Introducing Peanut and Cashew!❤️

[SouthPaw]

Hi! I’m Mary and I live in CT with my husband Rick, 2 Russian Tortoises named Bert and Myrtle, a Ball Python named Snake (he actually belongs to my stepson who is a marine stationed in California and who also lacks an imagination) and now 2 Chinese hamsters named Peanut and Cashew! (Peanut and Cashew have separate living arrangements).
I am a 50 something disabled person who loves animals but unfortunately my husband is allergic to almost everything including cats and dogs and rabbits etc. so we decided on very small hamsters! We got them 2 weeks ago. They are sooo very timid but they are getting used to there new homes now and then I figure I will try to introduce us to them in a week or two. Any advice on how to start handling them would be greatly appreciated.
I don’t have any picture's yet, but I’ll add them soon!

 

[Socks Mum]

Welcome to the forum! You have great pets. Looking forward to seeing pictures

 

[Maz]

Hello and welcome I can really relate to things in your post, as am also allergic to just about everything So it was wonderful to find I wasn't allergic to Syrian Hamsters (the larger ones). Unfortunately I am allergic to russian dwarf hamsters it seems, but not Roborovski hamsters

I'm wondering if your two are russian dwarf hamsters or roborovskis (robos)? Robos are the very smallest of the species and the fastest and can be quite timid.

One thing that can help is if their enclosure or set up works for them. They need a lot of hides and tunnels at floor level and plenty of deep bedding so they can dig tunnels. It also helps to have a platform they can dive under and they seem to like going up to a platform to sit on as well. It's also a useful place to put heavier things like a sand bath

If you want any help with the enclosures or set ups, just shout. Pet stores, unfortunately, don't always give the best advice and often sell cages that are too small.

 

[SouthPaw]

Hello and welcome I can really relate to things in your post, as am also allergic to just about everything So it was wonderful to find I wasn't allergic to Syrian Hamsters (the larger ones). Unfortunately I am allergic to russian dwarf hamsters it seems, but not Roborovski hamsters

I'm wondering if your two are russian dwarf hamsters or roborovskis (robos)? Robos are the very smallest of the species and the fastest and can be quite timid.

One thing that can help is if their enclosure or set up works for them. They need a lot of hides and tunnels at floor level and plenty of deep bedding so they can dig tunnels. It also helps to have a platform they can dive under and they seem to like going up to a platform to sit on as well. It's also a useful place to put heavier things like a sand bath

If you want any help with the enclosures or set ups, just shout. Pet stores, unfortunately, don't always give the best advice and often sell cages that are too small.

Hi! Thank you so much for your advice. I did do a lot of research and have their enclosures set up just as you suggested, which makes me feel much better lol!
They are Chinese hamsters. I had robos many years ago in my nursery school classroom. I feel terrible about how their enclosure was set up which is why I wanted to research as much as possible about these guys before we got them.

 

[Maz]

Ooh lovely - there are a few Chinese hamster owners on here who might be able to help with the taming. They are notoriously a bit shy and it can take time. @Daisy has a Chinese and might be able to give you some tips.

It might actually be that they will hide away quite a bit with deep bedding at first.

 

[Daisy]

Welcome to the forum!

I have a Chinese hamster named Leo. He is very timid and doesn't like human contact but some will get more open to handling over time. I would recommend giving Peanut and Cashew a couple of weeks to settle into their enclosure and then you could start offering them treats from your hand. Don't worry if they don't take them right away though as Chinese hamsters are extremely shy. Leo will snatch treats from me now, although I know he'd rather I just kept out of his way entirely!