Hamster HELP!!!?

Question

I recently got a new teddy bear hamster and have let it settle into its new home. I am a little hesitant on picking up my new hamster because she is very jumpy! Any suggestions on how to get my hamster out of the cage and be able to hold her without completely freaking her out?

Answer 1

I had the same problem with

my Teddy Bear hamster.

What I did was pick up and hold my hamster

with a towel that way if he tried to

bite it wouldn't hurt.

And I would feed him a treat

every two days.

Now he is very friendly.

And if you have anymore questions about

your hamster check out this site:

http://kathyskritters.com/tales/index.ht...

Hope I helped !

Answer 2

get her hammy ball, put a treat in it, nd place it in the cage. he might crawl in! gently lift him out. dangle a carrot in her face, place it in your palm, then place it beside the ball. he will probably crawl out and snatch the carrot.

Answer 3

A hamster that has had very little, or no handling do usually freak out, simply because she has not been tamed yet, this is just a natural reaction. But it is a good sign that she does not attempt to bite as you try to pick her up. This is a good indication that she has a fairly good temperament.

As a breeder I tame and socialize baby hamsters every week, and do it in a matter of hours, rather than day’s or weeks. Washing your hands, or offering her treats will make no difference at all, this will not make her any less fearful of you. You really just have to handle her, but  be quick, fast and forceful, the longer she takes to tame, the more likely she will not want to be handled, and may start nipping to avoid that. She is freaking out because she frightened of you, she does not know what to expect from you. She does not know that you do not intend to harm her. Once she realises that, and the quicker she learns, the better for both of you.

All hamsters are a little jumpy at first, when you try to handle them; this is just a natural reaction. She doesn’t need any more time to settle now; you have to be fairly stern with her. Don’t be rough with her, but be quick, and be forceful. She will be scared, and may try to run away. It is not a case of being cruel to her, this way will avoid weeks of stress, for you, and your hamster, a young hamster that is put under prolonged, and undue stress will cause all kinds of problems.

You now need to gain her confidence and trust; this can be done very quickly, rather than over a great period of time. Once she feels she is safe in your hands she will slow down, and once this first obstacle is out of the way, you are well on the way to taming her.

Take her out of her cage, about half an hour after she has awakened, give her time to feed, water, and clean her self up. Scoop her up in both hands, and force her to walk from one hand to the other. Don’t give her time to think about it, keep her moving all the time. This will take her mind of other things. Once she realizes she is safe in your hands she will be a lot calmer, and she will slow down, and be more a lot confident with you, within minuets, I assure you.

Answer 4

Use my guide to taming hamsters and you can slowly build confidence in yourself and your hammie to handle her without biting soon.

Guide to taming hamsters -

Taming your hamster can be a long process, don't expect your hamster to suddenly like be handled over night. It can take weeks or even months depending on the hamster. Here the the steps to handling a hamster -

STEP 1 - When you first get your hamster leave it alone for the first 2 - 3 days to let it get used to it's new cage and surroundings. If you pick him up on the first day itself, he will definitely bite you since you are a stranger to him.

STEP 2 - Once the hammy seems comfortable in his new cage, start talking to him softly and hang around his cage enough for him to get used to your voice and smell. After this time feed your hamster some treats from your hand so he get used to seeing your hand. This might take a few days to happen but be patient. If you feel that the hamster still bites you, you can use gloves initially.

PRECAUTION - always interact with the hamster only when he is active. If you touch him or disturb him when he is sleeping, he can get angry and bite viciously.

STEP 3 - Once your hamster seems confident with taking treats out of your hand you can try to start handling your hamster. Before you handle your hamster make sure you have washed your hands well. Hamsters have a strong sense of smell. If they smell something on your hand they may mistake it for food and decide to bite!

Get a cup or something similar and place it into the hamster's cage. He should come to investigate and crawl inside. Take the hamster and cup out of the cage and let him walk out onto your hand. While you do this make sure you're sat down or sat close to the floor incase your hamster decides to jump. Let him walk from hand to hand. Be careful you don't grab or wrap your hands around your hamster until he is fully tame as this may scare him and he will jump out of your hand.

STEP 4 - Once your hamster is more confident with you, you can start to pick up your hamster straight from it's cage. Just make sure your hamster is aware that you are there, if not you may suddenly scare the hamster and it may turn around and bite you.

Best way to hold hamsters is to make them climb into one hand and cupping the other hand softly over the body so that his head pokes out from the gap between your two hands. Remember, do not apply any pressure on his body, he will get scared and snap at you.

I am sure your hammy will get used to you in a few weeks and would be your best friend soon. All the best!

Answer 5

I have the same problem with my hamster that i just got. A good way to pick her up is to use a toilet paper roll, wait until she gets in then pick it up and let the hamster walk out of the toilet paper tube onto your hand. You can also use a jar and scoop her up with that. You may want to hold her in the tub (with no water of course) or something so she can not escape but you can still interact with her. just play with her every day for 10-20 mins until she gets used to you. Make sure to wash your hands before you hold her because she may think that your hand is a tasty treat if it smells even the tiniest bit like food and will nip. Also when you open her cage, talk to her in a soft voice and give her a treat so she can associate your voice with things she enjoys.

Answer 6

Here is what you do: You put your hand in the cage so she gets your scent. The next time you put your hand in the cage you pick her up!