Hello, I have a new baby Syrian hamster called Clover, only three weeks old. You might remember me - I had a hamster called Marmalade and you guys helped me to get her off bar gnawing! Unfortunately Marmalade is gone - it was very traumatic, she escaped and went into our cavity walls never to come back (we tried everything) it was so awful. It took us a while to recover but now there is this new little chap - I got him from a good breeder, really wanting to do everything right this time and have the best possible start. No pics yet as he’s not coming out yet during the day he’s too shy - he only arrived Thursday night. He comes out at night and explores the cage and takes the food we leave out. Any useful tips for a baby Syrian? We never had one before. The breeder says we should not have sand yet as he’s too small. I’m a bit worried about whether he drinks as it does not show on the bottle - but he’s so small he might only take very little. Is there a way to check - and what do people think of leaving a dish with water? I know it’s controversial as the danger is he’s getting wet. The bottle is working I checked. Hope I will be here for a long time with this new little hammy!!
I have a new baby Syrian called Clover!
- Thread starter Doro
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I’m really sorry to hear about Marmalade, that must have been very hard for you.
Congrats on getting Clover, he really is very young, it’s unusual to have a ham less than five weeks old so he may need some special care but I’m not that well up on Syrians to know really.
A water bowl is fine in my opinion, I use them for all my hams, but it is important to make sure it’s not too big or too deep & is places where it’s easily reached but won’t get filled with substrate.
What are you feeding him? He will need plenty of protein in his mix as he has a lot of growing to do. Maybe some extra as well if his mix isn’t high enough in protein, mealworms, tofu or dried chicken are good.
He should be fine with teeny bits of veg but I would introduce any new foods very gradually so his digestive system can adjust to them.
Congrats on getting Clover, he really is very young, it’s unusual to have a ham less than five weeks old so he may need some special care but I’m not that well up on Syrians to know really.
A water bowl is fine in my opinion, I use them for all my hams, but it is important to make sure it’s not too big or too deep & is places where it’s easily reached but won’t get filled with substrate.
What are you feeding him? He will need plenty of protein in his mix as he has a lot of growing to do. Maybe some extra as well if his mix isn’t high enough in protein, mealworms, tofu or dried chicken are good.
He should be fine with teeny bits of veg but I would introduce any new foods very gradually so his digestive system can adjust to them.
R
RainbowBrite
Hello Doro. I remember Marmalade and I am very sorry for your loss.
I would have a read of all the information on the home page and if there is anything you are unsure of then please ask.
Three weeks is very young for a hamster to be rehomed so I would ignore anything this breeder recommends and post any questions on here.
A water bottle and bowl may be more helpful so Clover can choose which one to use. You can get a small water bowl or use a small glass tealight for water.
Which cage do you have? If you post a picture then members can give you tips.
I would have a read of all the information on the home page and if there is anything you are unsure of then please ask.
Three weeks is very young for a hamster to be rehomed so I would ignore anything this breeder recommends and post any questions on here.
A water bottle and bowl may be more helpful so Clover can choose which one to use. You can get a small water bowl or use a small glass tealight for water.
Which cage do you have? If you post a picture then members can give you tips.
Oh dear I really took a lot of time choosing a breeder and didn’t want to go to a pet shop - I hope he’s going to be fine! Attached a pic of the food I’m giving him currently - this is what the breeder recommended. Before I used harry hamster. I do give him a bit of veg and/or fruit every day at the moment - this is what the breeder did as well. But maybe that’s not a good idea? I have the Savic plaza that I bought for Marmalade and have a similar cage set up - I’ll send pics later when home. Any recommendations hugely appreciated - last time everything you guys suggested here was spot on so I do trust you a lot!!
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R
RainbowBrite
Nuggets are not an appropriate feed for hamsters and actually Harry Hamster is better then those.
I am sure Clover will be fine with your love and care and we are all here to help too.
When you get home I recommend reading through the home page as that will answer lots of things for you.
I am sure Clover will be fine with your love and care and we are all here to help too.
When you get home I recommend reading through the home page as that will answer lots of things for you.
M
Member ID2
Welcome back!
I am so very sorry to hear about Marmalade.
Congratulations to your new hamster Clover who looks very sweet.
I wonder what the reason was for this breeder to rehome a hamster at such a young age......
Clover is with you now and will be loved and well cared for.
All our hamsters have a bowl and a bottle. Some prefer one over the other. You can place a flat pebble (to big too pouch) into a bowl or use a shallow reptile water dish.
I am so very sorry to hear about Marmalade.
Congratulations to your new hamster Clover who looks very sweet.
I wonder what the reason was for this breeder to rehome a hamster at such a young age......
Clover is with you now and will be loved and well cared for.
All our hamsters have a bowl and a bottle. Some prefer one over the other. You can place a flat pebble (to big too pouch) into a bowl or use a shallow reptile water dish.
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Hello and welcome back. That sounds very traumatic about Marmalade - I'm so sorry. Your new baby hamster is, frankly, too young to be rehomed. At three weeks, it is true they are separated from their Mother but usually remain living with their siblings until about 6 weeks old - which helps them learn socialisation skills.
So it will need some special care and gentleness. He can learn his socialisation with you however, and should be able to be tamed quite easily. But he may be quite scared easily at first, so take it gently.
In terms of a water bottle - if often doesn't show if any water has gone down as they drink such small amounts. The main thing is to make sure he can reach it easily and it's working ok. Did he have a water bottle previously? He is probably using it or you would have seen signs of him failing by now. I am also cautious about using water bowls, especially with such a young hamster, but I know they are popular now. If you use one then it needs to be on a solid surface like a shelf, so it can't get bedding etc in it, perhaps in a corner of a shelf so it can't be knocked over or easily fallen into. And something very small and shallow (like a small tealight holder mentioned). Some tealight holders are actually not small! So it's for the smallest size. But if you're concerned he's not using the bottle then adding one as well might be an idea.
When the hamster is out you could tap your finger over the end of the bottle to show him how to use it.
Harry Hamster is better than the Nuggets. It may be the breeder suggested the nuggets to make sure the hamster gets all the nutrients required, but you'd be fine with Harry Hamster as well but would need to supplement with fresh food as Elusive mentioned,. Their digestive tracts are sensitive at a young age, so if you change over to Harry Hamster it needs to be done gradually - over 2 weeks or more. So maybe just add a little bit of HH with the current food for 2 or 3 days. Then move to a mix of about one third HH and two thirds nuggets for about 3 days - and if all is fine move over to half and half. Keep it half and half for 4 or 5 days and if no diarrhoea then increase to mostly HH with just a few nuggets and after a few days you can give all HH if all is well.
Fresh veg every day and some protein extras like a bit of scrambled egg on a spoon a couple of times a week would be good too.
The main care needed is to avoid stress - a young hamster with a change of environment, if they have too much stress, could develop wet tail. But I think you have everything set up to ensure he will be fine - he has a good cage - but don't clean anything for at least two weeks. I'd say at least three weeks actually - after the first week you could maybe spot clean out a bit of pee'd on substrate if he is peeing in a corner of the cage eg but minimal as you don't want to stress him. I'd say avoiding stress right now is more important than spot cleaning the pee!
Has he made a nest yet?
You'll need to take it at his pace for a bit but he may develop confidence quite quickly. Just keep talking to him gently and offering him the odd treat through the bars. If he starts coming out you could try offering a treat on your hand but only have your hand partway in the cage. If you can get into a routine of feeding at the same time early evening he should start getting up at that time for food. But he is bound to hide away a bit at first.
I would also add a second water bottle somewhere else in the cage so he has a choice and may choose one over the other. The one that comes with the plaza cage isn't great. I use these ones and they have a clip so the bottle can be attached inside the cage and easily lifted out again. They let water out well and don't drip I find and it's always good to have a spare water bottle in case one fails.
But welcome to little Clover! It'll be lovely seeing him - when he's ready! A tip - I turned the volume off on my phone when taking a photo or the click noise can bother them.
So it will need some special care and gentleness. He can learn his socialisation with you however, and should be able to be tamed quite easily. But he may be quite scared easily at first, so take it gently.
In terms of a water bottle - if often doesn't show if any water has gone down as they drink such small amounts. The main thing is to make sure he can reach it easily and it's working ok. Did he have a water bottle previously? He is probably using it or you would have seen signs of him failing by now. I am also cautious about using water bowls, especially with such a young hamster, but I know they are popular now. If you use one then it needs to be on a solid surface like a shelf, so it can't get bedding etc in it, perhaps in a corner of a shelf so it can't be knocked over or easily fallen into. And something very small and shallow (like a small tealight holder mentioned). Some tealight holders are actually not small! So it's for the smallest size. But if you're concerned he's not using the bottle then adding one as well might be an idea.
When the hamster is out you could tap your finger over the end of the bottle to show him how to use it.
Harry Hamster is better than the Nuggets. It may be the breeder suggested the nuggets to make sure the hamster gets all the nutrients required, but you'd be fine with Harry Hamster as well but would need to supplement with fresh food as Elusive mentioned,. Their digestive tracts are sensitive at a young age, so if you change over to Harry Hamster it needs to be done gradually - over 2 weeks or more. So maybe just add a little bit of HH with the current food for 2 or 3 days. Then move to a mix of about one third HH and two thirds nuggets for about 3 days - and if all is fine move over to half and half. Keep it half and half for 4 or 5 days and if no diarrhoea then increase to mostly HH with just a few nuggets and after a few days you can give all HH if all is well.
Fresh veg every day and some protein extras like a bit of scrambled egg on a spoon a couple of times a week would be good too.
The main care needed is to avoid stress - a young hamster with a change of environment, if they have too much stress, could develop wet tail. But I think you have everything set up to ensure he will be fine - he has a good cage - but don't clean anything for at least two weeks. I'd say at least three weeks actually - after the first week you could maybe spot clean out a bit of pee'd on substrate if he is peeing in a corner of the cage eg but minimal as you don't want to stress him. I'd say avoiding stress right now is more important than spot cleaning the pee!
Has he made a nest yet?
You'll need to take it at his pace for a bit but he may develop confidence quite quickly. Just keep talking to him gently and offering him the odd treat through the bars. If he starts coming out you could try offering a treat on your hand but only have your hand partway in the cage. If you can get into a routine of feeding at the same time early evening he should start getting up at that time for food. But he is bound to hide away a bit at first.
I would also add a second water bottle somewhere else in the cage so he has a choice and may choose one over the other. The one that comes with the plaza cage isn't great. I use these ones and they have a clip so the bottle can be attached inside the cage and easily lifted out again. They let water out well and don't drip I find and it's always good to have a spare water bottle in case one fails.
But welcome to little Clover! It'll be lovely seeing him - when he's ready! A tip - I turned the volume off on my phone when taking a photo or the click noise can bother them.
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By small tealight holder - something like these 2" Ikea ones
Beryl's idea of putting a stone in it is good as well - but not just any old stone If it's from outdoors, it needs to be sterilised first. Or we have some of those polished gem stone pebbles I've used for things before. This kind of thing. You can probably get just one and cheaper at a shop.
Beryl's idea of putting a stone in it is good as well - but not just any old stone
If it's from outdoors, it needs to be sterilised first. Or we have some of those polished gem stone pebbles I've used for things before. This kind of thing. You can probably get just one and cheaper at a shop.
M
Member ID2
Correction: when i said that your hamster looks sweet i was looking at the photo of the nuggets. Sorry. Combo of old age and not wearing the glasses.
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Actually those Nuggets are not good quality either!
What I would do though, is, when you have swapped over to Harry hamster, add a couple of science selective pellets each day as well. That is an all in one pellet food too but a better quality one. Science selective for hamsters (Amazon sell it).
What I would do though, is, when you have swapped over to Harry hamster, add a couple of science selective pellets each day as well. That is an all in one pellet food too but a better quality one. Science selective for hamsters (Amazon sell it).
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Aw he'll love that! It looks very cosy for him. I don't think you need cable ties to attach a sputnik I inserted your pictures in your message so they're easier to see - you can do that yourself when uploading by moving the mouse over the small picture when it's uploaded and the word "insert" appears and you just click on that. However make sure the cursor is below your last line of typing first, otherwise the picture will split the sentence.
I inserted your pictures in your message so they're easier to see - you can do that yourself when uploading by moving the mouse over the small picture when it's uploaded and the word "insert" appears and you just click on that. However make sure the cursor is below your last line of typing first, otherwise the picture will split the sentence.Well he certainly got on all the shelves though I don’t know how! He pushed the breadstick cardboard box half of the shelf on his first night and definitely moved the one on the other shelf as well! I don’t really know where he’s nesting but whenever I heard some noises it was in the right front corner under the wooden shelf.
M
Member ID2
Two of my Syrians nest under shelves which is fine as long as they are happy.
Clover may move into his house yet but there's so much to try out for him at the moment.
Hamsters are surprisingly agile and determined. I've picked them off clothes rails, out of the bath tub and allsorts.
Clover may move into his house yet but there's so much to try out for him at the moment.
Hamsters are surprisingly agile and determined. I've picked them off clothes rails, out of the bath tub and allsorts.
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Lol I can imagine! He sounds quite confident then. Baby hamsters can be very curious and cheeky if not scared. You could try putting a smelly treat and some food in the house and a little bit of nesting material, and leave a trail of sunflower seeds leading to the house. He probably hasn't slept in a house before if he's only just been separated from the Mother.
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Is he using the wheel by the way? I know some breeders don't recommend they have a wheel straight away. Although most hamsters have one from 6 weeks old when they go to a new home. I would think it's fine providing he isn't on it 24/7!