scared syrian

[pinkpink33]

hiya

i know i have posted lots about ferret, but she is so odd! she's my first syrian as an adult.
anyway, in her first week with me she was very active, but this week she's been odd - she begs to come out to play, but then whe she's in her ball she just sits and grooms, or goes to sleep. she's happy enough to walk out onto my hands, but she seems scared when out of her cage in my hands. she's very big, so maybe she doesnt feel safe? she also quivers, and has little twitches, only when she's on my bed or on me. sometimes she'll be about to take a step, and then will jump way back.
when i first got her i left her for a day, and then began taming her, putting my hand in her cage, hand-feeding treats etc. she seemed fine, and to be taming nicely. but now i just dont know. im a bit worried about the twitching, do you think she should see a vet?
she eats, drinks, poops and grooms properly (she does seem to groom so much more than my campbells, but she is long-haired).
any ideas would be helpful, thanks

[janie36]

Hamsters use the quivering and twitching you describe to communicate as they work more on sound and vibration because their eyesight is quite poor. They are naturally cautious, so it may be that she is just not totally sure of everything yet, and is still 'testing the water'.
This is just a suggestion as to the reason behind her behaviour, but I hope it helps:)

[ratbrat21]

yeah i agree I think if you just give her a little time she will not seem to scared. Squiggles and Dragon my 2 syrian boys seemed terrified when I first got them but now both beg to come out. :)

[pixibubbles]

You might be ablt to train her to come when you call... like janie said the quiver thing is communicaiton... if you can mimic it back to her she might react well... rocky used to come running if i called her... she learnt it by coming when i tapped the couch to mimic her vibrations. takes a while to get it right tho as its harder for us to get the vibe right lol

[pinkpink33]

it doesn't seem like a sound usually, when im holding her i can feel it through her body. you think it's an intentional vibration? wow that's amazing! i've not experienced this before, will have to try to see what it means and if i can call her using it! so exciting!
thanks for the help, will let you know how it goes :)

[halfwaynowhere]

My mouse, Esmeralda, does the same shaky thing, its weird, its like she vibrates. She is a nervous little girl, though, so she is usually scared.

[pixibubbles]

yes the vibe thing is normal... although females seem to do it more often than males. yes it is intentional.

[pinkpink33]

it is so cute :) when i have her out on the floor in her ball, she will come if i tap it pretty fast, unless she is having too much fun on the lino in the kitchen! i held her up to my face in her ball with the lid off and purred at her, and she vibrated back at me! so smart! then she nudged my nose with hers! so cute i could cry! lol!
she seems to vibrate when she's nervous or excited.

[pinkpink33]

ok well tonight i let her out free-roam in my bedroom for the first time for 30mins.for most of it she just wondered around investigating, smelling things etc, the usual. then she found a little gap between the built in wardrobe and the wall, and went down it. she went crazy destroying the carpet (this doesnt bother me), and then came running and leapt out of the gap all of a sudden. i mean like a really huge leap, she seemed terrified. i put her back in her home, and she really wants to come out again but she's acting so agitated and skittish, so im leaving her to calm down for a bit. this is the right thing to do yes? there was nothing down the gap, i've checked, and she's not scared of my dwarfs, she's more interested in them. they were asleep at the time anyway. i dont know what spooked her.

[pixibubbles]

Maybe she spooked herself... saw her shadow or somthing lol.... try and keep her cfrpom attacking carpet... it's not good for them and can stuck in teeth and things... plus she might manage to chew through floor boards and then you're stuck tearing them up with a hammer and crow bar lol (yup... i done that)

yeah letting her calm down is right thing to do... either in cage or you snuggle them against you and make cooing noises- seems to work. plus that way they learn you are "safe".

i;m so glad she comes running to you... sounds like she's turning into an adorable little fluff!

[pinkpink33]

i dont think im very comforting to her yet, she doesnt avoid me when she's out like mitsy does, but she's not interested in me really! i hold her close to my chest or near my shoulder and coo, but she just wants to escape lol!
she's not attacked the carpet anywhere else, just went crazy in that corner, will block it off with something next time though.
i didnt reallise mitsy (my dwarf who's allowed to free roam as she's never nibbled) had a little stash of food down the side of my bed lol, dont think she's going to be happy when she finds out ferret found it! i check down there every day and have never seen a food pile before, but when ferret was playing i found it lol!