Tips on syrian hamsters?

Question

im looking for some tips on my teddy bear hamster(syrian) hes 3-5 months old hes a boy.i had him for 2-3 days i love him very much.he wont go up his tubes to use his bed why is this??...hes bathing alot why? thx!

Answer 1

I have a male Syrian too. If he has only been with you for a few days than he is probably just stressed. Hamsters groom themselves for long periods of time and this is completely normal. As for the tubes he probably has some trouble climbing them, or it's possible that maybe tubes aren't his favorite toy. You can buy some wood chews at a pet store if your worried about him being bored. Those are good for their teeth and can keep them busy, sometimes for hours. As for the bed he will sleep where ever he is most comfortable, but you can certainly try moving the bed over where he usually sleeps.

For some tips I guess I'll start with taming. First you will want him to get used to you. You can do this by trying to hold him at least once daily. If he seems fidgety, you might just want to leave you hand in his cage for a few minutes so he can come over and sniff you. Make sure your hand doesn't smell like food though because hamsters, having very bad eyesight will easily mistake your hand for food if that's what it smells like.

Sooner or later you might want to try picking him up. You have to make sure he is awake before this because he may be cranky and less willing to be handled. (Hamsters are nocturnal). Slowly place your hands under him and scoop him up. Do not grab him by the middle. Then walk him back and forth between your hands. He should be back in his cage by around five minutes or so, as you may realize what short attention spans hamsters have.

In terms of food and water, the brand I use is called "vitacraft," but any hamster/gerbil mixes are good too. You should probably buy a water bottle and not a dish, because it won't spill. Food should be dumped out and replaced daily, he should get about a teaspoon or more per day, and you can always tell if he has enough by the size of his food "hoard."

You also need to change his cage once a week. For this time he should be put in an exercise ball, or some other enclosure he can't escape from. Just rinse everything in the cage with warm water and replace the bedding. You can also put some empty toilet paper rolls or cardboard egg cartons in his cage at this time for him to play with. Pretty much anything safe for him to chew on makes good toys.

Good luck with your new hamster. I'm sure he'll be lots of fun.

Answer 2

hamsters dont appreciate long vertical tubes. they need gradual inclines or several "elbows" to twist up to the second floor.

Answer 3

hi! well i have a teddy bear hamster too and she doesn't use tubes so i got her a normal wired cage. The houses with tubes are recommended for dwarf hamsters. I guess some teddy bear hamsters like it too but soon they'll grow too big for the tubes. Hope this helps :).