new hamster acting strange

Question
hi i have had about thirty syrian hamsters but never one like this she is black and white not a banded one. she is 12wks old. any time you go near the cage she challenges you squealing and running round her cage like a loony scracthing the floor of the cage squealing. anything you give her to eat she devours and takes it to her bed. she has a two storey imac fantasy cage. is there anything i can do for her it sounds like she is crying she even does it while collecting food, thanks deb

Answer
Dear Deb,
thank you for your question.
It sounds like your hamster has had some bad experiences with humans, did you get her from a pet shop?
I would highly recommend getting another cage, since the Imac is way too small for a Syrian hamster. In my opinion, Syrian hamsters should have a cage that's at least 3 feet long, preferrably a tank so that you can fill in a lot of bedding for them to dig in. Here are some examples of great hamster cages:
http://www.tierische-eigenheime.de.tl/Gehege.htm

In such a cage, she will have much more room which will make her feel more comfortable. Often, Syrian hamster in small cages will feel that they have to defend their territory at all times, especially when someone reaches into the cage. She will also have more room to hide, usually that makes animals feel more secure and they will be more comfortable with coming out of hiding. Big cages also make less work since you only have to clean then out every three months or so, depending on how big the cage is and what kind of bedding you use.

It's possible that she holds on to her food so fiercly because she was housed with too many other hamsters and never had the chance to keep food for herself. I think that this behaviour will stop or at least lessen with time once she finds out that no-one will take her food. When you clean out the cage, I would leave her food supplies alone and also leave about 1/3 of the old bedding and her nest so that it still smells of her.

I wouldn't attempt to hold or pet her just now. Offer her treats on your palm and just place your hand in the cage. Wait for her to come to you, even if that takes a long time.
I hope I was of some help to you
Jennifer