I've just bought a syrian hamster, and although I was told she was friendly, she bit me.?

Question

I have been told today that it will probably not be possible to tame her. I know the way to tame her is to handle her, but I do a lot of knitting and need my fingers intact. Any advice, or is she doomed to be a spectator pet. My winter white is fine although she does not like being handled much, she does not bite. I have had the syrian just one day, but if I leave her alone for a while, how do I know that she isn't going to bite me the next time i go near her.

Answer 1

If the hamsters new, then she'll probably be a bit nervous and cautious of her surroundings. She might bite you as she feels threatened or unsafe.

When you put your hand in the cage you should leave it in there for a while so she can sniff it and get used to your smell. If she bites you take your hand out of the cage, if she doesn't try stroking her.

Take it step by step until she trusts you. It may take a few weeks but at least you'll get the most out of eachother.

It did this with my gerbils

Answer 2

When I first got my Syrian hamster, she looks so scared and would mostly hid under the runner wheel. Sometimes, when I get near to the cage she would make a defensive kind of sound and peed. This shows that she is scared and haven't been able to adjust herself to her surrounding yet. I rarely get near the cage for almost 3 days. I don't want to pressure her. Before I could hold her in my hand, it took me almost a week to gain her trust. What I did was I tried to let her get used to the presence of my hand. At early stage, I fed her from outside the cage. I gave her stripped carrot. Then, I move a step ahead by inserting my hand inside the cage and let her get the carrot from my hand instead of feeding her. I did that oftenly to gain her trust. Hamsters are full with curiosity, so when I opened the cage door, she came near and was looking forward to get out. Then, I placed my hand right in front of the door as platform and slowly she walked on my hand. From that moment I knew that she trusts me. I just bought my Syrian about 2 months ago. It doesn't takes much time though. I hope this might help you. GOOD LUCK.

Answer 3

it takes alot to tame them but all it takes to get her used to you is patience!

Answer 4

Ok... I have a drarf hamster and when I first got him, he was a biter. So wat i did was just keep picking him up and I tried to deal with the pain. Today he still bites, but only when I stick my hand in the cage to get him. After I  get him out he is just fine. So I dont know if this helped or not but I would just try to keep handleing him. Get a glove or something to get him out with. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 5

if your petting her she might bite you

Answer 6

Hey Mary!

Your hamsters reaction is only normal. Your hamster just doesn't know your scent yet, he might of felt threaten or he is in a new environment and he's scared. I suggest grabbing him with a glove in one hand so he wont bite you, and then placing him on  your other hand without a glove so he can get use to your scent. Practice this everyday so he can get use to the idea that your going to grab him and interact with him. I'm sure with time he'll be soo comfortable with you. :)

Answer 7

She's scared.  My Hamster Artemis bit me the first day I had her even though she was quite tame in the cage.  It's because the hamsetr needs to get to know you, they're stressed from all the moving and new expreiences.  

After a few days of getting used to thing Artemis was as kind as a kitten and I was playing with and petting her like mad.  

Give it a couple days, try filling her food dish by putting the food in with your hands, pet her, even softly breath on her.  This will get her used to you and your scent.

Answer 8

what I did. I picked mine up with leather gloves for a few days, always put my hand in the age inside the glove, picked her up with it and after she was up on my hands I took the gloves off.  If she bit, I put her right back in her cage. And picked her up with gloves on again.  After about a week I was able to handle her without the gloves.

Answer 9

Hamsters tend to bite when they are frightened. Do you chase your hamster to pick him/her up? If so this could be the reason.

You hamster needs to know he/she is safe. Put your hand in the top part of the cage and just leave it there. Don't ever chase your hamster. Each day do this several times if possible. After you feel the hamster is calm enough put your hand in more. Continue doing this tell you can lay your hand on the bottom of the cage with palm up. Eventually your hamster will come and sit on your hand. Maybe a little treat in your hand will help. When the hamster does sit on your hand don't move it. After a while you can raise your hand a few inches but not too much upward. If at any time the hamster still feel fear then go back to the last action. Eventually you will be able to raise your hand out of the cage and your hamster will not have fear and will enjoy sitting in your hand.

This takes time and patience and the more time you work with him/her the better they turn out.

NEVER FORCE HIM/HER TO DO ANYTHING THEY DON'T WANNA DO & TRY NOT TO JUMP OR SHOW FEAR OF THEM.

Good Luck!

Answer 10

Hi,Taming a hamster will take time u will need to start of by talking to her softly, then offer her a treat like a sunflower seed or carrot just something nice when she is ok with eatin frm ur hand then u can start to stroke her when she is ok with this u can attempt to gently scoop her up or let her walk onto your hand . Bear in mind it may take time i have just bought 2 degus a week and a half ago and they are still skittish. The pet shop will tell u wot u wanna hear so that u buy.  Patience is the key. Relationships take time and so does trust.  Hopefully u will soon trust each ova. leave her for a few more days. Hope this helps.x

Answer 11

I think you have just answered your own question. It does not make any difference when you got her, you should be able to handle her immediately, without any biting incidents. This is a common mistake that is made by most people that buy from the pet shops. You should always assess the animal’s temperament before you buy, don’t just take their word for it; this can be done by asking to handle the hamster. Because once home, and after the initial settling in period: You may find that on trying to handle the animal, it starts biting or nipping. Any hamster regardless of its age, type, colour, or gender should never bite. The reason a hamster bites is simply, because it has a bad temperament: The temperament of any animal is not acquired by taming it: it is bred into them. This is the responsibility of a good breeder. A lot of breeders are not to concerned with temperament issues, and rely on quantity for profit rather than quality. A well bred hamster that has come from good breeders are very sweet natured animals, and will never bite. Yes you are right; the way to tame a hamster is to handle it, but I think you may not be so fortunate with the one you have.

Syrian hamster breeder

Answer 12

Take it easy. One bite does not determine whether or not she's a bad pet. Taming and earning her trust will take time. You should leave her alone for a day, and start handling her every day. This can be as simple as sitting near her cage, talking to her, and stroking her. Try handling her. Hold your hand palm up and put her in your hand. Hold it a little above the floor of the cage. If she wants to jump off, let her. Don't force her to stay on. Feed her yummy treats. Put some in the palm of your hand and encourage her to take it. Just work with her.

When I first got my gerbils, they were very skittish. One bit me so hard that I bled. Now, with time and taming, the one that bit me hard is a total sweetie. She never bites me, even if I accidentally handle her roughly or do something she doesn't like, such as checking her teeth.

Patience is key when taming. You don't know for sure that she won't bite you next time, but syrian hamsters tend to be easy to tame, so work with her. Keep at it.