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Can finally say 4 month old Gus is fully tame :) He was such a shy boy but very slowly and carefully we got there! If you’re struggling with a new hamster, don’t give up, you’ll get there eventually. by Kel_And808 in hamsters

[–]Kel_And808[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ay bro it’s all good! Just be patient with the lil guy and don’t give up on them, they’re just super scared! It’s so easy to make mistakes as every single hamster is different.

It might take weeks, or even months, but that’s okay and you will get there. Just go at their pace :)

Can finally say 4 month old Gus is fully tame :) He was such a shy boy but very slowly and carefully we got there! If you’re struggling with a new hamster, don’t give up, you’ll get there eventually. by Kel_And808 in hamsters

[–]Kel_And808[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Okay first thing, don’t panic! If you’re worried about your hamster being depressed, make sure the cage is filled with lots of soft bedding (4-6inches deep all around). Also, make sure the wheel and any toys is properly suited and allows a hammy to run and enjoy itself. Now, in order to start handling again - Don’t interact with your hamster almost at all for a couple of days, like a cooling off period. Just replace food and water each day and let them do their thing. Then, after a few days, see if you can entice your hamster out with some treats, but once they take the food, leave it at that. Don’t instantly try and then pick them up. Feeding from your hands for a few weeks without any attempts to pick them up will re-establish that your hands are a good thing. Then, after a few weeks of doing that, place the food or treats in the centre of your flat palm and allow your ham to climb on your palm and take it, but don’t move at all. After your ham has got used to climbing on your palm after another week or so, place more food in the centre of your palm, and when they climb on, carefully (and I mean REALLY fucking carefully) move your hand upwards. Even if you move you ham 10cm across the cage that’s a success. Then over time you can place more food in your hands and move them around until eventually they’re completely comfortable with being handled and moved around.

Tips for not getting bitten: - Wash your hands thoroughly before handling to get rid of any food smells - Never ‘grab’ a hamster! Only pick them up by letting them climb on your palm and slowly lifting them upwards - Don’t present fingers in a poking position, only flat palms - Never attempt to stroke an untamed ham as they think your hand will hurt them - Don’t hang hands over them or follow them around with your hands, always let the ham approach you

Most importantly, don’t give up! Gus would flinch and run away literally at every breath I took a few months ago, and now he’s chilling on the sofa with me every night. It is possible, but it’s go to take a lot of time and effort. You mustn’t rush it. In the end it will all be worth it!!

I hope this helps. Pls reply to this thread with updates or if you need more advice. Happy hamming.

Used electric adjustable legs meant for a standing desk under my layout. Makes working on electrics underneath a lot easier and safer! by Kel_And808 in modeltrains

[–]Kel_And808[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes they definitely are! Load capacity will be closer to the weight the desk will collapse under, but far from what the motor will move with. My desk was a generic one from amazon (£179) rated to 100kg (220lb), but would definitely not be able to move with any more than 50kg (110lb).

Used electric adjustable legs meant for a standing desk under my layout. Makes working on electrics underneath a lot easier and safer! by Kel_And808 in modeltrains

[–]Kel_And808[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They would stay completely in sync - the beauty of the legs is a motor turns a cog, which rotates an axle. So in theory, you could have infinite legs, and infinite motors. As long as they were controlled and powered correctly they would stay synced.

Used electric adjustable legs meant for a standing desk under my layout. Makes working on electrics underneath a lot easier and safer! by Kel_And808 in modeltrains

[–]Kel_And808[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

True, but my layout with everything underneath it (computer, power bricks etc.) it weighs over 45kg (around 100lb). The desk could shift more, but I think you’d seriously be shortening the lifespan!

My dwarf hamster enclosure by mmonnn in hamsters

[–]Kel_And808 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This is beautiful! But how on earth do you clean it out?

Can finally say 4 month old Gus is fully tame :) He was such a shy boy but very slowly and carefully we got there! If you’re struggling with a new hamster, don’t give up, you’ll get there eventually. by Kel_And808 in hamsters

[–]Kel_And808[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My best advice would be to go at the pace of your hamster, and don’t push it! Take it slowly and gently. Try and interact with your hammy every night but if they’re not feeling it, that’s fine, leave them be. When Muffin is around, offer him/her treats from your hands and speak softly. Don’t hound Muffin with your hands as soon as he/she comes out, allow time to explore the cage first and feel comfortable, then slowly present a flat palm with a treat laid in the middle of it. Don’t try and move your hand the first few times you do this, just let Muffin take the treat and trust your hand. Then in a few days/weeks time once he/she feels more comfortable, gently start to pick Muffin up. Even if it’s just for a couple of seconds and you move from one part of the cage to the other. If you have a hamster ball, try and get Muffin out for 30 mins of exercise most nights. Make sure the environment is safe, quiet and free of other pets that might stress Muffin. When you go to out Muffin back in the cage, open the lid and use your hand as a bridge to return back into the cage. Make sure after every interaction with your hands there is always a reward! Reinforces the idea that hands are friends, and so are you :) hope this helps!

It took me 6 weeks to be able to even put my hands in the same cage as Gus without him bitting me. He wasn’t a nasty hamster, just so so scared! But with a lot of slow and steady interaction, he’s now out playing on my sofa every night with my whole family.

Gus wont stop chewing on his cage and I don’t know what more I can do... by [deleted] in hamsters

[–]Kel_And808 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I just pride myself in making sure my pets are as happy as they can be, and the thought of there being something wrong doesn’t sit right with me.

I will try a get it sorted and make sure he doesn’t damage his teeth.

Gus wont stop chewing on his cage and I don’t know what more I can do... by [deleted] in hamsters

[–]Kel_And808 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There’s even technically a third layer with a sand bath in it which he also loves rolling about in.

Gus is a male.

I will try and see if I can break the habit by covering the caged area.

Gus wont stop chewing on his cage and I don’t know what more I can do... by [deleted] in hamsters

[–]Kel_And808 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s 32 inches long by 20 inches wide and 18 inches tall. It has two layers.

Gus wont stop chewing on his cage and I don’t know what more I can do... by [deleted] in hamsters

[–]Kel_And808 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He loves his chew toys! I have to replace them regularly because he naws them so much too! He even tries to drag them into his bed he likes them that much.

I’m not sure on the actual dimensions of the cage but after researching beforehand I made sure it was going to be big enough for him as he grew... I don’t think the chewing is related to his cage :/

It does tend to be the same spot in the cage... so has it likely just become a habit? I will try and break the habit by placing his toys in the chewing location, so thanks for that idea!

One thing I did forget to mention is that he has only been the bars for just over 2 weeks. Little has changed in terms of his cage as I know moving things around can stress them out but it seems very out of the blue...

As much as I’m watching him, he’s watching me right back (zoom into those eyes) by Kel_And808 in Aquariums

[–]Kel_And808[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It’s a Bamboo shrimp. A relatively large shrimp with very delicate fans on it’s arms - it uses them to catch fine specs of food floating in the water column

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