scared

Question
QUESTION: i just bought a syrian short haired hamster and brought her home. i left her the
first night alone to get used to her new surroundings and her new home but today
she seems very scared..she is very tiny and i can tell she isnt very old due to
her size..she can fit in the palm of my hand..i need sum help on how to tame her
and let her no that im not going to hurt her..her cage is a crittertrail one..she has lots of room to run n man does she use her wheel at night..the day i brought her home she wouldnt get off..plz help

ANSWER: Dear Mindy,
thank you for your question.
It's normal for your hamster to be shy and scared at the moment, especially since she's so young. Offer her treats on your hand and just put your hand into the cage to let her get used to the smell. Don't try to hold her just now, let her come to you. If she seems comfortable sitting on your hand or walking across it, you can gently hold her by forming a cave with both hands. Usually, hamsters get used to their owners quickly.

I recommend getting another cage. Crittertrail cages are way too small even for dwarf hamsters and they are made mainly from plastic which can be chewed and swallowed. They are also badly ventilated, this can cause respiratoy infections.
Old tanks (wider than high for ventilation) make good hamster home since you can fill in a lot of bedding for the hamster to dig in, a mesh wire lid is important, though - hamsters can jump surprisingly high. For a Syrian, the minimum size in my opinion is 40x20x20 inches long, wide and high, these guys have tremendous energy and need a lot of floor space to run - the Crittertrail tubes are just not suited for that. OSB panels can also be used to build a hamster cage, but  should be varnished two or three times with acryllic paint to make them pee-proof.
I hope I was of some help to you
Jennifer


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QUESTION: hello..thank you for the help..i have tried giving her treats like that but she shys away n scatters to the nearest safe zone for her and wont eat it untill im away from the cage usually at night when im sleepin..i think she might be opening up a lil for me today because she was in the tube and i started petting her softly n talking to her n she slowly came out but went straight underneath her wheel where i cant reach her to even touch her..i jus want to be able to luv her the way she deserves..i cant afford a bigger cage right now but i will get her one asap..im currently unemployed right now and im not having the greatest luck finding a job..oh and jus another quick question..i dont really have a lot of an idea of toys that i could afford for them...if u have any suggestions on some that i could look for that would be great..i have a male syrian hamster too and spoil them with treats cause i dont have any toys for them to play with...any help woould be awesome..even if i cant afford it im sure i will find a way to get them..thank you soo much
ANSWER: Good hamster toys don't have to be storebought - the best are those you more or less have at home already. Cardboard boxes or toilet paper rolls can be filled with bedding and food or hide food in crumpled up paper, the hamster will search for the food, gnaw the cardboard and hide in the boxes. Food scattered in the bedding is much for fun than food in a bowl, fruit and vegetables can be threaded on a piece of string or clamped between the cage bars, make her work for her food.
If you have access to untreated trees, offer branches,twigs and leaves to climb and chew. Hazel, oak, beech, birch, poplar and willow are fine, as well as apple, pear or currant shrubs. The bark of those trees also contains a lot of minerals that are important for her health.

You can build huts with a ballon and (unscented)toilet paper: blow up the ballon and cover it with moist toilet paper until it's completely wrapped. Then allow the toilet paper to dry, deflate the ballon and cut an entrance into the hut.
Here's a picture of a hamster labyrinth (without the lid) made from a shoebox:
http://www.diebrain.de/pix/hi/minilabyrinth.jpg
Use wood glue for this, it's safe when chewed.

Exchange one piece of furniture each week, except the house, this will keep the cage interesting. You can grow grass from the hamster food in unfertilized soil and just out it in the cage (it's a mess, so it's best done when you have to clean the cage anyway).
I hope this gave you some ideas :)
Jennifer

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QUESTION: thank you soo much..i am going to try and make huts for them asap and tell all my friends with hamsters to do this..i am unsure about the trees though...where could i get these..at a pet store maybe? and make her cage as interesting as i can...i heard hamsters like change and im always changing something in their cages not for them jus out of habit..it drives me nuts but do they actually like change? im a new commer on hamsters ive only had one before but i was little and only played with him never took care of him..parents did that lol..any information is very helpful thank you so much
ANSWER: Pet shops sell willow and birch twigs (about 4 inches long or so). But if you have a park or some undeveloped land near you and you can make sure that no-one is spraying pesticides near it, the owner (if there is one) is okay with it  nd it's not directly next to a busy street, you can just cut some from the tree.
I just found something else:
http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT<>prd_id=845524441815648
Ikea sells similar balls made from willow in their decoration section and a lot of baskets that are hamster safe as long as they are not varnished or something.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/range/10372/10770/
Ikea is great for hamster toys anyway. A wooden CD-rack make a great hamster ladder for example, casseroles can be turned into sand baths (chinchilla sand only, might be used as a toilet, though) ect.

Hamsters do like change, but not too much at once. It's a good idea to let her keep some of the old bedding when cleaning the cage for example so that she recognizes her smell. Don't change everything when redorating, just one piece at a time, this will keep her entertained, but won't stress her out.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hello me again if u remember me..i asked you wut i could do about my scared nervous hamster..it turned out that she was very pregnant..she had 6 babies 2 days ago at 4 in the morning...i was soo like WOW..i was in aw
ANSWER: Congrats on the babies :) It's great to see them grow up. you will need to separate the males from the females when they are 28 days old because they will be able to breed then. This is also the age when they are ready to live on their own, I hope you will find good homes for them all. Let me know if you have any more questions!
Jennifer

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QUESTION: yes i have done plenty of research on this so i dont mess anything up..unfortunately 2 babies have died already leaving me with only 4 babies left but they have big plans..their lives will be filled with love..one is staying with me as far as i know i might have 2 stay with me and the other 2 are going to very good homes..wouldnt let them go if it wasnt a good home..i dont know if u will be able to answer this but how long b4 i can pick the mom up n touch her..she is a little skittish protecting her babies but i just cant wait till i can hold her again..i think i read it was when the babies were old enuff to be held...they're 3 days old now and their color in skin is changing to the colors they will be when they get hair..so far ones gunna have a black bum lol there so beautiful and to watch them is just amazing

Answer
I'm sorry to hear about the babies that died. Many hamsters have problems with their first litter, they don't really know what to do.
I would leave her alone as much as possible for now, she's stressed out enough with the babies. When the babies leave the nest on their own, at an age of about 14-16 days, it's safe to hold them and the mom again, but only for a short time. The babies may just jump or walk off your hand, it's better to hold them inside the cage or at least close to the ground.
I hope I was of some help
Jennifer