I have a very shy hamster. I’m not sure if this is common, tho I think it is.

My hamster is so shy that when she hears my voice, she will either run on the threadmill like she’s running away, or run into her house and hide in there, occasionally poking her head out. :|

On the rare occasion that I have her in my hands, she’ll squirm and try to run up my arm with the intention of escaping.

Also, whenever I put my hand into the cage for her to smell me (not even grabbing her), she would run on the wheel or go into hiding.

Cleaning time is especially hard as it takes a lot of patience and skill to get her out of her jungle home – so many nooks and corners that she can escape from our reach. Worse still, she’s so acrobatic that she even does the “monkey bar” on the cage’s ceiling grills. Amazing to watch but tedious to handle!

So. Any one knows how I can calm her down and let her trust me more?