Got my hamster (: Advice needed

Fluffly

Fluffly

Brooke
Sep 25, 2007
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Lincolnshire, Bourne
Went out and bought my hamster yesterday morning.
She (I think), is a black and white Syrian hamster, and I've called her Donnie. (After the song "What A Catch, Donnie"). She is VERY fat, I asked if she was pregnant at first but the people in the petshop assured me that she can't be pregnant as she had no contact with male hamster as she lived on her own.

Brought her home on foot (was horribly paranoid she'd chew through, but she didn't), and put her in the cage. She started running (waddling), around making these high pitched, raspy squeeking noises. And kicking all the bedding out of the corners and getting herself stuck UNDER the wheel. She eventually found the food bowl and proceeded to dig it all out and put it all in a corner. Ditto the bedding in the little house.
All the advice said to leave her alone for the first few days which is what I'm doing, but I'm worried about her. Firstly, I don't think she's been to the toilet yet, no signs of anything obvious in the cage. Second, I'm not sure if she's drinking, I have a water bottle there, which is exactly the same as the one she had before, but only the tiniest bit has gone.
+ Also, she seems.... idk, like when I went to put food in, I had to put my hand in, and she started making the squeeking sounds and launched herself at it. Also when trying to attach the water bottle she went out of her way to try and bite my fingers.

I guess I just want reassurance that she's not infact completly savage and crazy, this is just normal hamster behaviour. Because when the time comes that I can interact with her, I'm wary of sticking my hand in there. But right now, she sitting on the shelf with her little paws on the bars staring at me, like she wants attention. =/


EDIT: Okay, something is definately not right with her. I just went to put bedding in, and she just sort of climbed the bars out of the way. She'd kicked some food on the floor, so I picked a bit up and offered it to her through the bars. She went almost crazy, making the sqeaking noise, and trying to bite through the bars. I'm dreading the time when I have to take her out to clean her tbh. I'm gutted, cause all I want was a nice little pet that would just be normal and tame, and yet I think I've landed myself with savage crazy hamster.

EDIT#2: She just figured out the water bottle, and was drinking for like 5 minutes. So that one worry solved. Still she's waddling around full of energy, aren't they nocturnal?
 
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Fluffly, stop worrying!

She's just being a hamster. They arent very smart and are as frightened of everything as your average horse. She just needs some time to settle down, get used to the new environment, where everything is, strange smells etc etc.

She's obviously a feisty little bugger to be attacking everything including your hand but think how scary it must be to have something 10 times your size (i.e. your hand) coming straight at you! Just spend some time getting her used to your hand being in the cage, at the other end at first and over time get her used to you, moving towards touching her and eventually picking her up. If you are kind and patient it will come over time. It may just be settling in nerves and after the first few days she may be a diferent hamster - the trick is not to really terrify her in the meantime!

Good luck, remember to enjoy your little furry friend and stop stressing!:D
 
Ha thanks, it;s nice to know I'm just being stupid and she's isn't infact mad.
I'm not putting my hand in unless it's aboslutely neccesary atm.
But she just did the worlds biggest yawn and is making a nest out of the bedding she destroyed earlier, looks like she might finally be sleeping. She was up and moving around all night.

This has made me realise that it's good thing I'm horseless, if I can get this stressed out about a hamster, xD
 
MAJOR bump. Came home tonight and almost had a heart attack.




Omgggg >.<
I've figured out why she was acting so weird+ why she was so fat.
She was pregnant.
I just came home to about little hamster babies and to see her giving birth on the ladder.
The massive nest she built is moving, so I think there's about three in there, and there's two that I can see.

I'm completly freaking out, baring in mind that I've never even HELD a hamster before, I was daunted enough at the prospect at one hamster, now I've got more, and she's given birth to another while writing this.

I need some serious help and advice, I know enough not to touch them, and she's carried them all into the nest, I'm just going to have to trust that shes a good mum

*majorfreakout*
 
You're right not to touch them - if you do she'll eat them :eek: I'll PM you the number of someone that can give you advice - most pet shops can't really help with issues like this as they just sell the pets - they don't breed them.
 
Thanks so much. I could use all the help I can get.
I've left her completly alone, putting hard boiled egg through the door cause I cant get to eh dish without disturbing the nest.
I think she's rejected two of them, they're not in the nest with the others and they're just lying in the shaving sqeaking for their mum - it's heartbreaking. She's walked past them, and even stood on one but not taken them in. Poor little things.
 
Bloody pet shops!!

http://exoticpets.about.com/od/hamsters/f/hamsterbabies.htm

Try this link, has some good tips. I just got two Roborovski Dwarf Hamsters....utter ninjas :eek: They are SO fast, I'm only used to the speed of a Syrian waddling about :eek: One keeps escaping, god knows how, but it shredded my GCSEs last night to make a bed :rolleyes: Not best pleased! But how can you stay mad with a face like this?!
538113664_cf9886a507.jpg


(Not mine, but same breed and very similar looking!!)
 
have you tried asking someone on allexperts.com ?

it's a really good website, i volunteer to answer chicken questions on there :)
 
Those hamster are adorableee, they could get away with anything.

There were 6 babies. She found the lost two during the first night. Which I now think is around 4/5, as apprently because she was so young and very stressed before giving birth, may decided to "cull" some of the litter to give the others a better chance.
Donnie is healthy, and is getting more and more interested in my hand whenever it brings to food dish.

I went to speak to the petshop that sold me her on christmas eve. The person who sold me her wasn#t there, but I spoke to the women who knows me from when I had my chinchilla, she said she would be "speaking to" the women who made the sale. Apprently they get there hamster from "a reputable breeder", who only sells them females who have had "no contact with males". =/
Said she was terribly sorry, gave me free food and bedding. And offered to take them off my hands when they are weaned.
I declined, as proved by me, if they go there, any randomer who walks in with £10 could buy one. I'm keeping one of the babies, my sister wants one, and I have three friends who are interested, this way, I'll know where they are going.

It's a stressful situation and a really steep learning curve, I'm just going to have to cope with it and give these litle babies a chance
 
I work in a pet shop, and sometimes we keep hamsters together cos there isn't enough room (I only work as the cleaner, and I do not agree with any of this). The person who sexes them just guesses so I'm not surprised that some hamsters would be pregnant. Also, I have seen a hamster kill and eat another one, and it is not nice, I can tell you, so when they are old enough to leave, please separate all of them into different cages.
 
I am, as soon as they are ready, they're all being serperated. I have extra cages already, borrowed from a friend who used to have hamsters.

And I'm sorry, this is a section for "Cats, Dogs and Other Animals", and I think hamsters fall under the category of "Other Animals", I posted here because I wanted advice from some NR's who may have been in the situation. If its Off Topic for you, then read another thread.
 
Fluffly said:
I am, as soon as they are ready, they're all being serperated. I have extra cages already, borrowed from a friend who used to have hamsters.

And I'm sorry, this is a section for "Cats, Dogs and Other Animals", and I think hamsters fall under the category of "Other Animals", I posted here because I wanted advice from some NR's who may have been in the situation. If its Off Topic for you, then read another thread.
Click to expand...

I just didn't think 'hamsters' had anythink to do with horses !!
 
They don't, but this isn't a "horsey" section of the forums. How many other posts in this section have anything to do with horses?

I realise this is a horsey site, and do read other parts of the board, but as I am still learning and have no horse of my own, I feel unable to contribute to the topics. Which is why I feel more comfortable actually posting here.
 
Not yet, she sits on the most of the day, and the picture quality is so bad at night that all you can see is pink blurs.

I have one of her the first day I got her, heavily pregnant, she's about half the size now.
Will get some of the babies when I can.
 

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God she was big! I remember when my hammys were expecting they were like tennis balls.You were lucky to only have a small amount of babys my first litter was 17!Was a nightmare *shudders*
 
17 :eek:
I read that they could have litters up to 26, so when I saw her giving birth, I almost had a panic attack, it was 10 minutes before I could even stop sitting on the floor and go and look. I was convinced that I was going to be overrun by tiny hamsters.

Had another peek about 10 minutes ago, and the pigment is starting to come through, some a looking completly grey and others have dark patches. :D
 
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