Just won’t settle

[Pompeykate]

Hi this is Oreo and we bought her from P at H about 3 wks ago. She is super flinchy when she hears noise and will just launch herself out of your hands and the tray we’ve been using to get her used to coming out with us. She’s escaped 3x and bites everytime you try and pick her up. I’ve had lots of hamsters but none this hard to settle. Any ideas would be gratefully received as my son is very wary of her and scared she’ll escape

 

[Maz]

Hello Three weeks is still very early days, and she's probably still a baby. They are easily scared and startled and will only nip out of fear usually. I'm wondering if her cage is right for her - female syrians tend to need a lot of space and maybe it's cage aggression? It's usually best to leave any out of cage time or taming for about two weeks, until they're more confident in the cage, and just offer treats during that time. Although you've had hamsters before so you know hamsters! They all have different personalities and quirks and sometimes the most nervous ones end up being the most affectionate. But female Syrians do have a reputation for being a bit maverick generally. You probably know they come on heat every four days and their behaviour can become quite maverick then. Maybe keep a behaviour diary as she may be calmer some days than others

How did she manage to escape? Was it from a playpen area? That probably hasn't helped as she'll have had a taste of freedom. One of mine escaped while out of the cage when very young and took a while to settle again.

It's always hard at the start, if time and patience is needed - especially for children, but it sounds like she isn't quite ready for handling yet and needs to build some trust and confidence. I've linked our taming article to see if that helps. What cage is she in? If you have a photo, we might be able to advise on adjusting her set up in case there's anything that's bothering her particularly or needed

 

[Socks' Mum]

Welcome to the forum! It might be wise to carry her in a large jar or jar shaped carrier so that she can't jump out even if she gets a fright from something. She might prefer to be contained for a while until she is a bit bigger and more confident. Giving her somewhere to hide in the playpen should help her to stay calm. In the cage, giving her a deep layer of bedding to make a nice tunnel in should help her as well. Taming a nervous hamster can mean taking a step back and letting her come to you for a bit. Perhaps try putting food on your flat hand and let her climb onto your palm to eat the food. When she is confident sitting on your hand, try raising it just a tiny bit and then lowering your hand again. Eventually you should be able to have her sit on your hand for a little bit. But the safest way of transferring her to the playpen is by ushering her into a jar or a tunnel and carrying her in that.

 

[Socks' Mum]

Hi this is Oreo and we bought her from P at H about 3 wks ago. She is super flinchy when she hears noise and will just launch herself out of your hands and the tray we’ve been using to get her used to coming out with us. She’s escaped 3x and bites everytime you try and pick her up. I’ve had lots of hamsters but none this hard to settle. Any ideas would be gratefully received as my son is very wary of her and scared she’ll escape View attachment 11971

Lovely photograph!

 

[Maz]

It is! Her little bright eyes And she's smiling! I forgot to link the taming article ..........

How to tame a hamster

Hand taming a hamster can make life with your hamster very rewarding. Suddenly they will sit on you to be stroked or even go to sleep on you, and will be very easy to handle. It can take a bit of time and patience initially.

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