Hamster chewing on cage

Question
Hi Kelly,
At First our hamster was up alot during the day but now he sleeps all day and awakens about 9 or 10 p.m. and then is asleep by morning. At first we'd take him out on the grass but that is hard to do in the dark. My daughter would love to play with him more but her bedtime is when he awakens.
This morning he woke up looked liked he was scrounging for food, pushed his carefresh back in the corner and curled up to sleep again.
Linda
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Followup To

Question -
Hi Kelly,
You are so helpful. My latest question. Our hamster is getting very active when he wakes up. For a while he constantly was on his wheel. The last few days he chews on the bars of his cage and when we open the door he wants out! We tried putting him in a plastic, long, under the bed box without the lid but he quickly figured how to climb out. We tried the roller ball and he was going a mile a minute all over the floor. Any ideas or suggestions. We have him in the Critter Trail 1. Do we need a bigger cage? He is a 6 month old Syrian male.

Thanks, Linda
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Followup To

Question -
Hi Kelly,
Thank you for responding about my daughter's hamster. We made a vet appointment on July 5 but he was back to his old self so we cancelled it. He seems to be doing fine except that he keeps itching. At the moment he's curled up trying to go to sleep (it's 11 am) but I noticed he's fussing about in his bedding and appears to be itching. Last night I changed his bedding, gave him fresh food and water and gave him dri tail and the vitamin drops. Do you have any idea what this might be?. I really appreciated your helpful answer to my last question

Thanks, Linda
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Followup To

is very sad that he is not as  friendly as he was when we bought him.

Answer -
Hi Linda,

It sounds like the hamster had a pretty hard fall.  He may have brain damage - that would account for the personality change.  Or, he may have hurt something internally, and he may be in pain.  That would also account for the sudden personality change.  If you can, take the hamster to the vet.  You'll want to know if he is in pain or if he has brain damage, and the vet will be able to help you with that.

If the vet finds nothing physically wrong with the hamster, then it's likely a trust issue.  It will take time for the hamster to build trust with your daughter again.  She should be very gentle with him.  Tell her not to wake him up suddenly, or surprise him - both of these things will cause him to bite.  Instead, try to wait until he is fully awake before you take him out of his cage.  When she goes to pick him, tell her to make sure the hamster sees her hand first, and then gently scoop him up.  When she handles him, tell her to sit on the floor, so that if he gets scared and jumps, he won't have far to fall.

It will take time, but the hamster should begin to build trust in your daughter once again.  Just tell her to be patient and gentle with him.

Have a great fourth of July!

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.

Kelly

Answer -
Hi Linda,

Are you using Aspen or Carefresh bedding?  These are the safest types of bedding on the market.  Pine and Cedar, on the other hand, are dangerous because they have strong aromatic oils which cause respiratory infections and skin allergies.  If you have Pine or Cedar, clean the cage and switch to Aspen or Carefresh as soon as you can.

Also, don't bother to use Dri-Tail - it's ineffective.

If you've changed the bedding and the hamster still continues to scratch, he may have mites.  Smooth the hair back and look closely at his skin.  You may be able to see small black specks running on the skin.  Buy anti-mite spray from the pet store, and spray your hamster's body.  (Shield his head while you're using the spray.)  Also, clean the cage and spray it with the anti-mite spray.

Have a great day!

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.

Kelly

Answer -
Hi Linda,

I would encourage you to continue to use the hamster ball, as this helps get rid of excess energy, even though he does go so fast.  Young hamsters are full of energy, so this isn't unusual.

A Crittertrail 1 is a fine cage.  You may want to buy additions, however, such as tubes - you can arrange these tubes in many different configurations, which will stimulate your hamster and help stave off boredom.  You can also play with him more, which will aslo get rid of excess energy.  

Have a great day!

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.

Kelly

Answer
Hi Linda,

Hamsters are naturally nocturnal, so your hamster is just doing what hamsters do (especially in the summer, when it's hottest during the day).  You can try waking him up when your daughter wants to play with him, but you'll need to do so carefully so he won't bite you.  Gently stroke his back to wake him, then let him get water, use the bathroom - in general, just let him wake up a bit.  Then, you can take him out.  However, he will still be nocturnal, no matter what you do.

To help him wake up a bit earlier in the evening, try making the room cooler.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.

Kelly