New hamster. Worried.

Got a new hamster on Sunday, about 3-4 months old. Seems to be settling in alright, couldn't tolerate being held at first but it OK now, running in the run (for a couple of hours last night). But doesn't appear to be eating at all and drinks very little and only when I put the bottle to her mouth. Is this normal? Is there anything I can do?

Not eating is a normal response to stress in hamsters, he'll settle in soon.

I hope so, but I'm very worried he'll dehydrate or starve.

I hope so, but I'm very worried he'll dehydrate or starve.

I’ve never had a hamster but maybe putting on some ‘calming music for hamsters’ (In YouTube) can help your hamster settle in?

How long has it been since you got him?

Hamsters are desert animals. They require little water.

Ah yes, blare unknown noses into the poor thing's ear to calm him....

I'll call our expert @CoolCavy

Got a new hamster on Sunday, about 3-4 months old. Seems to be settling in alright, couldn't tolerate being held at first but it OK now, running in the run (for a couple of hours last night). But doesn't appear to be eating at all and drinks very little and only when I put the bottle to her mouth. Is this normal? Is there anything I can do?

I would ease off handling personally, I would work on hand feeding him a few treats and see if he builds up trust that way. Handling straight away can stress them out as they need time to build that bond
I wouldn't worry too much about eating, hamsters do cache food so as long as you are providing plenty he will eat when he is hungry.
In terms of water this was something that really stressed me out when I got my third little boy. He didn't seem to know what a bottle was. I found leaving a few drips on the end of the spout sort of let him know water comes out of it and he got the hang of it.
If you are really concerned you could put in a small amount of cucumber (rich in water), be moderate with it though as too much can cause diarrhea


Thanks for the tag

hi! For the water maybe add a dish in such as a tea light holder. They only drink about 1-2 teaspoons of water a day. If you are worried about dehydration hold her and gently pinch the skin in the neck area and if it stays up she’s dehydrated if it sinks quickly then she’s fine (like the skin on the back of your hand)

I feed my hamster 1-2 tablespoons of food every 3 days so again not a huge amount of food. Hamster will not starve themselves. Maybe check her teeth to ensure her mouth can open enough to eat and drink. Maybe add some whimzees or similar things to encourage her to chew.

Try giving her treats to see if she’ll eat them

I put a wooden chew toy but she doesn't appear to be interested. Plus now the cat is on her case 😩