I need help with a female honey hamster?

Question

i just bought a female honey hamster on wed. she is very cute but when i try to pick her up she runs away in her cage and curls up in a ball...she sometimes makes some kind of hissing noise but doesn't bite me. when i do finally get her i hold her close to me and talk to her she looks at me and then start pushing me away...am i doing something wrong is it possible a hamster can not like you? i even tried feeding her treats through the cage but she wont take them i also talk to her though the cage and call her but her name but all she all does is jump around when i do and she gets very scared...can someone please help me? i don't want to have to take her back i want her to like me.

Answer 1

easiest way is to let her come to you, let her chill for a few days to limit the stress but everyday go and talk to her so she can hear your voice. after that for a few days try putting some treats in the palm of your hand and she'll probably come up and eat them out of your hand. while she does this try stroking her. before you know it she'll be used to you and probably will run up to the door. finally after a few days of doing this when shes near your hand eating try and put your other hand under her rump and the hand shes eating out of slide under her as well and take her out of the cage (be sure to not hold her higher than 8 inches she might try and jump).

hope this helps

good luck

Answer 2

don't worry, you just should let it settle in for today and get more comfortable in her environment. they usually take two or three days. tommorrow is when i would suggest taming her. what you do is let her get used to your hand being in the cage. put it in there for like ten minutes a day. don't chase after her and try to hold her, that will cause her to get the wrong idea about your hand. keep putting it in there for about a week. then, start putting food into your palm. eventually, when she is comfortable with your hand, she may try to eat out of your hand. it doesn't usually work on my part the first time. they have to be very trusting of your hand. don't get discouraged if it doesn't work for the first few times. if she doesn't do it on the fourth day, try moving your hand around a little bit and seeing what she does. just keep on with the food thing and she will get used to it eventually.  

Answer 3

This is normal. Don't worry, it's just that you need to hand tame it first (that's when they will crawl into your hand without fear). She is just getting used to her environment. Leave her alone for the next couple of days, calling her name softly every time you pass the cage. A few days later. put a treat in your hand and lay it flat in the cage. Do this every day until she climbs into your hand without any nervousness, then lift her off the ground, but still in her cage. Each time lift her higher until she is comfortable with being held. Then she will associate you with treats and fun, and trust me, she will like you.

Answer 4

Hamsters are often very nervous when you first get them and the females can be a bit more grumpy.

You need to be patient with her and just keep trying. Be gentle and show her that you won't hurt her. Reward her with a small hamster treat when you have finished handling her so that she can associate you with good things.

Talk to her in a soft voice and avoid any sudden noises and movements. Let her come to you if you can and never wake her up as that will just annoy her.

Answer 5

Some hamsters take some time to get used to their surroundings. You should leave her alone for a couple of days and then start interacting with her. Let her get used to the new cage first otherwise she is gonna be very jittery with a new cage and a new stranger trying to handle her. I have attached my hamster taming guide for your reference. Hope it helps you bond with your new hamster. All the best!

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.