What is the best way to get your hamster to warm up to you?

Question

My new hamster has just arrived home. I want to know the best way to get her to warm up to me so I can take her out of her cage and play with her.

Answer 1

When bringing a new hamster home, do not expect that it will come into your hands immediately as the hamster will still be afraid and shy of you. In order to have your hamster to trust you, you should occasionly give hime treats and avoid handling him until he will gain trust in you and will come on your hands on his own. This usually takes days or even months! Patience is an important factor. Also, to avoid any bites from your hamster, make sure that you wash your hands well after handling any food or else the hamster could bite you, (as the hamster would think that your hand is food!).

Kind Regards

Nadia Vella

http://www.hamster-club.com

[e-mail]

Answer 2

I have attached my hamster taming guide for your reference. All the best & congragulations on your new hammie.

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.