New Hamster, how do we make him comfortable?

My 18 dd brought home a new hamster today (her pet mouse died on Christmas eve. )

Anyway, all the rodents we have had before have already been used to life with a human family. I guess this little guy was just brought in yesterday with his littermates and has never been away, or in a human home. He really cried when we put him into his habitat. I never heard one cry like that before, it was so sad. He started sucking on the side of the cage and then would run around and cry again. Sunshine and I were crying. Poor baby. Sunshine gave him an egg carton and some paper towels to hide in, and he isn't crying anymore (and he did like the little bits of carrot she was giving him) but he is still looking for a way to get out of his habitiat.

I just want him comfortable. All the information I read says hamsters enjoy being solitary animals, but he just left his litter.

Is there anything else we can do to make his happy?

 

Does he have an excersize wheel? I'm sorry, I don't know much about hamsters but that I know is good to have. Common knowledge, I know, but you didn't mention it so I thought I'd throw it out there just in case.

What did you name him?

 

The advice i've followed wen i had hamsters was to leave him alone for 24 hours so he can get used to his cage. as long as he has food, water and a box to hide in and sleep he should be ok. Cause otherwise everything at once is really overwhelming for them.
then you can start handling him, at first mine were really jumpy and tried everything to get away, but then they calmed down and after a few days he should be fine. i'm not an expert, its jst what worked for me. They such cute pets!!

 

sorry, my computer was confusin me

 

Make sure he has soft woodchips for burrowing in. You can buy a bag of that at the supermarket, petstore, etc. It's good that you gave him some cardboard to hide in. Hamsters like hiding and going underneath things. I usually give mine the toilet paper/paper towel roll when there's no more paper on it. They like to go inside it like a tunnel and it can also be chewed on. Hamsters are nocturnal animals- so make sure that at night you turn the light off in the room that he is in so that he has some period of darkness. If he doesn't chew on anything that he already has, find something that he will chew on- hamsters have to gnaw on things so sharpen/shorten their teeth. In the pet section of the supermarket, they usually have things made of seeds that look like granola bars, for eating/chewing. My hamster LOVES those. Also, does he have a waterbottle? If he just has a water bowl, then he might not know how to get the water, and could be crying because of that. If you do all these things, and he is STILL crying, then he may have an injury or be sick, and in that case you should take him to the vet.

Good luck with your new furry friend!

 

He cried because animals aren't meant to be kept in captivity. I'd fucking cry, too. Want to make him happy? Set him free.

 

Kilgore Trout-- an animal born in a pet store is not ok to go outside in the wild-- he would be eaten right away! As long as he is in a good environment, he should be fine.

maggie sugar, if you have a large fishtank you can use that as his house. Layer the chips on the bottom as usual, and it's long and wide enough for him to run around and burrow. Don't listen to kilgore trout- if you set a small domesticated animal free, he will freeze outside or get eaten.

 

I'd rather live for five minutes of freedom than a lifetime of captivity.

...and don't get me started about pet stores.

 

Don't worry if he constantly seems to be trying to escape, its just what Hamsters do, especially chewing bars all the time. Its just a way of keeping their teeth down. As has been said, let him have some time alone to get used to his new environment, then start letting him get use to you. Be gentle and don't try and pick him up until he's very comfortable, since they will squirm and are easy to drop, and usually hit the floor running (I know from experiance). Also, they might look cute but they can be agressive little buggers when frightened, and have a nasy bite. When you first try and get him out, its best to set up some sort of containment zone, just incase he does attempt to make a run for it.
I'm very much an animal lover, and I *know* my pets are perfectly happy to be in captivity. After all, its what they were born into, and they are far better off than in the wild, safe from predators, with a constant supply of food and water, a warm bed thats regularly changed, and lots of attention.