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My Hamster
Past User
Posts: 0 Just got here
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I am sorry your new pet seems to not be acclimatising well, it must be very frustrating and confusing to not know what to do in this situation.
I am by no means an expert but I am familiar with the situation you're talking about. For a while I was considering the idea of getting ferrets or rats and I did spend some time online trying to figure out how to properly care for them before buying what I needed. I kept watching youtube videos by animal owners and they all said the exact same thing you're mentioning: pet stores usually aren't that well informed about the animals they're selling and tend to recommend things that might not be good for the pet.
Usually I read complaints about cage sizes (too small), beddings, and food.
It is a little bit annoying to have to get this information all by yourself and it is disheartening to learn about the way in which pet stores do not care properly for the animals they sell but what I would recommend would be to read as much as possible about what your pet in particular might need and what are the experiences of other pet owners. Also remember that even though they are small, hamsters need as much enrichment as any other animal. You'd probably be able to find good recs for toys, ways to enrich the environment, how to properly set up a good cage for the hamster, etc. online as well. I decided against getting any pets but what i was introduced to was a big online community of pet owners who were happy to share tips and tricks and i'm sure you're gonna be able to find the information you need.
I am not too familiar with your situation so i'm not sure if the cage or the environment might be the cause of the hamster's reclusive behaviour, but keep in mind that pet stores usually tend to not handle pets too much and not all animals like human contact. So it might just be that your hamster (as a breed or in particular) might not feel at ease around people yet and that's ok too. Every pet has its own personality and you might need to go through some trials and errors to figure out how to best care for them.
It's very good that you're taking steps to ensure that your pet is happy though, let me know if the situation changes
Yes i would say the rspca is a good place to start! It seems like you're putting a lot of effort into enriching her environment which is good
Ouch I'm sorry you had to spend that much money to find a treat she liked but I'm glad you found something, she seems very cute
No worries! Let us know if she likes the bin cage