Why does my hamster bite me?

Question

why does my dwarf hamster bite me and when i try to hold him he try to escape and bite for me to let go. And how do i train my hamster not to p**p in his ball he run in. please help (:

Answer 1

its either your pet is having a stress whenever ur constantly holding him. take the ball out for a few days.

Answer 2

You need to get him to trust you. One of the ways is food! :3

Each time you take him out, praise him and before you put him back, give him a treat in the palm of your hand. If he doesn't accept it, then put it and him in his cage, saying "Good boy!", but each time you take him out, wait a bit longer for him to take the food. Sooner or later, he'll eat it in your hand.

He bites you because he probably feels threatened. When he bites you, say in a deep (but not overly strong, because they have sensitive ears) voice "No" and put him in his cage immediately without any treats. If he bites you next time, no matter if you've only spent 3 seconds with him, say "No" and put him in his cage. He'll get the gist of it when he figures out that he gets a yummy treat and a lot of praise when he doesn't bite you and gets sent back to his cage when he does bite you.

  About him escaping: I would play with him in a place that it's hard for him to escape, like an empty bathtub (plug up the drain). If you have a hamster proof room (free of holes and electrical items) then you can play with him in there.

  About the ball: Hamsters have to go when they have to go. I wouldn't try to force him to keep it clean, because hamsters (like a lot of people) can't control their bowels. But even if he doesn't p**p, you would have to clean the ball often to rid it of  urine.

  Treat your hamster with love and be patient with him. :) Good luck!

Answer 3

it might be that you haven't got him used to being handled and he hasn't got used to people

Answer 4

Take it slow when trying to tame him..he's just scared. Let him get used to you before you try to grab him. Dwarfs are harder to hand tame than syrian hamsters.

And as far as the pooping in the ball goes, you can't train them.

Just clean it out every time.

Hamsters just p**p wherever.

Answer 5

All hamsters are some of the most popular rodents that like  to bite. This is because they are scared or do not want to be held at the time. To be honest hamsters and gerbils can not be trained very easily so can't help you with that part. sorry!

Answer 6

Hamsters are rodents; they're very basic creatures.

Nothing you can do about the situation with his ball except keep it clean.  The better answer is to replace it with a wire frame wheel.

You train a hamster to not bite you by gently thumping him on the end of his nose with a finger *every* time he bites you.  You must be very consistent about it.

The reason he's trying to escape and biting you when you hold him is very likely because your hands are hot and he feels confined and uncomfortable and afraid.  Try putting a small towel on your lap and having him on the towel instead of trying to hold him in your hands.  Sit someplace where, if he jumps off the towel and runs away, you can capture him again easily.

Answer 7

Never thump an animal on its nose( you may thump a bit harder than you wanted to and accidentally kill your hammy) you can try the bitter apple spray that they sell in the pet stores or try putting something on your hands that the hamster doesn't like.  As for him pooping in his ball that is pretty much a lost cause.  A wire ball can cause injury especially if his little feet get caught in the mesh.   The hamster may be frightened of you since you are so big just talk quietly to it and move very slowly so you don't startle it.  I never trained a hamster so I have no ideas there.

Answer 8

You will have to earn your hamster's trust. Once the hamster starts trusting you, he will stop biting you. I have attached the hamster taming guide, hope it helps you with your hamster.

Hamster pooping in the ball cannot be stopped. Most hamsters would p**p in their hamster balls, it does not signify anything and is completely normal.

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.