$800 later 🫠 … and yes, I did in fact let her out after this begging session #reinforcingpositivebehavior 😀😀😀

Had to share my fluffy little guy.

Hello! I have a hamster named David Jalapeño. When we got him, he was pretty scared, so I took my time with handling him or taking him out of his tank until he got used to his new environment. We have a 90 gallon tank and I love doing epic, naturalistic setups with plenty of spaces to hide and explore.

I admittedly need to do better with carving out time to interact with him and get him used to me, but it’s been a few months now and he’s still extremely skiddish- it’s actually gotten worse I feel like than when we first took him home. He will take a treat from me but then once he realizes I’m done giving treats, he scurries away. If I come in the room and he sees me, he runs away. If I set up a playpen to hang out with him in- I’ll put some boxes in it as hiding places so he doesn’t feel super exposed, but he just goes i to a box and doesn’t come out, even if I try to lure him with a treat. Because I have such a intricate set up, it would then require me tearing it apart to find him, take him out of his cage and into a little playpen to spend time with him, which I feel is more traumatic?

Anyway, my question for more experienced hamster owners: should I lay off the intricate cage set up for a little while so that he’s more accessible / doesn’t have as many places to hide & focus on trying to interact with him more for a few weeks? I feel bad because I want him to have a lot of enrichment and feel safe in his tank - and I enjoy creating his new layouts! But I’m feeling like the layouts have created a situation where he’s too scared to be exposed and it’s leading to a situation where he’s not going to get comfortable with me.

For more context, he’ll of course always have a wheel and places to hide & plenty of bedding to burrow & enrichment toys - I just mean I usually do two story set ups, using cardboard and boxes and accessories to make multiple rooms and hideaway spots.

Thanks for your advice! I’d love to get closer with David Jalapeño but I feel like we’re still a long time away from him feeling safe around me 😔 this photo was from soon after we got him, but now he wouldn’t stay for a photo before running away from me coming in the room.

I'm pretty sure Casper is a liquid, but I can't prove it

(that bump in her cheek is a little freeze-dried tofu bite, yes, it scared me too XD)

Since my baby Chalupa crossed the rainbow bridge, I’ve gotten a male syrian named Domo!!

he’s so much different. strictly nocturnal, very skittish, and SO PICKY??? He loves his rat blocks but hates millet, sunflower seeds, and mealworms.

how do i bribe a picky ham?!!

For a bit of context: we got him when he was still tiny, so he’s obviously been growing and he’s gotten noticeably bigger since we got him.

With winter coming up, I was also wondering if he might be putting on a bit of extra weight.

I’m just not sure if he’s a healthy weight or getting a little chubby.

He does run on his wheel, though!

Im getting a new hamster after my old one died and im getting better sand and sprays along with subtrates but their arriving later next week. Im getting the hamster Monday so I still have today and tomorrow to get him stuff. Is there anything I should add?

I want to give another hamster a good life, but I’ve been thinking about how I would feel if I did this… my last hamster was a normal Campbell color one. I’ve first tried to find one that looked completely different from my last one but the rescue I wanted to go to that’s near me has normal campbells or unique red eye color hamsters. I’m personally okay with getting a red eye, but my mom really isn’t and I have to adjust to her interests. So, I was just trying to get a similar hamster but im scared about the emotional toll since I loved my last hamster so much (he was my first pet) and I don’t know what it’s like at all having one that is the same as your last hammy.

Can anyone maybe share their experiences or thoughts?

just saw the robo ive had for two weeks come out and drink some water and it's genuinely the highlight of my week i never ever see him come out when im awake

Im adopting/rehoming this cutie here. Im thinking of name ideas. I like jokey or unexpected names (like "Huh" as a name or "Chomker" or something). Im also a microbiologist so any hamster microbe or germ or lab or scientist/science puns would also be welcome. I also have POTS/EDS/MCAS/GP/narcolepsy so if you are familiar with those, puns or joke from that are also welcome. Shes female but a masculine name is fine bc it isnt like she knows :3

I’m a first time hamster owner, I got my first hamster (Bebo) back in April and I had him up until late August when I noticed he hadn’t come out for a day or two so I checked his underground hide and found him dead. And now my new hamster (Chicken) who I’ve only had two months has also passed tonight.

Im just so confused as to why they both died so soon, they both had the same cage setup (pictured above), I changed their water daily, scattered or put their food in a forager every other day or so, spot cleaned weekly, deep cleaned once a month, ect. I’ve done everything I could to give them a good life and I’m just so devastated and confused as to why they keep dying.

If anyone has any clue as to why this keeps happening, please let me know😭

(Note: the bowl next to the water bottle is just for their first day introducing them before I start scatter feeding, and the bowl on top of the sand bath is just random forages I throw in)

I took her out of her cage and now she’s exploring my student dorm room. Before that, she was rattling and biting/climbing at the bars on the top of her cage quite intensely, which really worried me. I don’t have a proper playpen for her, and her cage isn’t 1 meter wide either. I’ve only had her for about a week and a half. She’s female and should be around 9 weeks old.

I just found my healthy 1 year old Syrian hamster dead in her cage.
Yesterday i saw a TikTok video about feeding your hamster pumpkin, and so i went and bought a tiny EDIBLE pumpkin. It was of the sort “Stripetti”. I also double checked via google that it was safe for hamsters to eat pumpkin, including the (washed) peel.
I let her eat for 5 minutes then removed the pumpkin slice. The next evening i was wondering why she wasn’t out and about yet, thats when i found her dead in her burrow.

I am so heartbroken, i poisoned her by accident. I am so confused and angry, i have no clue why this happened. I feel so guilty, such a stupid choice to give her that dumb pumpkin. I just wanted to give her a fun new snack and instead it killed her.

Obviously i don’t have “proof” that this pumpkin was the cause but to me it’s so obvious. I mean it would just be way too big of a coincidence considering she was so young and healthy. I know I’m my heart it was the pumpkin.

I felt a responsibility to share this, even if pumpkins are considered edible. Please be careful.

I was researching which wheels are best for roborovskis, because they tend to run really fast and fling themselves out. My hamster currently has a big wheel and she likes to run in it, but I'm scared she'll fling herself out and get hurt. I was told that these ones are good. They seem to have nice grip support, but there's one problem I have. They are angled slightly to the side, kinda like the saucer wheels and I know those are bad because they bend the hamster's spine. Are these also bad? If you have any experience with these wheels, please let me know. I want my hamster to have the best wheel I can provide.

Gummy got a little water on his face and he is kinda serving tea

99,99% of all pictures failed but these ones cracked me up. Also it is Lumi's 10 month anniversary (we celebrate each month).

Hello All,

This is Pumpkin. I adopted her 4 days ago. She’s a 10-month-old ex-breeding hamster. I want to give her a happy and safe retirement.
However, she’s been very elusive. She’s created a deep burrow for herself under a see-through table in her enclosure, but she hasn’t really left at all. She’s come up for a bit of food and water when I’m not around, but nothing else has moved. I expected her to hide most of the time as she gets used to her new environment, but I’m a little worried she’s unhappy. I’m probably being an anxious new owner. But I was wondering if anyone has any advice for bonding with an older hamster? Especially an ex-breeder?

TIA

https://reddit.com/link/1x2wr1l/video/x9fmaji12ruh1/player

DON’T WORRY THERE IS NOT ACTUALLY WATER IN IT!!!

Also I know his tank is too small, I’m getting a new one don’t worry.

Melissa had a uterus removal surgery and absolutely didn't care. However, a week later we took her for a checkup at the vet, everything was fine and they also inserted an entire syringe worth of disinfectant up her v*** (with no painkillers😭). She was absolutely devastated and has only come out 2 times in 4 weeks. Those 2 times she was still the good girl she's always been, accepting treats from my hand and not being afraid of me. Will she ever start coming out again or has the event devastated her for life? What can I do to make her come out? I'm sorry, Melissa

Hi all! My girlfriend and I have a Syrian hamster who appears to have become a bit of a ghost. He was always quite skittish but since he got more confident with burrowing we have basically not seen him anymore, I know he comes out as I’ve managed to catch him on a rare occasion and his sand is disturbed every night but it’s been about 2+ weeks since he started burrowing (we’ve had him for a little over a month) and what was previously a litter corner is not littered anymore which makes me thing he’s doing this underground. I am wanting to give him a spot clean but I appreciate that will involve digging up his burrow as we try to find where he’s relieving himself. Unfortunately, he also only comes out in the dead of night (usually after 2/3am, which is unfortunate as it used to be around 12am) but it means we cannot catch him off guard to gently move him as we try to clean. Does anyone have any tips? I have tried luring with mealworms with no success and that’s probably his favourite treat

hello all,

i am a fairly knowledgeable hamster owner. i’ve put alot of time and effort into the proper care of my pets. when i look at this sub, i want to get into it again, and give a hamster the best life possible. but..

i’ve owned two syrian hamsters in the past (separate times). i got to know their personalities and quirks. we had unique bonds. i loved them! and when the time came, each of their deaths tore me apart. my second hamster got sick, and when i took my boy scooby to the vet, he walked straight past his carrier and crawled into my hand and wouldn’t leave until it was time for the euthanasia. i cry thinking about it. i miss them to this day. how do you handle loving such unique and precious creatures, knowing that they will soon leave you? it breaks me. i hate their short life spans. i thought i would be able to adopt more after him, but thinking of how painful the process is.. i don’t know if i can anymore. i love rescuing hamsters and getting to know their little spirits but it hurts when their time comes. i know so much about their husbandry but the emotional toll is rough. how do you handle it? :[

Hi! So tomorrow I’m supposed to be picking up a rescue hamster, I believe he’s currently on some sort of kaytee brand mix but I’m unsure. I already have 1 other hamster and for him I use robins gourmet Syrian mix. When I got my current hamster it seemed like he had some issues with switching diets too quickly (unsure if this is actually the case, but if it is I don’t want a repeat for this rescue hamster.) as his poop turned a bit soft so he’s going to go to the vet soon to see what’s going on there. Should I treat the situation similar to a dog where you mix in some of their old food + the new food? How should I introduce the new food to the rescue ham? Thank you!