Hamster Taming Problems

[Miss Panda]

I purchased a Black Bear hamster about 3 weeks ago. The first week I tried to let her get used to her cage and times that I fed her, changed the cage, etc. I knew she would be uncomfortable if I tried to interact with her too much.

She seems to enjoy her surroundings. She has a wheel and house and never ceases to amuse herself. We just want her to be ok with us, you know?

From the second week on I've tried to follow the guidelines in the hamster taming sticky, but she's still not acting much more tame that when I first started. I'm able to reach into her cage and pet her a little bit, but she usually flinches and sometimes tries to bite. We've used treats, but that sometimes causes her to bite our hands because she associates hand with food. We talk to her all the time, and she's so adorable. My husband has been able to scoop her up once while she was in her cage, but after he put her down...she just stood there like she was scared to death.

I'm just worried that she'll take forever to tame or not tame at all.

[veggiegirl]

Is she a young hamster? The younger ones are usually more nervous and high-strung. She might just need a little more time. I think it also depends on the sex of the hamster, and the hamster's individual personality. I've had 4 syrian hamsters-three males and one female. The female was much more hyper and nippy than the males. I was never able to completely tame her, so I just accepted her personality and enjoyed her as much as possible. I currently have a female dwarf hamster though who is very calm. She bites sometimes but I think she's just tasting my hand, like your hamster does. Anyway, I would continue socializing her gradually. If she's afraid of being picked up, just work on getting her used to your hand so she learns not to be afraid. Good luck and keep us posted!

[Halogengirlie]

It took me a solid month of training my Syrian Hamster.. and now I have the best hamser ever! Patience is Key!

This is what I did.. I never ever reached into her cage.

First the first few days I just sat near her cage in the evenings and talked to her.. also when I was on the phone with friends I would sit near her cage so that she would get used to my voice and presence.

I would also feed her treats through the door. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds are her favorite seeds.. but she also loves little nibbles of apple and millet.

Then I would but the hamster ball directly at the cage entrance, and hold it there until she was in it. I would then close her in and let her run around in it until she wore off some of her excess energy. Some days I would then take her to the bathtub with me (no water). I would then let her crawl on me and I wouldn't have to worry about her running off or jumping out of my hands.

My hamster LOVES the ball, so everynight she would come out into the ball, and then I would play with her afterwards. Now every night at 9:00 she bangs on her door until I let her out. She is comfortable enough with me to walk right out the door onto my hand. I never wake her up or grab at her. Occassionally during the day I'll see her awake and I'll open the door.. if she wants to come out she will.. if not I leave her alone.

But everynight around 9:00 she comes out on her own and she spends about an hour outside of her cage.

I hope my technique helps you out!

[Miss Panda]

Aha! I'm so glad to hear that you did what I've wanted to do. I've been hesitant about getting a ball now so I can let her hop into it straight from the cage. My husband says we should be able to pick her up first...but I really want to get her out of the cage and I think the ball is a good idea.

We always talk to her when she's awake, and she doesn't shy away from us when we get close to the cage or reach in to change food and water. My hammy's favorites are also pumpkin and sunflower seeds. She also loves bits of corn, apple, and squash (we had some fresh from my in-laws). She really seems more comfortable with us than when we first got her, we're just waiting to see when she'll be ok with us picking her up. Thanks again for recommending the ball idea!

[Halogengirlie]

Hamsters are always hesistant to leave the safety of their cages.. but somehow entering into their ball (a nice enlcosed space) is no problem.

Even now when she comes out of her cage onto my hand she does it slower than when she goes into the ball. She trusts me, but she is constantly smelling and looking at the ceiling... and I can tell that she is scanning the room for predators. Once she decides that it is safe she hops out onto my hand and play time begins!

*lol* Right now she just started banging on her door... a little earlier than usual tonight *lol*

Well give it a try! As far as I'm concerned as long as you and her get face time and personal interaction. It shouldn't matter if it happens before of after a little run time in her ball.

It took me 1 month solid to gain her trust, and I spent 1 hour minumum a night working with her. Now she's the sweetest!

Ok gotta run, hamster calling!

[Miss Panda]

I just wanted to give everyone an update on my little black bear:

We started letting her out into the ball every evening for 20 or so minutes (until she seemed bored with the floor, hehe). After a few days of that, I tried to get her used to my hand being around. I would just put my hand, palm up, into the cage until she would either step onto it or at least regard that it was there. Finally she decided to put her whole weight on my hand, and she walked across it.

I'm sure she knows my hand is safe (she now recognizes that she can chew on the plastic ring sizer on my wedding ring...so I take that off before handling her, lol). After she gets back in the cage from the ball, she's usually all wound up and paces the front of the cage. I'll open the door to the cage, and she immediately loves to walk out onto my hand! I'll usually set her down on the desk in front of her cage and she's more than happy to have a look around. I just have to make sure there's nothing there she doesn't need to chew on. She still getting used to the idea of me cupping my hands around her completely, but she only squirms a little bit out of my hands instead of freaking out completely like she used to do weeks ago at the site of human contact.

I'm so happy that I kept at it! I really feel like there's a connection between us now that she can trust me! ^__^

[Halogengirlie]

Congrats! I'm so glad that the ball technique helped you out.. I've had my hamster for about... umm.. three months? and now she's the greatest... she'll even let me flip her on her back from time to time.. but occasionally she will get irritated and make clicking sounds at me *lol*

[Cinnamon]

I read that if you and your dear hamster sit together in an empty tub and let her crawl on you she will learn your scent