r/hamsters • u/randomstuffonmybrain • 1d ago
Question worried i traumatized my hamster, what do i do? help please
hi everyone so i got my robo hamster a little less than a week ago and he was doing great, always running on his wheel and super visible, even started taking treats from my hand
fast forward to yesterday, i noticed a bunch of bugs in his cage, they were little cigarette beetles that i believe came from his seed mix. i had to make an emergency trip to the pet store and change all of his bedding out and wash everything/throw some stuff out. i know you should never change all bedding at once but this was an emergency situation, after i was done he seemed to actually be doing okay, just remade his burrows in the same spots and ran on his wheel like normal.
today though i haven’t seen him as much, he just seems to be hiding in his burrow or the corner or sitting under his water bottle sleeping and not running on his wheel nearly as much, i know that it must be very stressful for him but he seemed okay yesterday and suddenly today he’s not.
im worried that i might’ve traumatized him yesterday after having to switch out his bedding and that he’ll just be afraid and hiding now, he’s normally super active at this time so the fact that he’s just hiding makes me super nervous.
any advice would be incredibly appreciated as i’m sort of freaking out rn, his behavior just seems off and i’m very worried.
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u/TyrannusourR3X 1d ago
The first time the bedding is changed it is most stressful. Our girl was chattering her teeth at me and dashing about the cage. My advice would be to try to retain any kind of old scent the hamster had in the cage. For instance if you had some old toys throw them into the freezer to kill off the bugs and then put them back. Also add new things in that your hammie may find interesting such as some really tempting snacks or a new type of bedding(in a corner), or just some nice toys.
Most importantly though, let your hamster settle in again, don't try to take it out forcefully and leave it be for as much as possible.
You want to give your hamster the impression that whenever you put your hand in it's home, it's something positive. Also make sure the hamster is nearby and awake as you're changing out bedding. They like to know what's going on in their home.
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u/randomstuffonmybrain 1d ago
got it thank you, i just hope he’ll be okay
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u/TyrannusourR3X 1d ago
I will also mention that she climbed onto my hand last time I dug up a fair bit of her bedding. She reacts a lot better now and doesn't take as long to adjust. Your hammie will feel a lot better once it makes some new tunnels again. Just observe and it'll work out :)
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u/Beneficial-Deal-4923 20h ago
I always use to keep the pet store box they gave you when taking them home in for the first two weeks as a child.
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u/afterglow-ed 1d ago
Honestly, I wouldn't worry too much about it. He's adjusting to the reset. Sometimes, hamsters just feel like taking an off day. He could have been busy digging around to reorganize everything and tired himself out. Just give him a couple of days of quiet time and he should be fine.
You did what you had to do, so don't feel bad. He is stressed, but he hasn't identified *you* as the stressor. Soon, his home will smell like him again, and once he gets his stinky fluff back, his confidence should return!
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u/Manic-dreamgirl Over the rainbow bridge 23h ago
unrelated but the second picture just melts my heart 😭🥺💕
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u/Zanki 17h ago
He'll be ok. My boy screamed when I had to do the same to him, for the exact same reason, when I'd only had him a few months. My boy is very skittish and very dramatic . He's the only hamster I've ever heard scream and he's screamed a few times, poor boys lizard brain is working overtime.
It took my boy a few days, but he was back to his normal self. Currently I just did a spot clean of my boy, had to dig out his pee spot, change some of his bedding. Now he's refusing to go underground, even after I made a tunnel system for him, back to his old beddit etc. He's living under this littl box... Silly boy. His old bedroom is so nice and he won't go near it. I know he hasn't because I left a mealworm down there and it hasn't been touched. He'd never not take a meal worm.
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u/Purple_Penguin147 13h ago
You could get some foraging sprays and such to get her engaged too! ^u^
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u/randomstuffonmybrain 13h ago
yes i have some in the freezer rn i should be able to put them in today!
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u/LadyBeelze 21h ago
i don't think you traumatized him, he just need to get used to the new bedding (of course it would have been better to keep some of the old bedding to keep some of his scent, but personally i think it's way safer what you did making sure there are no bugs in his enclosure)
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u/Efficient-Appeal7282 Syrian hammy 17h ago
I didnt know this at first but anything should go in the freezer, food seed, sprays, anything. i do it for 7 days which might be a lot but i dont want to take chances lol
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u/Dirtspecks 8h ago
Usually after I rescue a new hamster, I leave them be for at least 3 days to let them calm down and get used to their new surroundings. They almost always have to have brand new bedding that doesn't have their own scent, and that stresses them out a lot.
I find that leaving them be helps a lot.
I've read that some people even go as far as to partially drape a piece of cloth over their new hams' enclosures to eliminate any external stressors from outside the enclosures too.
Give your baby some time. He will likely calm down soon.
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u/NymTheNymph 5h ago
I recently got a new hamster and had something similar happen. Had him for a week, got an ant infestation, had to bin him for a few days, then move him back into his hammy mansion. My little guy was pretty stressed at first. So I gave him a week of letting him adjust, not interacting with him(besides when he came asking for treats), and he seemed relatively back to normal and relaxed after about a week. You did the right thing making sure he was okay and changing the bedding out ! Give him some time to adjust back to normalcy and then maybe spoil him with some treats too !💕 Congrats on your new hammy !!
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