New hamster not using wheel!

[HamsterMumMo]

Hi all, I am probably just suffering from new hamster parent syndrome and just need to be patient but I am a tad bit worried about my new hamster. This isn't my first hamster, but my first in about 13 years and first in adulthood with "proper" care. We brought home our gorgeous Syrian, Oakley, on Saturday afternoon and he has followed what seems to be a typical new hamster pattern of curiosity followed by isolation but I'm still a little nervous about a few things. We chose him (or, I like to think, he chose us) as he seemed happy, confident and curious, was right at the glass of his cage in P@H and lifting his body towards us, happy to be cupped and stroked by the sales assistant, and even tried to come out of the cup.

When we brought him home, he seemed to have this same confident, curious nature and was straight out of his carrier and explored all of his enclosure pretty much immediately, foraging his sprays, excitedly discovering new substrates for the first time and seemingly loving them, especially the coco peat and sand which he spent a good 15 mins digging in and kicking about (cutest videos ever!). He didn't seem jumpy, skittish or nervous at all. He also starting making his burrow(s!?) very quickly, and we could tell he was going to be a burrower even from the store as he had created one even in the shallow bedding and he made a mini one in his carrier on the way back home too. However, he now really, really loves his burrow(s!?) and we haven’t seen a huge amount of him since that first day. I know it's still very early days so we haven't even established a routine of knowing when exactly he comes out yet, but he seems to pop out occasionally throughout the day, mostly to pouch almost all of his food for his hoard and nibble a few bits out in the open for a few minutes.

Unlike the first day, he seems to stick to the left hand corner of his enclosure only, around his multi-chamber hide and burrow, and I haven't seen him venture to the right side anymore. This is also where his wheel is, which he hasn't touched at all - even on his first exploration day, he explored around the wheel and sat nearby to gnaw on a big treat I placed next to it but he hasn't actually used it at all. I know for certain because not only am I being a typical protective parent and keeping a very close eye (even during the night, yes...), but I also put some treats on it (even a piece of carrot!) and they haven't moved at all). I can only think that he maybe doesn't know what it is yet as 1) he seems very young still and 2) they use flying saucers as opposed to upright wheels in P@H and even then I of course wouldn't know how much he used that if at all. I've thought about moving it to the middle of his enclosure, swapping with the coco peat dish, but I'm not sure if moving things around so soon is a good idea, especially as the dish is near his burrow. What are your thoughts? I just find it so, so strange that he is not using a wheel and just doesn't seem very active other than a little mini explore when coming to get food.

Then I also get overworked thinking about whether he is happy, active enough and (perhaps prematurely!) worried about taming and that if I don't start soon-ish, he will never bond with us and become a "ghost" hamster. I have been speaking to him, giving body-scented shreds of tissue, doing the tiniest bit of spot cleaning (e.g. he keeps pushed a whole bunch of bedding into his sand bath when he's moving in and out of his burrow, so I sieved through that) and he even took a treat from my hand in the morning yesterday, but then rejected attempt two in the evening ahaha but let me stroke him while he was eating... unsure if I should continue with that or leave him be?

I know there are quite a few forum posts on this, which has been really useful to reassure me on the "settling in" front and realising that it typically takes more so 2 weeks verses the 2-3 days I assumed so I am grateful for that, and in a way it's helped settle my worries a bit to know that ultimately, everything probably is and will be fine and that I just need to be patient.

But I think on the wheel front I'm still worried as this does seem to deviate from the norm. And I'm also a bit concerned about his hoard and where he is peeing and pooping as I can't see any of that in the enclosure. When sieving through his sand bath n the first night, I found a small clump in the sand so hoped he would continue use that as his toilet (that would've been a dream!) but I can only assume now he is doing everything in his burrows which I can't see at all as they are under his multi-chamber hide. I haven't tempered with this at all. Should I be worried about his urine and fresh food going off? Again, bad idea to lift to try and have a look?

I'm so sorry for this super long post but hopefully you guys can offer some insight A few pics below for reference!

The lil guy in question:


Oakley's enclosure (101x50x50cm):

 

[Maz]

Hello and welcome Oakley is gorgeous! First thing I'd say is - it's really early days They usually need at least 2 or 3 days to acclimatise to a new environment, and about 10 days to 2 weeks to fully settle in. Once they've had that time they become more confident and out and about more.

Second thing I'd say is - he is most likely still a baby and a bit scared so hiding away. Not sure if you've seen the taming article on the home page, but just start with talking to him through the cage so he gets familiar with your voice.

Try putting a smelly treat in the wheel - eg a tiny bit of cheddar cheese or cucumber - that should tempt him in. But he will find his feet in the next few days I think,

Personally I don't think there is such a thing as a "ghost" hamster It's a strange term. Hamsters, if left alone, will do their own thing. And they do have different personalities. You'll get to know his personality more in the next month or so. It can help to have a nightcam to see what he gets up to at night initially. But taming can take a bit of time and patience.

So for the next week I would keep talking to him through the cage. Add some strips of plain white toilet paper near his house, that have been up your sleeve for a couple of hours first, so they have your scent on them (he'll take them for nesting and get familiar with your scent).

One thing I used to do with a shy hamsters was put their daily piece of veg on a separate dish, at the opposite end of the cage to the house. So he had to venture out to get it (as they can't resist it). If you put that out around 6 to 7pm and make a little bit of cage noise at the same time, then gradually he may start waking for his veg and venturing out to get it. When he's gained confidence doing that a few times, you could try offering him a tube to walk into, on his way back from getting his veg, (it helps if that has a smelly treat at the far end) then you can have him out in a playpen area for some taming Taming is done better out of the cage than in it - especially with Syrians.

 

[RainbowBrite]

Welcome to the forum. Oakley is so cute and I love how you have set up his tank.

You have been given some great advice but I just thought I would say, it took my hamster a few days before he attempted to use his wheel so I really would not worry. Do you have a camera set up because if not, he may be using his wheel at night when nobody is around.

I have found when a hamster first arrives they seem to be active and very busy creating their hoard but then they seem to settle a bit. Everything is still so new to him. You really do not need to worry about trying to tame him right away. I would let him guide you. Just talking to him when you are by his tank will let him get used to your voice.

 

[Socks Mum]

Hi all, I am probably just suffering from new hamster parent syndrome and just need to be patient but I am a tad bit worried about my new hamster. This isn't my first hamster, but my first in about 13 years and first in adulthood with "proper" care. We brought home our gorgeous Syrian, Oakley, on Saturday afternoon and he has followed what seems to be a typical new hamster pattern of curiosity followed by isolation but I'm still a little nervous about a few things. We chose him (or, I like to think, he chose us) as he seemed happy, confident and curious, was right at the glass of his cage in P@H and lifting his body towards us, happy to be cupped and stroked by the sales assistant, and even tried to come out of the cup.

When we brought him home, he seemed to have this same confident, curious nature and was straight out of his carrier and explored all of his enclosure pretty much immediately, foraging his sprays, excitedly discovering new substrates for the first time and seemingly loving them, especially the coco peat and sand which he spent a good 15 mins digging in and kicking about (cutest videos ever!). He didn't seem jumpy, skittish or nervous at all. He also starting making his burrow(s!?) very quickly, and we could tell he was going to be a burrower even from the store as he had created one even in the shallow bedding and he made a mini one in his carrier on the way back home too. However, he now really, really loves his burrow(s!?) and we haven’t seen a huge amount of him since that first day. I know it's still very early days so we haven't even established a routine of knowing when exactly he comes out yet, but he seems to pop out occasionally throughout the day, mostly to pouch almost all of his food for his hoard and nibble a few bits out in the open for a few minutes.

Unlike the first day, he seems to stick to the left hand corner of his enclosure only, around his multi-chamber hide and burrow, and I haven't seen him venture to the right side anymore. This is also where his wheel is, which he hasn't touched at all - even on his first exploration day, he explored around the wheel and sat nearby to gnaw on a big treat I placed next to it but he hasn't actually used it at all. I know for certain because not only am I being a typical protective parent and keeping a very close eye (even during the night, yes...), but I also put some treats on it (even a piece of carrot!) and they haven't moved at all). I can only think that he maybe doesn't know what it is yet as 1) he seems very young still and 2) they use flying saucers as opposed to upright wheels in P@H and even then I of course wouldn't know how much he used that if at all. I've thought about moving it to the middle of his enclosure, swapping with the coco peat dish, but I'm not sure if moving things around so soon is a good idea, especially as the dish is near his burrow. What are your thoughts? I just find it so, so strange that he is not using a wheel and just doesn't seem very active other than a little mini explore when coming to get food.

Then I also get overworked thinking about whether he is happy, active enough and (perhaps prematurely!) worried about taming and that if I don't start soon-ish, he will never bond with us and become a "ghost" hamster. I have been speaking to him, giving body-scented shreds of tissue, doing the tiniest bit of spot cleaning (e.g. he keeps pushed a whole bunch of bedding into his sand bath when he's moving in and out of his burrow, so I sieved through that) and he even took a treat from my hand in the morning yesterday, but then rejected attempt two in the evening ahaha but let me stroke him while he was eating... unsure if I should continue with that or leave him be?

I know there are quite a few forum posts on this, which has been really useful to reassure me on the "settling in" front and realising that it typically takes more so 2 weeks verses the 2-3 days I assumed so I am grateful for that, and in a way it's helped settle my worries a bit to know that ultimately, everything probably is and will be fine and that I just need to be patient.

But I think on the wheel front I'm still worried as this does seem to deviate from the norm. And I'm also a bit concerned about his hoard and where he is peeing and pooping as I can't see any of that in the enclosure. When sieving through his sand bath n the first night, I found a small clump in the sand so hoped he would continue use that as his toilet (that would've been a dream!) but I can only assume now he is doing everything in his burrows which I can't see at all as they are under his multi-chamber hide. I haven't tempered with this at all. Should I be worried about his urine and fresh food going off? Again, bad idea to lift to try and have a look?

I'm so sorry for this super long post but hopefully you guys can offer some insight A few pics below for reference!

The lil guy in question:
View attachment 5585View attachment 5586View attachment 5587

Oakley's enclosure (101x50x50cm):
View attachment 5583View attachment 5584

He has a lovely set up, what a lucky hamster!

 

[HamsterMumMo]

Hello and welcome Oakley is gorgeous! First thing I'd say is - it's really early days They usually need at least 2 or 3 days to acclimatise to a new environment, and about 10 days to 2 weeks to fully settle in. Once they've had that time they become more confident and out and about more.

Second thing I'd say is - he is most likely still a baby and a bit scared so hiding away. Not sure if you've seen the taming article on the home page, but just start with talking to him through the cage so he gets familiar with your voice.

Try putting a smelly treat in the wheel - eg a tiny bit of cheddar cheese or cucumber - that should tempt him in. But he will find his feet in the next few days I think,

Personally I don't think there is such a thing as a "ghost" hamster It's a strange term. Hamsters, if left alone, will do their own thing. And they do have different personalities. You'll get to know his personality more in the next month or so. It can help to have a nightcam to see what he gets up to at night initially. But taming can take a bit of time and patience.

So for the next week I would keep talking to him through the cage. Add some strips of plain white toilet paper near his house, that have been up your sleeve for a couple of hours first, so they have your scent on them (he'll take them for nesting and get familiar with your scent).

One thing I used to do with a shy hamsters was put their daily piece of veg on a separate dish, at the opposite end of the cage to the house. So he had to venture out to get it (as they can't resist it). If you put that out around 6 to 7pm and make a little bit of cage noise at the same time, then gradually he may start waking for his veg and venturing out to get it. When he's gained confidence doing that a few times, you could try offering him a tube to walk into, on his way back from getting his veg, (it helps if that has a smelly treat at the far end) then you can have him out in a playpen area for some taming Taming is done better out of the cage than in it - especially with Syrians.

Thank you so much for the warm welcome and reassurance! Even when you know certain things, it's always nice to have that extra external re-affirm

Yeah I really do think he is a baby and was clearly younger than some other hamsters are when they come home so you're totally right, he is probably even more scared and likely to hide than an older hamster would. Yes I have read the taming article so have been keeping up with the daily talks and adding strips of body-scented toilet paper!

Really great idea on putting some of the most "exciting" fresh food on the other side of his enclosure and with something stronger on the wheel too - I will definitely do that from tonight, thank you.

Thanks so much again

 

[HamsterMumMo]

Welcome to the forum. Oakley is so cute and I love how you have set up his tank.

You have been given some great advice but I just thought I would say, it took my hamster a few days before he attempted to use his wheel so I really would not worry. Do you have a camera set up because if not, he may be using his wheel at night when nobody is around.

I have found when a hamster first arrives they seem to be active and very busy creating their hoard but then they seem to settle a bit. Everything is still so new to him. You really do not need to worry about trying to tame him right away. I would let him guide you. Just talking to him when you are by his tank will let him get used to your voice.

Thanks so much for the kind words

I don't have a camera set up yet but definitely looking to order one today as I think it will help to settle any nerves as you're right, he's probably more active than I think. But I'm glad to hear someone else has experienced their hamster not using their wheel straight away as that was something I hadn't heard before!

Will keep up with talking to him, and as you say, let him guide me on when he feels ready.

 

[HamsterMumMo]

He has a lovely set up, what a lucky hamster!

Thank you so much, wanted to give him the best possible home we could

 

[Frida]

Hello and welcome to the forum.
Oakley is very cute and you've given him a lovely home

 

[Zara]

Hi and welcome to the Forum Oakley is super cute, great name too and his enclosure is lovely. I don’t really have anything to add to the advice above. I’d Just keep chatting to him so he gets used to your voice and maybe when you pop something in the wheel, leave a little bit of substrate on the top and if it’s fallen by morning it’s likely he’s at least hoped in and out to take a look. One of the members suggested this to me when I first brought our Syrian home.

 

[Socks Mum]

Most of his wee is probably in the sand bath. He will be pooping In his nest, but they are dry and won't smell. In fact they are edible and form part of his hoard. He may be weeing a bit in there, but it won't be much. Hamsters have very concentrated wee. You can leave everything for now, while he's getting organised. He is a beautiful little fellow

 

[HamsterMumMo]

Thank you so much all! See just as I was starting to feel settled that everything would be okay, Oakley is causing a bit of anxiety again as he hasn’t come out at all day. Trying to get into a routine, I put his food out (including some tasty, surely irresistible little pieces of cheddar, strawberry and cucumber) at 6pm like I did yesterday. Yesterday he came and hoarded it all within about half an hour. But today, almost 6 hours later and nothing! In fact, I’m almost certain he hasn’t been out since I last spotted him around 2am last night/this morning, which would be almost 24 hours ago now. And also haven’t heard any shuffling/sound of his food rattling against the wood at the bottom of the enclosure in his burrow which I could hear before. I’m a big ball of nerves right now, seriously Oakley!

 

[HamsterMumMo]

Most of his wee is probably in the sand bath. He will be pooping In his nest, but they are dry and won't smell. In fact they are edible and form part of his hoard. He may be weeing a bit in there, but it won't be much. Hamsters have very concentrated wee. You can leave everything for now, while he's getting organised. He is a beautiful little fellow

Thank you! I had hoped he would use his sand bath, but no new activity in there since I spotted this little clump yesterday evening (which would’ve been Day 2) so assume he is mostly using his nest

 

[Maz]

He's probably waiting till you've gone to bed Being a bit antisocial until he feels settled. I only worry if the fresh veg etc is still there in the morning. I bet you find it's gone in the morning

 

[HamsterMumMo]

He's probably waiting till you've gone to bed Being a bit antisocial until he feels settled. I only worry if the fresh veg etc is still there in the morning. I bet you find it's gone in the morning

Okay whew let’s hang on until the morning then, hopefully I’ll be laughing at myself once I realise there was absolutely nothing to worry about! Thank you and keep you posted

 

[Maz]

They're savvy! Haha human, he'll be thinking. Have you seen Grommit's thread? Similar things at first and he's out of the cage a lot now and tame

 

[Socks Mum]

I've found that turning the lights down as low as possible often encourages Socks out in the evening.

 

[Socks Mum]

Thank you! I had hoped he would use his sand bath, but no new activity in there since I spotted this little clump yesterday evening (which would’ve been Day 2) so assume he is mostly using his nest View attachment 5590

Yes, scent marking his bed and food stash a bit to keep other hamsters away. I did notice that Socks slept longer after big changes, as if processing things.

 

[HamsterMumMo]

Guys can anyone please help - it seems like Oakley might have wet tail. Woke up around 5.30am and he still hadn’t come for any food. Pulled out all his bedding etc to find he was burrowed right underneath, he wriggled out and is extremely weak, mostly unresponsive and it does seem like he has a wet tail. Can anyone help!?

 

[Socks Mum]

Best thing is to take the little guy to the vet. Your store might have a vet they use and be able to get him an appointment. If he is loose, it's worth getting an emergency appointment as only the vet can prescribe based on weight and age. Poor little boy, what a way to start things!

 

[Socks Mum]

The vet will give him medication and take samples. Take some poo and wee samples if you can. I hope things work out OK! What a worry!