Got a new hamster:) Tips?

[naylastar]

Hey everybody, I got a hamster:)

She's a gorgeous little syrian and her name is Abby, after Abby from NCIS. She's my first hamster so I'm not experienced with them at all.
She's amazing, I've only had her for three weeks and she jumps on my hand, takes treats from me and she even sits in the hood of my jumper. She's so much friendlier than I expected. She's only ever bitten me once but that was because I had just had my hand in the food bag. She's the best pet I've ever had.

I think she is bored though. I was wondering if anyone had any tips for keeping her entertained? She has lots of toys and stuff but she doesn't really seem too interested in them. Does anybody have any novel ways of keeping their hamster happy that I could try? Because I want her to be happy and I worry about her getting frustrated.

[egyptiondragon]

does she have a hamster wheel? i know not all hamsters like them but they really do need them for exercise also try to keep her cage away from anything she can chew fabric papper wood extra also get her something she can chew on and change it every so offten also a salt lick is a good idea

[naylastar]

She has a wheel:) And a mineral/salt stone for her to nibble on. She has all the basic stuff she needs, plus tons of toys and a climbing frame She just doesn't seem interested in them. She does use her wheel, I just can't imaging that being too fun for her.

[egyptiondragon]

hmmm all my hamster did was run on his wheel chew stuff and sleep he seemed very happy so if shes runing on her wheel and chewing she should be happy unless you see her wandering around the cage looking for something to do i dont think shes bored

[BlackCurtains]

It's a good idea to rotate toys so they don't lose interest. You can try some homemade things too. My hamsters (I have RC dwarfs) always liked to play with shredded paper. I'd curl long pieces with scissors and mash it up into a big clump. They'd have fun pulling out the curly strands

It could be also that your hamster is still getting used to her her new environment and life with you 3 weeks can still be an adjustment period, so she may take more interest in her toys once she settles down more.

[stormwing]

Awwww I adore hamsters! Congrats on your new little friend!

I used to work in the pet care department at a pet store (dog groomer now) but hamsters were always my favorites. You could always get her something to dig in - they love to burrow. And sand baths are fun! Cardboard tubes and tunnels are also enjoyable for most hammies. There's tons of awesome hamster forums out there and they're great for ideas. There are a lot of people who are even getting into natural habitat setups, which are fun for both you and your hammy!

You should post pictures! I'd love to see little Abby

[egyptiondragon]

oh and cardboard tube's they love cardboard tube's make sure they come from paper-towels and not toilet paper as the germs from the bathroom can get on the tube and get your hammie sick

[Eviecorn]

I don't know much about hamsters, but I agree with the rotation of toys.  That should be done for any pet who seems bored.  Good luck!

[kaoskat]

A note on the paper tubes, for a Syrian especially, you may need to split them. Syrians in particular tend to be plump and can get their fat little booties stuck in them if you aren't careful. Hamster balls are useful for entertaining some hammies. They need to be supervised when in them but they are wonderful for letting them explore around your house safely. Also, where are you keeping her? If she isn't already, try moving her cage to a room in the house where people spend most of their time, especially if she's a social hammy. Put her somewhere that she can watch the activity around her, but in the corner of the room so she's out of the activity herself. That way, she can watch when she wants to but doesn't get overwhelmed or disturbed. She should be switching to her nocturnal pattern if she hasn't already. Is it her daytime behavior that makes you think she's bored? If so, that's likely not the case. Hamsters aren't typically very active during the day. At night is when she'll play with her toys and run in her wheel. Also keep in mind that some hammies just don't really have much interest in play. Syrians in particular can sometimes be rather lazy. Admittedly that's usually more a male trait than a female one, but I have had some lazy girls in the past too.

[Kiwi]

Congrats on your hammy

My tip - don't keep them in the bedroom, if you ever want to sleep. Ones that we had in the past decided "lights out" was time to run in the nosy wheel, drink as nosily as possible, and chew on the metal bars ALL night long.

[nollilols]

My tip would be play with her. You don't even need to do much - getting out of the cage and going for a run around on your bed or sofa is a change of scenery. I tend to take mine out, plonk her down on the sofa beside me and she runs around, climbs all over me, up my sleeves, digs behind my back - I'm a hamster toy myself!

I also second the toy rotation - the key to any animal - particularly ones in cages - not getting bored is a an occasional change of scenery. Nothing too drastic or they can get upset, but just enough to catch their interest.

You'll also notice she will respond better to some toys than others. My Boo won't touch a salt lick, and has very little time for chewing anything but cardboard. She does, however, adore her sand pit.

Also, sand pit. If your ham doesn't have a sandpit, give her one. She, and her shiny fur, will be very grateful.

[GazeboMouse]

I haven't got a hamster at the moment, but with all our previous ones, we exercised them in a large box filled with toys, and with a hamster ball (but NEVER left alone in it, and never for more than 20 mins, and one with plenty of ventilation). We also have some Rotostack housing that personally I would never keep a hamster in full- time as it's too stuffy and plastic-y, but fun for the hamster to climb around in for short periods, has a 'burrow basement' too. My hamsters liked foraging for food a few times a week in there.
Hide the food about the cage, get treats that need lots of chewing, hang them up in the cage so the hamster has to work for it.
Our hamster cage has been sat empty in the hallway for nearly a year, husband working away and we won't get another until he returns! Sob!

[cyberunicorn]

if memory serves back to my primary school days when we did research on the class pet. hamsters are nocturnal creatures that live under ground for a lot of the time (I might be wrong I was 7 years old at the time.) meaning that they will be more active at night so might not have actually lost interest in the toys just plays with them when you are asleep.

try giving her lots of tunnels and tubes to crawl around in. I don't know if this is actually possible but you could try flipping her day and night as in keep her in the dark during the day and keep a light on her during the night. or something light that (but I might be speaking total rubbish) 

[nollilols]

They're diurnal, which means most active at sunrise and sunset.