How to tame my hamster our daughters hamster will not stop biting us no matter how much we handle her?

Question

she just bite everytime we get near her she out in her ball everyday and loves it shes got a very very large 3 storery cage with loads of climbing bars for her she always come to us when we open the cage but still bites us weve tried everything we can think of but it just doesnt work any tips would be helpful

thx rob

Answer 1

Biting is generally defensive reaction and shows that she has not yet started trusting your smell or sound. Once she trusts you, she would never bite you when you handle her. I have attached my guide to taming hamsters. Hope it of use to you to tame your little hamster.

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.

Answer 2

She might think that it is alright to let you near her but thinks touching her is threatening.

Sit outside it's cage and talk to it soothingly- about anything. When it is nice and calm stick your hand near the cage. Then after a while shift your hand slightly nearer and so on until you can get your hand in the cage. Eventually attempt to touch her. Do this yourself first, then another adult and then your daughter. It is best to do this on separate days.

It requires a lot of patience but it should work.

IMPORTANT:

Do not make ant sudden movements

Do not raise your voice or shout anywhere near it.

Make sure there are no distractions, eg. other people or pets entering the room.

Ensure there are no sounds such as people/pets moving around or talking outside. Even if you cannot hear anything, your pet probably can.

It probably won't work for maybe even days, just be patient. Your pet probably thinks it is protecting itself by biting you and is scared of you or your daughter.

If she tries to bite you when you try to touch her your safety comes first. GET OUT OF THE WAY.

Make sure there is no alcohol on your breath or anything, as alcohol puts most animals on edge when they smell it.

MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT FEED IT. THIS MAY ENCOURAGE IT TO BITE. Most animals, when fed t*t bits, learn to expect them and will bite if they do not get what they want.

Answer 3

Kick the piece of c**p. lol

NO DONT DO THAT! i am only kidding.

Seriously its probably scared. Use your inititive and be carful with it.

Answer 4

well u could get a new hamster but if ur daughter loves it 2 much dont give it away.have u ever tryd giveing it some lettice or something.or mabe try 2 get a rag  put it aroud the hamster but let the head out .then just sit there so it will feel save hamsters do not feel save around people because we r biger than they r.so they a tend 2 bite.my hamster had the same problem.

Answer 5

do you smell of food?

she might be scared or trying to tell you to go away

Answer 6

well u can always put some gloves on so it dose not hurt really

and cheak out this site www.freewebs/happyhamsterhelp  

hope this helps =)

Answer 7

some hamsters are just mean. mine used to bite me everytime i put my hand in the  cage. i had to use gloves to pick her up when i cleaned the cage.but now she is getting better, i can pick her up now,she is still quick to turn around and im sure she would bite me again if i didnt move my hands from her.my big problem was i was putting my hands in right in front of her so she would see me and not be scared, so she would bite me, now  i come in from behind slowly and pet her first. mine is still kinda young though and very hyper.im not sure if shell ever calm down. good luck