Taming my new hamster?

Question

just got my new hamster today last one died of wet tail :( anyway could anyone give me help on taming him as the last one i had i never got the chance and i feel realy bad for not being able to tame him so my new one i would like to tame and give him a much richer life he is 5 weeks old thanks

Answer 1

good luck

Answer 2

play with him in an empty bath for 1/2 an hour every day until he gets used to you. feed him at the same time every day.

Answer 3

Hamster taming is a specialist area and not one to be entered into by amateurs. try visiting the website

www.rodenttraining.com

I have seen so many people ruin both theirs and the hamsters life by trying to train without the proper qualifications. Us professional rodent trainers who studied for 7 years to achieve our qualifications are often under utilised in this area, so for a small investment of around 20k you can have a fully house trained polite hamster, not much to ask is it?

Answer 4

Oh, some people are so helpful aren't they!!

Think back to how you tamed your last one maybe?

Just be gentle, let him sniff you hand and introduce yourself gradually, maybe feed him a little food from your hand and eventually you should be able to pick him up - but be patient - don't expect it to happen overnight.

Don't forget they have poor vision so it's best to be slow and quiet so they get used to you first.

Answer 5

Well when i got my hamster he always used to jump out of my hand out first but now my hamster is 1 years old he loves to be handled because i have just gradually kept on holding him.

Answer 6

the next time you clean his cage put your hand in there and touch everything so he can get your scent. And just keep on holding him so he can get used to you. Hope that helps!

Answer 7

before you start for your own safety make sure you fit him with a hammy muzzle

Answer 8

Just handle him regularly - he will soon become used to you.

My hamster (Honey) was the same, she would literally jump out of my hands or bite me really hard - I didn't give up trying to tame her - now she's totally different, gentle as anything and so cute, the key is just don't give up.

Answer 9

I have attached my hamster taming guide along with this email. Hope it helps you with your new hamster! Sorry about the other one that died of wet tail. Since wet tail is a bacterial infection, make sure you disinfect the cage thoroughly if you are putting the new one in the same cage.

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.

Answer 10

Wow, I just answered a question just like this a few days ago ^^

Well, you made a good choice in getting one that's so young; it will really help in the long-run because you're taming him as a baby.

I found that the whole offering treats thing never worked, so I tried a new approach. I took the hamster out of her cage and put her in the bathtub (just make sure its not wet...) and let her run around for a while; once she was more comfortable, I would gently stroke her back, though, almost immediately, she would dart away (which is why I said do it in the bathtub, so that once she got away, I could easily get to her), so I continued this, and soon, she wasn't darting away from the touch, because she realized that I wasn't any danger to her.

Also, when you try picking him up, don't corner him, if he's really scared, he could bite or just run away from your hand. I suggest cupping your hands (like a platform, with him in the middle of each hand) and kind of scooping him up like that; you don't want to cup your hand in a ball to pick him up either; he'll feel trapped in such an enclosed space and may bite so you let him go.

Hope this helps :)

Answer 11

First don't listen to greydays 20k is not worth it. When i took my hamster in it sudeenly jumped onto my hand and was grooming himself and this was the first day i was amazed. Then i read on the intrenet some people have speacil scents thatg attract animals and that was ok. But then my hamster died after 3 days due to wet tail. I was upset. So i brought another one .And that was a though cookie. You probally already got good info but my advice is to always tap the cage before letting your hand in or it might attack. Cause when i tapped the cage my hamster knew i was there then came out to play. Also if you are scared get a cup or something similar and let him crawl in with his free will then if he wants put your hand near the exit of the cup and low on the cage and he may jump on your hand. ( it is perfectley normal if he grooms himslef)

Answer 12

I replied to a similar question with this answer, I hope this helps :)

Hamsters need to be tamed slowly, but when they are fully tamed this will be fine. He's only been with you a few days, so he'll be scared!

When I tried to get my hamster used to me, I tried something that wasn't written about in books, as my hamster wouldn't take food from my palm. I put my hand in the cage, (make sure it's not the roof door!) and I left it flat and motionless. My hamster walked up to my hand and sniffed it, and repeated this for quite a while.

After about 10 or so minutes, as long as he has sniffed you quite a few times, take your hand out very slowly. Try this for a couple of days, and then see how he reacts to food out of your hand. Then try picking him up.

Also, don't be afraid to talk to him as you would a cat or a dog. A gentle voice can work wonders to a hamster, they find it soothing, and will grow to recognise it.

In my opinion, the best way for a hamster to come out is out of the door, onto your hand, because that way it's his own choice and he will have already been to the bathroom! But that doesn't always happen... I think I'm just lucky in that respect!

But if he is used to your scent, and knows he is in no danger, then he shouldn't be too frightened! Keep to slow, gentle movements and he should be ok soon :)

Answer 13

LMAO good luck

Answer 14

Congrats on your new hammy. I love hamsters, but I must admit that I find taming a hamster a long, tough thing to do, but well worth it in the end.

I think patience is the key thing here. Remember how large you are to him! And how scary it must be. Start by talking softly through the cage and letting him get your scent. They also begin to recognize your voice. When you're making up his bed rub your hands on the bedding so he gets used to your smell.

Also, I have found it's the intial gettig them out of the cage that frightens them, so gently guide him into a toilet roll tube to lift him out. This way you will avoid a bite. Guide him out of the tube into your hands and let him run over your hands for a few minutes. Do this during his wakey time several times every evening. He will soon get used to you.

Always move slowly and don't make loud noises as this startles them.

Also, when they're young they are reluctant to eat out of your hand, but if your patient they will come over and eat from your hand.

Good luck, and it will be well worth it! Give it 3 weeks!