New hamster not running on his wheel

[Pumpkinthahamster]

I’ve had Edgar for two weeks and 5 days. He is a male Syrian hamster estimated to be a year old. He was found in an alley with two other hamsters covered in bite wounds and they were taken to a vet, got treated and then taken to an amazing rescue. I don’t know how many owners he’s had in his year of life or how bad his life was before being rescued. It is colder where I live. I live in the Midwest in the U.S. and the temp in the room gets low to 65. I do plug in a reptile heating mat that’s taped to the side of his wooden ikea pax enclosure. And he has up to 13 inches of bedding on one side of the enclosure.

I’m wondering if it’s normal that he isn’t running since he still is so new to this new life he’s living. Or if it’s because it’s because my room is too cold.

I have a pet camera set up and every night he comes out and forages for food. I will probably try putting some food on his wheel to see if the camera will pick up him going on his wheel.

He pees on the wheel almost daily. But I don’t have any pet camera footage of him running on it or peeing on it. It could be a technical issue with the camera which is what I’m working out.

 

[Maz]

Hello and welcome What an amazing story and I am so glad Edgar has found a safe home with you. He may still be a little shy, although should have settled into his cage after two weeks and 5 days, providing you haven't done any cleanouts or changed things around. It can take a little longer in that case.

65 degrees is fine. They can still tend to hide away a bit unless it's warmer - eg a constant 70 degrees or in summer weather. But it may be that he is hiding away more in the deep bedding as well.

So are you saying he's not using his wheel at all? Even at night?

Assume it is spinning ok and not blocked up with bedding? Which wheel is it? He has maybe never seen a wheel before but putting some smelly food in it might tempt him to start using it (eg a bit of cucumber or hard cheddar cheese).

Do you have a photo of your set up? We might be able to suggest the odd adjustment so he is likely to be more confident out and about in the cage.

This also might be the time to start introducing some out of cage time - eg in a bathtub or playpen, so he becomes more familiar with you and being handled. I personally think this is quite important, as it helps build trust with their human owner and he may well have some traumas from his previous experiences.

That can be difficult if you don't see him! A "taxi" is a good way of getting them out. Eg something like a rat tube which they can walk into (and maybe put a smelly treat at one end to tempt him to walk in).

 

[Pumpkinthahamster]

Yes he’s not using his wheel even at night. He has a large niteangel wheel. He had the same one when he was in a bin cage at the rescue. I don’t know if it’s because the enclosure is bigger than what he’s used to. The wheel runs just fine. He had two wheels and now just has one has he was peeing on both and I thought it’d be easier on me to just clean one wheel every other day than two. He’s not okay with being handled. I did a look around in his cage once in the past 2 weeks to see where he’s hiding and to check on him as I was worried that maybe it could be a health problem. He was very sleepy and ran to another spot in the cage and then went back into his multichamber hide under the bedding when I put it back and went back to sleep there. Since I know he’s been through a ton in his little life I’m trying to be real patient with Edgar. And I don’t know if he’d benefit from playpen time with how skittish he is. I feel I would benefit more than him at this rate and that wouldn’t be fair to him.

 

[Pumpkinthahamster]

I have been placing his main food mix on his wheel. Part of what’s weird is the camera cuts out when he walks towards the wheel so it could be the camera is just not picking up his running.

 

[Maz]

He has a lovely set up there As you say, as it's a much larger space, he might still be feeling a bit cautious about being out and about. Whereabouts is his multichamber hide? I can't tell!

Sometimes with a nervy hamster, I set the cage up so it's kind of in two halves so they can get used to half the cage (a smaller area) and venture into the other half when they feel more confident. But not suggesting you start changing things just yet while he's adjusting.

How far is his wheel from his house? He might be feeling nervous about leaving the house.

Also I would put his food somewhere else, rather than the wheel or he might just see it as a food dish! I sometimes put the daily piece of veg at the opposite end of the cage to the house (maybe not in your case as it's a very large cage but quite a distance from the house), on a separate dish. They seem to live for their bit of fresh veg and can't resist coming out to get it, so they get used to moving across the cage to get the veg.

I can see what you mean about thinking it may stress him to be out of the cage, but actually the longer they are left without human contact, the more "feral" they become!

I tend to start off with a small area like the bathtub - without doing any handling at all. They soon get used to it. I have a blanket down and a tunnel and hide and a spare wheel, and maybe a small forage box with treats in. They just enjoy exploring a little or might sit in a hide for a wash. By the second time I put a bit of hamster food on the palm of my hand and have my hand flat down/palm up. First couple of times they might avoid the hand but then they get past that and start taking food from your hand, and that is real progress. Also by the second or third time I just start with a stroke on the back with one finger, just once, then maybe once again a bit later.

It can take a couple of months. Maybe being out twice a week. But they get used to it and get to know the tube is their taxi and get used to being transferred to the bathtub.

Once they get used to a stroke on the back with one finger, and eating out of your hand you could keep doing the occasional stroke. And they can start sitting on your hand while eating or putting a paw on it. Once they sit on your hand, you can gently lift your hand up a little bit, so they get used to that, but put it down again straight away.

My last two were at the stage of being able to be lifted on a hand and gently handled for a few seconds before I moved them to a playpen (larger area) and both are now very laid back about being picked up while in the playpen, and both are "trained" to walk into a tube if it's offered

I also once adopted a Syrian who was scared of hands and was a biter. It took two or three months with him and then he was happy to be picked up and held as long as I was on the same level with him.

So I don't think it is just for you It's also for them, so they gain confidence and learn to trust a human. Which can be quite important in case they ever need to be taken to the vets. It would be very stressful for a hamster who had never left their cage, to suddenly have to be put in a pet carrier and go on a journey to the vets and be handled, if they weren't used to it.

The key is to just start slowly. Even when they have a lovely big cage, they enjoy a change of scene! And curiosity kicks in. They also behave completely differently out of the cage to in it. In the cage they are territorial.

I think after two weeks and five days, it would be a good time to encourage him into a tube (maybe put it over his house door with a bit of cucumber at the far end). Obviously you need to keep both hands over each end of the tube when you're transferring him to the bathtub. They really do get used to it!

My biter turned into an adorable hamster who had a real bond with me and wanted to be out every night free roaming. He never did like being held for very long - he'd sit for maybe 20 seconds for a stroke - but he trusted me and used to look up at me when he was having fun out of the cage, and would always keep coming back to my feet.

 

[Maz]

I'd suggest, after another couple of weeks, maybe a few adjustments in the cage so it doesn't seem quite so open for the full length - eg create different levels. You could maybe have one end with deeper bedding and a couple of larger/taller items in the middle like cork logs, so he has something to dive into while crossing the cage. Or maybe add another platform nearer the middle - they sometimes like to sit under a platform for a wash or climb onto it to sit in a hide.

I can see you have a couple of cork legs there already - some are half tunnels and much taller and something to climb over as well as run through.

 

[Socks' Mum]

Syrians really do grow as a result of interacting with their person / people and doing stimulating things. They really want to be out in the playpen and like attention once they are used to it.

 

[Pumpkinthahamster]

I think I will try taking him out this week with the big measuring cup I have as I was already planning on getting him used to the cup for health checks using the gram scale and trying to do that during the weekly spot clean. I’d have to dig up the bedding to get him out cause otherwise I’d be quietly waiting in my dark room till 1 am when he usually first comes out. He has around 5 multichamber hides and homemade cardboard tunnels under the bedding. And the one he sleeps in is a wooden niteangel rectangle one that is where the wheel is standing on I scatter feed him. I sprinkle his food all around the side of the enclosure he sleeps in. So he isn’t just eating out of the wheel. He’s also peed less on his wheel this past week because I started putting food on it I’m trying to encourage him to go back to peeing in one of his two sand baths. I’ve gotten bitten by past hamsters and those past hamsters were much better with being handled. Vs this guy hasn’t bitten me. The rescue person had these seal mitt gloves that I plan to purchase soon as they don’t have the human hand shape and he did okay with quickly being scooped up and then being put into the travel carrier.

 

[Pumpkinthahamster]

And the rescue did say he did very well considering all he’s gone through when he went to the vet

 

[Pumpkinthahamster]

I’ve also realized I think the clear part of the wheel causes a glare so the camera doesn’t pick it up and then cuts the footage short. So in a few weeks or more when he’s more settled, I’ll turn the wheel and hide underneath it to face the camera so I can really know if he is running on it or not

 

[Socks' Mum]

You have great ideas, thank you for sharing them

 

[Maz]

Aw - I bet he's staying in the house and wheel area because his wheel is there! If and when you make some changes, would it be possible to put the wheel further away from the house? He may be out and about more then

I only wore gloves at first with my bitey Syrian. It avoided me jerking and yelling when he nipped! So doing that at first will help build your confidence and his but if he doesn't try to bite with gloves on, I'd stop using them.

Do you have a bathtub? I know sometimes it's more a uk thing If not then some other enclosed area? I think if they have to come out to be weighed, they might as well have a bit of fun at the same time and enjoy exploring a bit or some out of cage toys. He might be a bit timid at first but their curiosity usually gets the better of them!

Do you have any flat scales? I use these (see photo below) and just put them on a book in the bathtub with a bit of cucumber or cheese in the middle and then zero them.. The hamster just walks on and sits eating the food and you just read the scales. It's less messing for them!

 

[Pumpkinthahamster]

I took him out for the first time this week. One night I stayed up so late and he didn’t come out. The next I dug him up, he walked right into a cup and into his carrier. We sat in the tub for 30 min. He was okay with me picking him up with bare hands. He didn’t bite me. He walked around and on me, collected the seeds I scattered around the tub. He had switched his hiding spot in his enclosure to farther from the wheel I think he may have moved again. I’m probably going to wait a week to take him out again. I don’t want to mess with him too often. And digging him out of the enclosure was a big task.

 

[Pumpkinthahamster]

I have a flat gram scale. I forgot to put it in the tub. But the next time I take him out I will. He seems a tad bit chubbier than most of the Syrians I’ve owned. He also doesn’t run on the wheel as long as my past hamsters. In very short bouts he does.

 

[Maz]

Sorry to be brief - have you seen this thread? Are you on Instagram?

Big sad forum news - Online Safety Act

This is such a terrible shame, I will be on Instagram as long as I'm allowed.. I, alongside a large number of other group admins, were banned from Facebook for "fraud and deception" and in spite of appealing, were told to get a lawyer if we didn't like it.. so my participation on meta platforms...

www.thehamsterforum.com

 

[Pumpkinthahamster]

Yes I am on Instagram. Does this mean the hamster forum won’t be around forever? That’s so heartbreaking, it’s such a useful resource for hamster owners new and old.

 

[Maz]

I'm so sorry. I had hoped it would be around forever and tried to meet the compliance legislation There are apparently hundreds of forums closing as a result of the new legislation.