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Coderedfield47
I'm going to get "hamster gloves", a ball and playpen from shein and want to know enriching things to make my hamham happy.
What are good playpen/hamster ball accessories and activities
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elusive
Definitely don’t get a hamster ball, these are extremely stressful for hamsters & can be dangerous too.
Your hamster will be happy with lots of things to do in a playpen where it can run around & explore freely, in a ball they’re trapped in a confined space which is very frightening for them.
I’ve never used gloves, I know some people do if they’re worried about getting bitten so it may help with confidence handling your hamster but I don’t think it really helps with getting your ham used to hands.
In the playpen you can have lots of hides to explore, a sand bath, dig boxes & things like home made boredom breakers (things you’ll find in the cardboard thread), tubes to run through & a wheel.
Have a look here to get some playpen ideas.
www.thehamsterforum.com
Your hamster will be happy with lots of things to do in a playpen where it can run around & explore freely, in a ball they’re trapped in a confined space which is very frightening for them.
I’ve never used gloves, I know some people do if they’re worried about getting bitten so it may help with confidence handling your hamster but I don’t think it really helps with getting your ham used to hands.
In the playpen you can have lots of hides to explore, a sand bath, dig boxes & things like home made boredom breakers (things you’ll find in the cardboard thread), tubes to run through & a wheel.
Have a look here to get some playpen ideas.
Playpen set ups
I thought it would be interesting to see everybodies playpen set ups. Mine is a songmics playpen. I have taped paper to the corners on the outside to prevent any escape attempts.
www.thehamsterforum.com
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Coderedfield47
Its been 8 days, I tried to lay an open palm for him but he's just really nibbly. Is my baby just aggressive? Tomorrow I'm upgrading his cage to a 40 gallonDefinitely don’t get a hamster ball, these are extremely stressful for hamsters & can be dangerous too.
Your hamster will be happy with lots of things to do in a playpen where it can run around & explore freely, in a ball they’re trapped in a confined space which is very frightening for them.
I’ve never used gloves, I know some people do if they’re worried about getting bitten so it may help with confidence handling your hamster but I don’t think it really helps with getting your ham used to hands.
In the playpen you can have lots of hides to explore, a sand bath, dig boxes & things like home made boredom breakers (things you’ll find in the cardboard thread), tubes to run through & a wheel.
Have a look here to get some playpen ideas.
Playpen set ups
I thought it would be interesting to see everybodies playpen set ups. Mine is a songmics playpen. I have taped paper to the corners on the outside to prevent any escape attempts.
E
elusive
Don’t worry, nibbling has nothing at all to do with aggression.
8 days isn’t long at all, your ham will still be settling in & needs more time to get used to things yet.
Some do nibble, it’s one way they explore the world around them & discover what’s food & what’s not.
If your ham nibbles your hand try not to react if you can as this can make them nervous, just gently & slowly remove your hand & try again another time.
Are you offering food or treats or just your hand?
To begin with you can just offer a seed, something they can easily get hold of like a sunflower or pumpkin seed between your fingers & then move on to putting something flat on your hand.
Some hamsters don’t really like hands in the cage & may nibble or bite a bit but are fine out of the cage, it all takes time to work out what’s best for your ham so go slow & just try those things.
8 days isn’t long at all, your ham will still be settling in & needs more time to get used to things yet.
Some do nibble, it’s one way they explore the world around them & discover what’s food & what’s not.
If your ham nibbles your hand try not to react if you can as this can make them nervous, just gently & slowly remove your hand & try again another time.
Are you offering food or treats or just your hand?
To begin with you can just offer a seed, something they can easily get hold of like a sunflower or pumpkin seed between your fingers & then move on to putting something flat on your hand.
Some hamsters don’t really like hands in the cage & may nibble or bite a bit but are fine out of the cage, it all takes time to work out what’s best for your ham so go slow & just try those things.
E
elusive
Just to add, if you’re upgrading the cage then your ham will need time to settle in & get used to things again so it’s probably best not to try interacting with him for at least a few days, just do food & water but otherwise leave him alone, unless he appears to want to interact with you, even good change takes a while for them to adjust to.
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elusive
Sorry I keep forgetting things!
About gloves, if a hamster is actually biting out of fear then gloves may be of some use in getting them used to hands.
If a hamster is just nibbling in an exploratory way then gloves are more likely to encourage that as they will chew on the gloves which does nothing to help break the habit.
If it’s just nibbling then I would stick with it, they soon begin to learn what is & isn’t food & it’s habit they tend to grow out of farily quickly anyway.
About gloves, if a hamster is actually biting out of fear then gloves may be of some use in getting them used to hands.
If a hamster is just nibbling in an exploratory way then gloves are more likely to encourage that as they will chew on the gloves which does nothing to help break the habit.
If it’s just nibbling then I would stick with it, they soon begin to learn what is & isn’t food & it’s habit they tend to grow out of farily quickly anyway.
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Just to add, the gloves can help with confidence at first as well. Gardening gloves maybe as they tend to be thicker. If you feel nervous of being bitten then the hamster can pick up your nervousness and you both freak out lol. Whereas wearing gloves initially can help you relax. I had to do this with Raffy, my Syrian, because he kept biting at first and it helped because with gloves on I could let him walk onto my hand with some food on it and not react if he had a nip at the same time! He gradually started accepting a hand near him, but not until he was on a level with me (understandable that they fear a hand from above). So sitting inside a playpen with the hamster (get in first) and letting them walk over you can help as well. But not straight away if you're nervous of being bitten 
.No don't bother to get a hamster ball. Some people do use them as a "taxi" to carry them to and from the cage, but there are other things you can use for that maybe.
When you get the tank. Put the new bedding in and then when you move the hamster in there, keep all the old bedding from the current cage and spread it on top of the new - at least at the house end,. This is quite important. The old bedding has the hamster's scent and will help prevent them freaking out in the new cage when everything smells different - because it won't smell different
Also keep any nest and hoard and transfer those across too.
You don't need to spend lots of money on toys etc - you can make loads of things out of cardboard. And pringles tubes make good floor tunnels (just wipe them out - some people peel off the silver film inside as well). But the important thing at first is a house to retreat to, and plenty of bedding so they can burrow down in it if they feel scared.
.No don't bother to get a hamster ball. Some people do use them as a "taxi" to carry them to and from the cage, but there are other things you can use for that maybe.
When you get the tank. Put the new bedding in and then when you move the hamster in there, keep all the old bedding from the current cage and spread it on top of the new - at least at the house end,. This is quite important. The old bedding has the hamster's scent and will help prevent them freaking out in the new cage when everything smells different - because it won't smell different
Also keep any nest and hoard and transfer those across too.
You don't need to spend lots of money on toys etc - you can make loads of things out of cardboard. And pringles tubes make good floor tunnels (just wipe them out - some people peel off the silver film inside as well). But the important thing at first is a house to retreat to, and plenty of bedding so they can burrow down in it if they feel scared.
R
RainbowBrite
How exciting you are getting the new tank today!