leave her alone? I feel so helpless and I am scared she will just wait for me to leave before she goes up and I can never tame her…

Is there something I can do? She will just hide in my presence, will that eventually stop?

 

[Hank]

Hi and welcome.
It takes a while for the little hamster to settle in, 8 days is not long.
For now I suggest you leave the cage as it is, don't change anything, unless it is too make sure the wheel is working, or to spot clean. Leave the new hides out for now.
She needs time to settle in.
You can talk to her, it will help her getting used to your voice.
She will slowly start getting used to you, but you have to be patient and take your cues from her.
There are some good articles on here to help.
I know it's hard, you just want to see your little hammy, but she just needs a bit of time and space to adjust.

 

[Maz]

Hello and welcome Sorry I've only just seen this! Hank has given you good advice there. It can take a good couple of weeks for them to start feeling confident in a new cage and new environment. She is also still a baby hamster so maybe a little bit scared - but she should gain in confidence once she has made the cage her own and developed a routine. I would count the two weeks settling in period from the time you made the changes

You're doing all the right things, talking to her. Is it a barred cage or a solid sided enclosure with top opening?

 

[kikisdeliveryservice]

Hello and welcome Sorry I've only just seen this! Hank has given you good advice there. It can take a good couple of weeks for them to start feeling confident in a new cage and new environment. She is also still a baby hamster so maybe a little bit scared - but she should gain in confidence once she has made the cage her own and developed a routine. I would count the two weeks settling in period from the time you made the changes

You're doing all the right things, talking to her. Is it a barred cage or a solid sided enclosure with top opening?

Its a solid sided enclosure! Today I also made a really bad mistake, I was changing her water and the metal part accidentally collided with the side of her cage and made a really loud noise! I feel so bad that I scared and woke her up. Could I leave her alone for a couple of days (not even talk to her in the evening) to calm her down. I feel like that really scared her and I feel so bad…

 

[Socks Mum]

Don't worry, rodents adapt quickly and are quite resilient. It might take a couple of weeks though before you really start to see her personality coming through. It's really good that you sit with her so that you can hear her moving and can see that she is feeding when the food has been taken, possibly late at night. A pet cam is a good thing if you can get one. Hamsters are pretty adaptable and given time she will get more confident with you.

 

[Zara]

Hi there, have you chosen a name for your little Syrian? Try not to worry, it’s good that she’s popping out at night under cover of darkness and is no doubt starting to explore. I don’t have a hamster at the moment but it took me a long time to tame our first hamster, around 6 weeks to give him a stroke and around 12 weeks before he first sat on my hand to eat a treat. They are all very different.

I would suggest letting her get used to your voice though. Have a little chat by the cage maybe in the morning and then in the evening as you’re doing a little tidy or if you just want to sit and chat for a bit, it’s amazing how they become used to you. It took several weeks, but my hamster started to pop his head out of his nest when I’d just be sitting chatting. I didn’t open the door at that point I’d just chat whilst he pottered about and then went back to his nest and in time he started coming out in the evening when he heard me doing the little tidy and was completely happy with my hand in his enclosure and taming became much easier after this.

 

[kikisdeliveryservice]

Hi there, have you chosen a name for your little Syrian? Try not to worry, it’s good that she’s popping out at night under cover of darkness and is no doubt starting to explore. I don’t have a hamster at the moment but it took me a long time to tame our first hamster, around 6 weeks to give him a stroke and around 12 weeks before he first sat on my hand to eat a treat. They are all very different.

I would suggest letting her get used to your voice though. Have a little chat by the cage maybe in the morning and then in the evening as you’re doing a little tidy or if you just want to sit and chat for a bit, it’s amazing how they become used to you. It took several weeks, but my hamster started to pop his head out of his nest when I’d just be sitting chatting. I didn’t open the door at that point I’d just chat whilst he pottered about and then went back to his nest and in time he started coming out in the evening when he heard me doing the little tidy and was completely happy with my hand in his enclosure and taming became much easier after this.

Yes I have, her name is Kiki, inspired from one of my favourite movies as a kid (the one on my username). Thank you for sharing this, it made me much more confident! I’ll be as patient as I can with her, its my first hamster so I can’t wait to pet her.

 

[Maz]

I have had a new Syrian for about two months now and he is the same - if he sees me he freezes and disappears back to his house. If I see him out in a hide and talk to him he turns his back on me ha ha (doing an Ostrich thing - if I can’t see her she’s not there).

So at some point it’s a case of getting them out for some playpen time and a bit of socialising and taming. It’s still early days with mine. He is quite shy but he did walk into a tube when it was offered.

In a week or two she may be showing signs of want to come out. I use a rat tube as a taxi - with a smelly treat at the far end. Wheb they walk in the tube you can just lift the tube out with your hands over the end. But sounds like she needs a bit more time first

 

[Tulsi]

As others have mentioned this is totally normal with a new hamster. They take a white to adjust to their new home and to the smells and sounds.

My syrian hamster, Kulfi, only comes out after dark so I don't see him much. I have only had him a few months but he will now sit and listen to me when I talk to him (telling him how cute and lovely he is}.

Sounds like you are doing all the right things and have made some good adjustments to her cage.

 

[Socks Mum]

Socks is very skittish during the daylight hours, possibly because of his wild instincts to be wary of birds of prey that hunt diurnally or at dusk, but he is like a different hamster after dark and meerkats in his cage for a free roam (at 3am unfortunately). He loves his free roaming so much that at that time he will practically climb up my arm to get out.

 

[Socks Mum]

When I talk, of sing softly to Socks, his whiskers vibrate and he seems to enjoy it

 

[kikisdeliveryservice]

Update:
On sunday (yesterday) I saw her out at like 2am because I happened to be awake. She was running on her wheel which is on the opposite side of her nest. I had no lights on, I think she doesn’t like to come out when there are lights. I had some salad and some treats in my hand and put my hand slowly in the middle of the cage. I didn’t talk that much just said hi really quiet. She stopped running and came a bit closer to my hand, almost like she was smelling the treat, then she ran behind her wheel for like a brief minute, then she ran up to one hide that was close, stood on her back legs, then she tried to burrow under her wheel, but gave up. She then went onto her wheel and began running, then stopping to check my hand while still on the wheel, then running again etc. Did I scare her? Were I too fast with taming? Or should I continue and give her like a day before trying again?

 

[kikisdeliveryservice]

Update:
On sunday (yesterday) I saw her out at like 2am because I happened to be awake. She was running on her wheel which is on the opposite side of her nest. I had no lights on, I think she doesn’t like to come out when there are lights. I had some salad and some treats in my hand and put my hand slowly in the middle of the cage. I didn’t talk that much just said hi really quiet. She stopped running and came a bit closer to my hand, almost like she was smelling the treat, then she ran behind her wheel for like a brief minute, then she ran up to one hide that was close, stood on her back legs, then she tried to burrow under her wheel, but gave up. She then went onto her wheel and began running, then stopping to check my hand while still on the wheel, then running again etc. Did I scare her? Were I too fast with taming? Or should I continue and give her like a day before trying again?

Also I didn’t interact with her during the week, I only talked to her a few evenings. And no she didn’t take the treat, I removed my hand after like 6 minutes and I heard that she kept running for quite a while after.

 

[Socks Mum]

It sounds like things are going well. She is gaining confidence and is curious, which is a good sign. She instinctively ran away, but then came out again again and was confident to use her wheel with you there. You are doing all the right things and understand her. The more time you spend observing, the more understanding you will have and the more your hammy will gain confidence.

 

[Maz]

She's getting a bit braver but not quite there . I was just wondering where you got her from - was it a pet store or a breeder? Hamsters from rescues are sometimes used to human contact, which is why I ask. However she is still just a baby and her behaviour of being curious but cautious is quite normal. I think it's still only a week she has been with you isn't it? It's all progress

After another week see how she is then - she may be feeling more confident after a couple of weeks making her cage her own - but she may still not like the idea of a hand in her "territory" so that's the time to start having some out of cage socialising/taming and see if you can tempt her to walk into a "taxi" (which isn't a hand so might be easier). If you have a hamster ball and it fits through the cage door, that could be used as a taxi (even though they're not good to use as balls). I use a rat sized tube. A piece of cucumber eg (something smelly) at the far and and put the other end in the cage near the hamster (or over the house door) and it tempts them to walk in and get the cucumber.

Then you can just lift the tube out (but you'd need your hands over either end or she would jump out). Or if you're using a ball, just pop the lid on the ball and then carry it to a hamster-safe area - eg dry bathtub or playpen.

If using a tube then it's best not to have to carry it too far as they can push against your hand inside the tube which can make you jump and you might drop the hamster or move your hand eg. So then you can just have a box next to the cage (high sided) and just lay the tube down in there so the hamster walks out, and carry the box to the hamster-safe area Once there just carefully move/tip the box onto one side so the hamster can just walk out.

But for the next week I would just keep doing what you're doing - talking to her and getting her used to you. And you never know, in a week's time she might be desperate to come out of the cage and pestering to do so at the front of the cage

 

[kikisdeliveryservice]

She's getting a bit braver but not quite there . I was just wondering where you got her from - was it a pet store or a breeder? Hamsters from rescues are sometimes used to human contact, which is why I ask. However she is still just a baby and her behaviour of being curious but cautious is quite normal. I think it's still only a week she has been with you isn't it? It's all progress

After another week see how she is then - she may be feeling more confident after a couple of weeks making her cage her own - but she may still not like the idea of a hand in her "territory" so that's the time to start having some out of cage socialising/taming and see if you can tempt her to walk into a "taxi" (which isn't a hand so might be easier). If you have a hamster ball and it fits through the cage door, that could be used as a taxi (even though they're not good to use as balls). I use a rat sized tube. A piece of cucumber eg (something smelly) at the far and and put the other end in the cage near the hamster (or over the house door) and it tempts them to walk in and get the cucumber.

Then you can just lift the tube out (but you'd need your hands over either end or she would jump out). Or if you're using a ball, just pop the lid on the ball and then carry it to a hamster-safe area - eg dry bathtub or playpen.

If using a tube then it's best not to have to carry it too far as they can push against your hand inside the tube which can make you jump and you might drop the hamster or move your hand eg. So then you can just have a box next to the cage (high sided) and just lay the tube down in there so the hamster walks out, and carry the box to the hamster-safe area Once there just carefully move/tip the box onto one side so the hamster can just walk out.

But for the next week I would just keep doing what you're doing - talking to her and getting her used to you. And you never know, in a week's time she might be desperate to come out of the cage and pestering to do so at the front of the cage

Shes from a breeder, not a store, and she should be used to human contact but she doesn’t seem to be very comfortable with me yet. I’ve had her for 17 days now.
The past three nights I’ve woken up to give her a treat from my hand but she still doesn’t take it and seems a bit panicked, but just kept running on her wheel. I’ll keep doing this until she takes the treat I think, I am too scared to lift her up from her cage. I think I scared her a bit when I lifted my hand from the cage and accidentally made contact with one of her hides which made a bit of noise, that startled her a bit but I hope she is ok. She didn’t hide but freezed for a while..

 

[Maz]

I think this sounds fairly normal for breeder hamsters The idea is that they are already hand-tamed and used to human contact, but then they have a complete change of environment at a young age - straight from living with their siblings - to living on their own in a new house, with a new owner, at an age when they are just starting to crave independence. It's just a case of taking it slowly. I've had the same. It all sounds positive - but she could well stay like this until she's had some taming/socialising out of the cage - I do it in the dry bathtub with a blanket on the bottom, and a couple of hides, tunnels and chews and a spare wheel.

The positive is - once you start that, they often become hand tame quite quickly. Because they have a memory of being handled so it's not completely alien. But I wouldn't rush that. Syrians don't really like a hand in their cage as the enclosure is now her territory - she has claimed it and is feeling independent. So keep doing what you're doing - talk to her when you see her. She might still freeze or go and hide, but she's gradually getting used to your voice and presence. It's going to take a bit of time and patience. When you've had her about 3 weeks you could try offering a "taxi" - eg a long tube in the cage near her house with a smelly treat at the far end - eg a piece of cucumber. This might tempt her to walk into the tube then you can put your hands over both ends and lift her out in the tube. And take her to the taming area/bathtub or playpen area. I think the bathtub is a good size for initial socialising taming - a larger playpen they can feel a bit overwhelmed at first.

So it's a bit of a catch 22. She won't be tame enough to let you get her out of the cage, but until she has that out of cage time she won't get used to coming out of the cage After a few times she may want to come out and enjoy the playpen and happily just walk into the offered "taxi". It sounds a bit like tricking them - tempting them into a tube, but sometimes it's necessary and less stressful than trying to pick her up if she's stressed and trying to get away. And they start to learn what a taxi is

It will take time and patience, but it'll be worth it. I've usually found by the second or third session they will eat food from the palm of your hand and even let you stroke them on the back - and then you give it a bit more time and follow the taming guide on the home page. You'll be able to assess her personality more in the bathtub as well. I've sometimes progressed to having them on the sofa with me after a few bathtub sessions - but some will jump off! Others are more cautious. Your hand is on the same level as them then.

Or, if you have a large playpen or hamsterproof area, you can sit in it with them so you're on the same level.

To be honest though, I find it's only really when they've matured a bit after a couple of months, that they get more confident with you. But at least if they accept being stroked or eating from your hand, while out of the cage, they are starting to build trust - and that is the key.

If using a tube to get her out and it's some distance to carry it, it's an idea to have something like a large storage box on the floor next to the cage and put the tube down in that and carry the box to the taming area. Because while they're in the tube they can push quite hard against your hand to try and get out and that can make you jump and you don't want to drop the tube

I've had one of my Syrians two months now and he's had a few taming sessions. Before doing it out of the cage he would just freeze or do an "ostrich" - eg turn his back or stick his head in something Pet store or rescue hamsters are sometimes more used to regular human contact and change and different people and noises around. On the other hand sometimes they're harder to tame if they've had a bad experience with people or hands before they come to you.

 

[kikisdeliveryservice]

I think this sounds fairly normal for breeder hamsters The idea is that they are already hand-tamed and used to human contact, but then they have a complete change of environment at a young age - straight from living with their siblings - to living on their own in a new house, with a new owner, at an age when they are just starting to crave independence. It's just a case of taking it slowly. I've had the same. It all sounds positive - but she could well stay like this until she's had some taming/socialising out of the cage - I do it in the dry bathtub with a blanket on the bottom, and a couple of hides, tunnels and chews and a spare wheel.

The positive is - once you start that, they often become hand tame quite quickly. Because they have a memory of being handled so it's not completely alien. But I wouldn't rush that. Syrians don't really like a hand in their cage as the enclosure is now her territory - she has claimed it and is feeling independent. So keep doing what you're doing - talk to her when you see her. She might still freeze or go and hide, but she's gradually getting used to your voice and presence. It's going to take a bit of time and patience. When you've had her about 3 weeks you could try offering a "taxi" - eg a long tube in the cage near her house with a smelly treat at the far end - eg a piece of cucumber. This might tempt her to walk into the tube then you can put your hands over both ends and lift her out in the tube. And take her to the taming area/bathtub or playpen area. I think the bathtub is a good size for initial socialising taming - a larger playpen they can feel a bit overwhelmed at first.

So it's a bit of a catch 22. She won't be tame enough to let you get her out of the cage, but until she has that out of cage time she won't get used to coming out of the cage After a few times she may want to come out and enjoy the playpen and happily just walk into the offered "taxi". It sounds a bit like tricking them - tempting them into a tube, but sometimes it's necessary and less stressful than trying to pick her up if she's stressed and trying to get away. And they start to learn what a taxi is

It will take time and patience, but it'll be worth it. I've usually found by the second or third session they will eat food from the palm of your hand and even let you stroke them on the back - and then you give it a bit more time and follow the taming guide on the home page. You'll be able to assess her personality more in the bathtub as well. I've sometimes progressed to having them on the sofa with me after a few bathtub sessions - but some will jump off! Others are more cautious. Your hand is on the same level as them then.

Or, if you have a large playpen or hamsterproof area, you can sit in it with them so you're on the same level.

To be honest though, I find it's only really when they've matured a bit after a couple of months, that they get more confident with you. But at least if they accept being stroked or eating from your hand, while out of the cage, they are starting to build trust - and that is the key.

If using a tube to get her out and it's some distance to carry it, it's an idea to have something like a large storage box on the floor next to the cage and put the tube down in that and carry the box to the taming area. Because while they're in the tube they can push quite hard against your hand to try and get out and that can make you jump and you don't want to drop the tube

I've had one of my Syrians two months now and he's had a few taming sessions. Before doing it out of the cage he would just freeze or do an "ostrich" - eg turn his back or stick his head in something Pet store or rescue hamsters are sometimes more used to regular human contact and change and different people and noises around. On the other hand sometimes they're harder to tame if they've had a bad experience with people or hands before they come to you.

Wow, thank you for all this! You’re the best!!

Today Kiki decided to be brave. She actually woke up earlier than normal, at 7pm instead of her 2am, and I hadn’t even put food out for her. So she was roaming around and looking for food, I cut some banana for her and talked to her and put my hand in the cage and she actually took it!!! I think she was just very hungry but still! She wasn’t afraid of my voice either when I spoke to her. But she did hide pretty shortly after I removed my hand.

But I am so happy!

 

[Maz]

Aw that’s lovely. I know what you mean - you want them to be friendly and they hide ha ha. But it’s just time and patience and building trust.

 

[Socks Mum]

She's becoming trusting! Lovely