Is my hamster afraid of me???

Question

he runs into his tubes between cages so i cant touch him everytime i open his cage!!!!! i didn't do anything bad to him. i have tamed him and never dropped him. he just started doing this like a week ago. all i do is open it to feed him or take his sand bath out to change it and he freaks out and runs to his cage!!! if i try to pick him up, he tries to run to his tubes again. i just don't get it, i open the cage quietly and let him know my hands there and thats when he runs!am i doing something wrong??? i wake him up once or twice a day to play with him.

Answer 1

Most hamsters don't like anybody putting their hands into its cage, especially syrians. Syrians get very territorial and possessive of their cage when they grow older and hence hate it when even their own pet owner puts his/her hand into the cage. That is the reason the same syrian who would allow you to take him from the cage when young might start biting if you do the same thing when he becomes a adult.

I would say your syrian is very sweet, he runs away from your hand so that you cannot touch him inside "his" cage but many syrians would bite in this case.

It is completely normal  and if otherwise he is playing with you properly outside the cage, then there is nothing to bother about it. If he was bitey, I would have told you to remove him from the cage whenever you are changing things in the cage but that is not the case with your syrian.  From now on when you take him out from the cage, use a tube or a cup, then he would easily get into it and come out instead of running away on smelling your hand.

Answer 2

do you make sure he knows youre there when you go to open the cage? i know sometimes ill walk up to my cage and my poor little winter white will run up the tubes as fast as she can and hide becuz i scared her!! i just coax her out patiently and give her treats...and everytime i walk up to her cage i make noises b4 i get there so she knos im coming......like ill say hi or something. if that doesnt work then just try taming him again maybe?

good luck and hope i helped!!

Answer 3

my hamster does this too! i think your hamster is afraid to let you pick him up because he isn't use to it. i pick up my hamster all the time but he always runs around in the cage when i pick him up :(

Answer 4

i would check and and make sure he's not sick

if that's not the problem just keep trying

if you have any siblings they could've done something

Answer 5

You should just pet him daily.What I mean is that you should stick your hand in and pet his fur.(If you want, put on gloves so when he bites it wont heat!)Do this for maybe one week then try and pick him up!This should work.If not,repeat this procedure!

Answer 6

at night before you go to bed dont let him have any food besides the ones in your hand and put your hand in his cage he'll get some, this'll help and also look up taming hamsters on google.  G'luck

Answer 7

wake him up at like 8-8.30 at night hold him for a bit (be calm) then put him in his ball for like 20 min's then hold him for a bit longer then put him away dont wake him in the day hes nockternal

just try to be calm and wake him at night!

Answer 8

wake him up to play with him??!!....there's your problem...he's gotta work in the morning!!