Wally

[Hamster Haven]

First, let me say that I'm loving reading other threads in the Syrian Hamster section. Your experiences have been so helpful in measuring my own since my history of owning hamsters in the 90s was so limited.

If you've read my couple of other posts, you'll know that Wally has been very gentle but shy to tame. He was about 2 months old when we got him from a breeder, and now he is almost 4 months old.

He tends to not wake up until between midnight and 1AM and is back asleep by 6AM. I put out a night vision camera to try to catch his activities. When we can, we'll take him into a playpen or a bathtub for bonding. If I hear him awake in the middle of the night and I'm too tired for a mid-night play session, I'll at least handfeed him some fresh veg and then pet him while he's eating or pouching. In the past 10 days, he seems to have stopped using his wheel, and I don't know what to make of that. From what I can see, he is coming out of his bedding/ nest 2x per night. He'll drink, clean out his food dish and forage (I spread his Mazuri blocks throughout his tunnels/ hideaways).

He doesn't seem as quick or busy as he used to be when I take him out for a bonding session (at least in the last 10 days). He often looks around, takes his fresh hand-fed food, and then will find a place to be still until I put him back (we use a turned over plastic igloo to transport). These 2 videos were taken last night. I think he was comfortable, as he was still but not trembling or making noise, but he literally sat for minutes just being pet. He will be jumpy if I try to pick him up- he's comfortable with petting but not the feeling of being fully on one's hands. I'm open to anyone's takes or experiences! My apologies if these video links don't work correctly. I'm usually good with tech but struggling with the video upload tonight.

Video one
Video Two

 

[elusive]

The first vid isn’t working for me but I could watch the second one ok & I’m not really sre what to make of his behaviour tbh, he looks calm enough, not scared & looks fine in himself but it does seem unusual for a young Syrian to just sit still for so long & not have a zoom about exploring, he may be more nervous than he looks I guess but he seems ok, being less active in his cage too made me wonder if it’s cold where you are? Lower temperatures can cause them to just spend more time in bed.
I’m sure some of the Syrian owners will have more ideas than I do though.

 

[Member ID2]

I would put a blanket or towel down and sit in the bath yourself then place Wally on your lap. Add more hiding places like a cardboard box and cardboard tunnel etc as well.
He may be startled by the cold, smooth surface of the bath tub after the warmth of his home.

 

[Member ID2]

He looks a bit unsure, like he has just woken up and had no time to complete his routine. Could there be a smell left from cleaning products or bubble bath? Or a bright light on?

 

[elusive]

That’s a good point about the bath being cold, Do you have space to set up a play pen or play area in the room whre his cage is? I always think bathrooms must be a bit overwhelming for them with strange smells & different lighting.

 

[Maz]

Agree with Elusive - he doesn't seem scared (I could only see the second video as well). I think it may just be his personality. My previous Syrian was like this at first. He was a very shy boy. If he was out of the cage he used to just stick his head in or under something. I used to call him my little Ostrich He thought if he couldn't see anything then we couldn't see him. He used to do it in his cage as well. He was also from a breeder and I think they do behave differently than pet shop hamsters. On the one hand they may have been socialised earlier and be easier to tame. On the other hand they have been used to being tamed by one other person and take some time to adjust to a new person. But it is two months ............Also hamsters can be bred for placid temperament sometimes. Pet shop hamsters can get used to a number of different people and that can have its pros and cons as well.

The positive is he is not scared of you and took the treat from you.

It can also depend on the time of day/evening. They all have different personalities but generally they are pretty dopey in the evenings until they decide it's time to get up. But that depends.

I had it worked out with our first Syrian. If I got him out between 5pm and 7pm he was just hyperactive and taming was impossible - he'd just try and make a run for it.

If I got him out between 8pm and 10pm he was in a dopey phase and would literally just go to sleep! On my knee under a blanket. But easier to handle and a bit of taming.

Once it got to 10pm he was in hyperactive phase again!

So maybe try different times of the evening for getting him out. Most Syrians tend to sleep later in darker evenings and cold weather. But you can get them into a routine of waking earlier for feeding time. By making a bit of cage noise when putting the food out early evening or something. They soon get into a routine of that when they hear the noise and smell the fresh veg! That can be a time to get them out in a tube maybe for some taming, but he may still be a bit dopey if he just wants to go back to bed.

I think as the nights get lighter and warmer and he is another couple of months older, he may be out and about a bit more and come out earlier too. But the feeding regime is the time they wake usually.

But personality wise they vary hugely. Some male Syrians are notorious for being "lazy" and just staying in their house and sleeping late! The positive is they can also be very laid back (or go to sleep on your knee under a blanket).

The coming out at night thing - it could well be cold temperatures. My Syrian doesn't want to come out till gone midnight either and 6am is a normal time for them to go back to bed. But he is a very active syrian and uses his wheel at night. Most of them do tend to run in the wheel at night, in between foraging and napping in the house now and then.

It's good he is coming out for his food at night. He may still be shy and hiding away a lot until he gains confidence. Is it particularly cold at night where you are?

Not using his wheel is unusual though. I can't remember which wheel you have. Assume you've checked if it's spinning ok and not too stiff or blocked up with bedding?

My first (lazy) Syrian was the one who was most sensitive to everything - if I cleaned his wheel he would reject it! He would not use it. I had to tempt him back in by putting a smelly treat in it - like a bit of hard cheese. Or any treat really. Then he'd start using it again.

So you could maybe try that?

 

[Hamster Haven]

Thanks Elusive, Beryl and Maz! These are great ideas. I don't think the bathroom has a smell because I've only used a damp microfiber cloth to wipe it out, but I could try the blanket idea. I'd moved away from the playpen because our playpen had mesh walls he would inevitably scale, but I could try going back to this or finding smooth dividers for a DIY playpen.

I had been cleaning the wheel with just a microfiber cloth, but there was one time when I used the Kaytee Clean Cage deodorizer, and now I'm wondering if that correlates with when he stopped using it. I can't remember for sure at this point, but it very well could so I'll give putting some food on it a try. I don't think our house is particularly cold right now, but on the other hand we do live in the midwest United States, so it is generally colder and darker now.

I had tried luring him out at earlier hours with food a couple of weeks ago, but it only worked once- he either didn't hear us or it was clear he did hear us and was like, "No, I'm staying in my nest, thank you very much." However, I haven't necessarily refilled his food bowl at an earlier hour, so I can give that a try, too.

I'm glad I was able to write about this here because what's been causing me so much conflict is that mix of him being willing to be pet and consistently take food from my hand, but also how unusual his lower activity level in the past 10 days has seemed, so I'm glad to hear your ideas. Last night I did not take him out, but when he was awake he took some broccoli and red pepper from me. I will update you on any changes!

 

[Maz]

Sometimes it's just time and patience They are at their most confident about 9 months to a year. Meanwhile he is just being a bit shy by the sound of it. Even wiping the wheel with just a damp cloth can remove their scent. We do need to clean the wheels sometimes! Probably better just to give it a wipe with a damp cloth mainly - maybe once a week - it doesn't have to be perfect. So it's not completely clean but not so messy or smelly but still has some of their scent. Then give it a good wash less frequently.

I think putting a treat in it may do the trick!

 

[Member ID2]

I've never had a Syrian who spent a lot of time on his wheel. I've only ever had male Syrians and find that they do like their comfort, food, sleep and nests.

The Robos especially and russian dwarfs seem to be more into wheels.

I have one Syrian who can be hyperactive (presumably due to a medical condition) but even he spends more time running around than running on his wheel.

I take it that Wally's wheel is working ok and he is well himself, in which case i wouldn't worry too much.

 

[Maz]

I've usually found they run in it at first and then quickly go to only using it at night after dark. If you have a night camera and can see he's not using the wheel at night that is a bit unusual - I think a treat in the wheel will do it

 

[Hamster Haven]

Wally update:

I took the playpen back out last night. We'll need to get some new hideaways for it because ones we originally had in there ended up in his cage. I put down a fleece blanket we had used in it when we first got him (seen in one of his pics) and a small paper bag with some of his bedding and a few other objects.
He came for his fresh veg last night after I heard him at his water bottle at about 1AM. I took him into the playpen and he was definitely more active than he had recently been in the tub (even though that had been a change, as when we first took him into the tub he was pretty active). He did not try to scale the playpen walls, though I only sat with him for 5-10 minutes. He crawled on my legs and didn't sit still, but wasn't frantic. When he had finished stowing or eating the snacks I had for him and exploring the objects a bit, I put him back in this cage. He then found his hole to the underground to go stash his food, which is his MO.

According to our camera, he came out again around 6:30AM. He did briefly try his wheel- very briefly, but I'm sure the snacks helped. I had put a couple of snacks on the wheel, per Maz's suggestion, and I think he took them around 1AM, but then tried the wheel out a few hours later. He does occasionally trigger the camera during the night by fussing with his chambers underground (the peekaboo chambers allow us to see this), but he seems to only emerge above his bedding a couple of times each night.

To be continued...

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[Maz]

Hello Wally He certainly looks active. Had a run in the wheel then went to get food, looked for a way out of the roof . Maybe he will start using it more. Glad the treats helped.

 

[elusive]

Good to see Wally out & about using his wheel too.

 

[Hamster Haven]

Night 2 after adjustments: According to the movement camera, Wally came up from underground around 1:20AM. Around 1:40 I noticed, brought him some fresh veggies and gave him a chance to go in the playpen. He crawled around in there (with me sitting cross-legged in there, too) for about 10 minutes before I put him back. He then carried his cheek hoard underground and hasn't emerged since! The camera caught him being active underground a few other times throughout the night, but never coming above ground again. He seems to be quite the ghost hamster! Maybe with continued exposure that he's comfortable with and as it gets warmer there'll be some tiny shifts in above ground activity... fingers crossed! He is so sweet but truly boggles my mind sometimes!

This video is typical of our nighttime exchanges: I catch him at his water bottle; he steps down and perches behind the log until I offer him food, which he takes. He crawls into the upside-down igloo for transportation. The thumbnail is misleading- from when I was taking him to the bath.

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[Member ID2]

Can't see the video. I had this issue and changed the setting from private to unlisted.

 

[Maz]

The video doesn't show up for me unfortunately. I get this. Some shy hamsters will only come out when they know the house is dark and quiet and everyone has gone to bed. I'm just wondering if the late night sessions are making him a bit more reclusive? If he thinks there may be someone still around. Or are any lights left on? I've had hamsters who won't come out until the lights are off and they have actually heard me go up the stairs!

The cool nights are probably something to do with it as well. So did he not use his wheel last night then?

 

[Hamster Haven]

I think I got the video fixed!

No, I don't think he did use the wheel- at least if he did the camera didn't capture it, but it seems to be activating whenever there is movement.

The lights are all out when he comes out and everyone is asleep- although sometimes we do keep a nightlight on, but that hasn't seemed to affect him coming out. Two nights ago he came out twice- once when I took him out into the playpen and then a few hours later when he explored a bit more and used the wheel, but last night, just the one time. Tonight I'm sleeping through the night even if I hear him, so we'll see if that results in him being more active or not.

It's tough to guess at balancing some attention so that he remains or becomes more acclimated to us vs. giving him tons of privacy and hoping it pays off!

 

[Member ID2]

I remember spending many evening hours sitting by our first Syrian's cage hoping to see him. He was very self contained and only wanted out of cage time once every week or fortnight.
I was more likely to see him early morning around 05.00 and got up half hour earlier when i was on an early shift.
He would come out for his drop of porridge in the morning when my OH called him though. He was very much a man's hamster and responded more to a male voice.

It really could be down to personality or maybe you haven't found something yet that Wally wants. Porridge or scrambled egg worked for our first Syrian and freeroaming is the attraction for our two Syrians and the two before them. They get up because they want to run around the room and play with lots of floor toys. Not at the same time of course.

Most hamsters are motivated by food or freedom. I haven't met one yet who wants to get up to see me, the human, lol.

 

[Maz]

Aw he looks so friendly! And calm. He looked at you when you were talking to him and he happily climbed into his transport

I think maybe get into a routine of waking him early evening - for feeding time - a bit of cage noise - and getting him out for taming then. He'll get in the routine and get more acclimatised. Also some hamsters don't get their confidence really until they're about 9 months old.

 

[Hamster Haven]

Thanks Beryl and Maz for the encouraging answers! I will try scrambling some eggs one night and see if the scent along with a little cage noise can tempt him out a little earlier. Yay for 5 more months of hoping to boost his confidence and tempt him with treats or freedom!