New cage

Question
We got a new hamster a few days ago and bought a temporary cage for him while we waited for our bigger cage, which arrived today. He is still very nervous and afraid of me and tried to bite and jump out of my hands when I picked him up to clean the cage. I was wondering how best to transfer him to the new cage so as not to stress him out any more? Someone suggested using the same bedding from the old cage in the new one and then leaving him in it for a few days til he gets used to it. Is this good advice? Thank you

Answer
Hi Maggie

The advice you've been given is good.  If you can, put some of his old bedding into the new cage.  Then when you put him in there, let him explore.  I foster hamsters for a friend's rescue center - when I collect them I put them in one of my cages and when I get them home I usually leave them for several hours before I go near them.  This helps them explore and settle.  Some settle immediately, others rush around in hyper-mode for hours before they finally go to bed.  Later that evening when they have awoken and i put some fresh vegetables into the cage, that is when I usually try to handle them.

As your hamster is nervous, leaving him for a couple of days might be better - but keep talking to him.  Every time you see him out and about, chat to him and give him some treats through the bars of the cage.

When you come to handle him - if you can - put the cage on the floor.  Can you dismantle it - remove the top from the bottom?  If so, do this. Rub some of his bedding onto your hands so his scent is on you.  He might run off, or roll over onto his back or even squeal - this is normal for a nervous hamster. You just need to build his confidence.  When you go to pick him up, put a hand each side and slide them under him, or scoop him up (I advise you not to grab him from above as he will think he is being attacked).  Immediately put him on your clothing.  For some reason, some hamsters don't like the feeling of skin under them and they seem to calm down a lot more if they are walking on clothing. When he is a bit calmer you can get him to walk from one hand to another, but while he is in the jumpy stage, you will have more control over him if he walks on your clothing as you can put a hand either side to make sure he doesn't run off.  After a few seconds - put him back in his cage - chances are he'll turn straight around and want to come back out again - in which case, pick him up again.  Increase the amount of handling time every day.  The majority of hamsters (Syrians in particular) want to be friendly and are very nosey.  They don't like to feel confined and that is one of the reasons why they can bite if they are being held too tightly.  Every time you go past the cage and he is out and about, either give him a treat or pick him up for a few seconds - he will soon get to realize that it is safe.

Another way of building a hamster's confidence is to put them in a hamster exercise ball.  Some hamsters hate these and just sit still or go to sleep, others love them.  I've had really nervous hamsters (my job for the rescue is to tame ones that can't be handled) and I've found that by allowing them to explore the room in the safety of the exercise ball they often calm down quickly.  I leave mine in these for about 30 minutes at a time, and return them to their cages if they fall asleep before then.   I recommend you tape over any joins in the ball, and also tape the door shut as these balls sometimes have a habit of opening if they are banged into furniture.   The only problem is getting a hamster out of the ball afterwards as you don't want to put your hand in it as they will get scared.  You can try and persuade him to walk straight out of it back into his cage.  Once he's got to know you, you will be able to pick him up from the ball.

Some hamsters tame in the course of a week, others can take several weeks or even a month or more.  It is a case of being patient with them and persevering.  The more work you put in now, the more likely you are going to end up with a great little pet.

Good luck with this.

Regards