I’ve been going to update on Tino’s bathtub sessions. He had one on Friday night and one on Sunday night. I lifted the roof of his house and he just walks into a tube with cucumber in and I transfer him to the bathtub in that.
He seems to be a very timid, slow, quite dopey little hamster. I’ll post the videos below but there is some further news. Last night I made the mistake of underestimating a seemingly timid slow dopey hamster and Tino is currently under the sofa in the hamsterproof living room and won’t come out.
We set up a bucket trap next to the sofa last night but he didn’t come out from under the sofa. He ate the seeds right next to the sofa at the bottom of the book staircase but didn’t venture any further.
So tonight I’ll be putting his cage on the floor next to the sofa with a ramp into it. That usually works. He’ll be fast asleep under there during the day but we don’t want to try moving the sofa as he might run and hide somewhere else - at least I can put the cage next to the sofa.
So because he was so incredibly timid and slow and dopey I decided to give him a bit of sofa time last night rather than disturb others using the bathroom.
He was still timid and going to sleep in a hide. But it seems he’s a bit of a dark horse. All went well and I was about to transfer him back to his cage having woken him up in the snooze cube to walk into the tube. He was sat in the tube on the sofa munching his cucumber and I was about to carry him back in the tube with my hands over the ends but momentarily moved one of my hands to pick something up and he went from sitting munching to shooting straight out of the tube and jumped off the sofa onto the floor. I went to pick him up and he shot under the sofa.
Most hamsters would be tempted out by a tube at the edge of the sofa with a smelly treat in - but not this one! So eventually we had to set the bucket trap and go to bed.
There’s no real panic because he can’t get out of the living room - barriers were left up. But catching him could be tricky.
I will post the videos below from Friday, Sunday and last night - just before he showed me to never underestimate a dopey hamster…..
First bathtub time on Friday
Bathtub time on Sunday - still shy of eating from my hand but did walk over it
Most of the time he would just slowly go to a sheltered hide and doze off.
And this is him on the sofa last night. Doing the same - going somewhere sheltered. Down the side of the sofa!
He was then just staying hiding away in the corner of the sofa and having a wash in a hide.
Then went to sleep in the snooze cube - from where I got him to walk into the tube ……
Just as I was about to pop him back in his cage and go to bed.
Here’s the bucket trap. The top books were rearranged after this photo as realised the ruler needed a longer book to sit on.
He has grown so much in a week! I decided to lift the roof of his house. He was sitting in a sort of nest area and looked mildly surprised but not panicked. I gave him a stroke on the back and he didn't seem to mind. I offered him his piece of broccoli which he took from me and had another little stroke. He then climbed over the house partition to see what was going on and walked round the back part of the cage. I went to stroke him again, but was pushing my luck a third time! He sort of wriggled round and saw me off ha ha. Still it was progress.
Perhaps he was practising a recognisance - darting-into-the burrow manoeuvre. If only they could talk!
Although I do always think: Gosh how funny that I will literally do anything for a tiny bit of reciprocated love and attention from a little hamster 
