Shy hamster-Despite previous owner taming

[hampter3]

Hi, I recently got a hamster on thursday, and the previous owner who I adopted the 7 week old syrian from said he was hand tamed already.

He told me to leave him for 2 days and then try to begin socialising. He was absolutely terrified of my presence outside his cage, and I can't help but feel I've set things back by placing a dish of fresh veggies inside while he was awake.

Any tips?

 

[Steve]

Hello,
Welcome and congratulations on your getting your new hamster friend.
Please don't worry, it doesn't sound to me like you have done anything wrong, fresh veggies being offered can only be a good thing . 7 weeks old is still very young, and it will likely take much more than 2 days for your hammy to settle into his new home. I would think a week to 10 days is a more common timeframe but they all all different. I am not an expert but can only suggest be patient, try not to change too much while he gets used to his new home as this can be stressful for him. Keep talking to him and let the interaction increase at his speed.
I would usually suggest to post some pictures of your cage setup as members would be able to offer advice as how best to create a lovely home for him, but unfortunately the forum is to be closed down soon (there is a separate tread explaining why) so time is a little limited. Please take a look at the resource section (if possible) as there is so much helpful advice there for welcoming a new hamster.
As mentioned, I am no expert and I would usually wait for a more experienced member to come back to you, but I'm conscious this may not be possible soon so wanted to respond. Hopefully this helps a little and you are able to check the articles and threads for more advice.

 

[Maz]

Hi, I recently got a hamster on thursday, and the previous owner who I adopted the 7 week old syrian from said he was hand tamed already.

He told me to leave him for 2 days and then try to begin socialising. He was absolutely terrified of my presence outside his cage, and I can't help but feel I've set things back by placing a dish of fresh veggies inside while he was awake.

Any tips?

Hi. It will be a bit like starting from scratch again due to the change of environment So you'll need to do the usual thing of leaving him alone for the first 2 or 3 days, giving him a couple of weeks to adjust to his new cage and room and smells and take it slowly. There is a taming guide on the home page if you have a look with lots of suggestions. He will probably become hand tame in a few weeks if he's been hand tame before. But it's a different person and a big change for them.

By the way I'm not sure if you saw, but this forum is closing down latter tomorrow. Due to new legislation. But if you want to join us on Instagram, the Instagram account is Hamster Hub and username maz_hamster_hub