Taming Hamsters

[Kiarra]

I just got my first hamster today after doing enormous amounts of research (approximately 6 hours straight). She is a female Russian Dwarf, and she's actually fairly tame, but she bit me. It's all right, I'm not mad, and I don't blame her a bit. But I'd like to know how to go about handling her and making sure she's comfortable and doesn't feel the need to bite me. I essentially want to make friends with her.

On the internet, there's a lot of conflicting advice on this. A lot of different methods that may or may not work. Does anyone have any advice that has worked for them?

 

[Bloo]

Dwarfs are not really the easiest to handle - OK, to be fair, just less easy than "commons". The can be prone to slightly more nippiness as well
Just give her time to take in her surroundings in a nice quiet corner. Don't try to pick her up and handle at this stage. Slowly start with offering treats (veg etc.) by hand. Then start stroking once she seems comfortable to you hand. The increase the firmness of your stroking - as if to pick her up, but not quite yet. And finally you should be able to pick her up.
I'd give it approx 2 weeks average (or as long as she needs) but thats really what you can expect if she's really jumpy and skittish to start off with.

Good luck !

 

[morgan]

I had hamsters many years ago. I agree with the above post, but would also like to say that hamsters are rather short-sighted so they nip sometimes because they think they have food!

 

[LoachLover]

I've had a number of hamsters and this is from my experience.

Females tend to bite harder and more often

Just keep handling her and holding her and she will eventually stop biting. If you don't want any pain, handle her with a pair of work gloves (Make sure they are clean) for a month or so, till she stops biting.

 

[Kiarra]

Thanks, everyone. The store said she was already tamed, and actually made me hold her at the store (much to my own surprise, mind you). She has already tried to climb into my hand while I was feeding her, so maybe she IS somewhat tame. Oh well. Regardless, I'm letting her settle in without pressing her too much, and letting her make the first move while I'm poking around her cage, cleaning it and feeding her, which I only do in the evening when she's awake.

 

[spooky_doomdom]

I used to breed russian dwarfs, and I found the easiest way not to get nipped is to not take them out of the cage with your hand. Instead, place a toilet paper roll in front of the hamster and allow them to walk in on their own free will. I haven't gotten nipped since then. It seems they are very territorial.

 

[specks]

As morgan said hamsters are short sighted so if your fingers smell of food then its highly likely that you will get nipped. Please don't take this the wrong way buy you shouldn't clean the cage out too often. Hamsters do not like their homes disrupted too much. We used to clean out the toilet corner once a day but only give the cage a good clean out (change the bedding etc) once a week. You've made me want to start keeping them again (now where did we put all the cages? are they up in the loft I wonder?)

 

[Kiarra]

It was sort of an emergency cleaning. She'd made an absolute mess with her water.

I think the store or her breeder actually did tame her. She's all friendly now that she's settled in.

 

[OohFeeshy]

I have a hamster that I need to start being friendly with. I'll try and pursuade my sister (he's in her room) to swap him over. Oh, and BTW, as for cleaning them out, I find that with my hamsters (well, Charlie at least) that as long as you clean the 'toilet', the cage can be left uncleaned for a few weeks. Then again, he hardly ever comes out. His life cycle is sleep, eat, sleep, eat. No wonder he's so fat.....

 

[specks]

I always had mine out of the cage for a run around every day. We had one, a male who wasn't very friendly so we put him in a ball as we never managed to handle him but all the others were females & were very friendly. Trouble is when they went back in the cages I had to go around & clear up the little piles of food that they had hidden up. On one occasion one of them went behind the cooker (I didn't usually let them loose in the kitchen) & she started to tear strips of wallpaper to make a nest. Hubby was not ammused.

 

[rdd1952]

I've never owned a hamster but my daughter had a couple when she was young. The best advice I can give you is oil the wheel really well and dont get one of the plastic ones. If not oiled, they will squeek like crazy when they are running at 2:00 AM in the morning when you are TRYING to sleep. Some one snoring isn't a drop in the bucket to the squeeking of one of those wheels. And the plastic ones can't be oiled so there's no way to stop them from squeeking.

 

[Kiarra]

I plan on letting my hamster out every day in her little ball. I have cats, so her getting loose would be a very, very, very bad thing. With the ball, I have a lot more possibilities in where I can take her, so she can't get away or get harrassed by the kitties. She loves her little ball already. I may have to move it away from her cage, though...she tries to go through the glass to get to it. Such a cutie.

Thanks for the advice on the wheel! I'll have to follow it...the hamster lives in my bedroom. I'm getting used to the toads and the frogs all night, but I don't think I could sleep through a squeeky wheel.

 

[specks]

Dont leave her in the ball for too long as it will get too hot for her. Have fun with her, they dont live for too long so enjoy her while you can. I think thats why we stopped keeping them cos I would get so upset when one passed away.

 

[Kiarra]

Really? Even with a ventilated ball? Noted!

 

[Bloo]

I've never owned a hamster but my daughter had a couple when she was young. The best advice I can give you is oil the wheel really well and dont get one of the plastic ones. If not oiled, they will squeek like crazy when they are running at 2:00 AM in the morning when you are TRYING to sleep. Some one snoring isn't a drop in the bucket to the squeeking of one of those wheels. And the plastic ones can't be oiled so there's no way to stop them from squeeking.

Oh how very right you are there (about the snoring being no comparison whatsoever!! )
I also agree about the wheel. Get a good quality metal wheel (obviously with the right kind of bars that are little squares as opposed to straight bars) and when it starts squeaking, just put a very small drop of vegetable oil (it's the safest really) on each hinge. Ahh, bliss.
I also found most plastic wheels quite unstable (relatively) and go wonky after a while - and my hamsters never liked them as much as the metal ones