Hamster Advice.

rojones

rojones

rojones

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Done a search and nobody seems to have asked before for Hamster help heh.

Anyway, we got a syrian hamster the other day as a pet for my daughter (although obviously i knew i would end up doing any work that was required in terms of looking after it). Its been a long time since i had any small pets of this kind probably about 18 years or so.

Basically i expected it to be pretty scared of us at 1st and knew that they would bite when they are fearful or if they thought it was food they are smelling. Ive rested my hand on the floor of the cage a few times just to allow him to come over and perhaps get used to me but both times he has done a full on bite and i mean drawing blood type bite. Now i have read numerous websites with suggestions on how to get him more used to me so this wont happen just wondering if anyone has additional suggestions.

I was pretty surprised at how hard it would bite tbh, especially the drawing blood thing hehe.
 
I have the same type of hamster.

If i just stick my hand in the cage she will bite it because the oils on our skin and in our hair smells like food to them!

I use a specfic hand wash before picking her up and now she actually walks onto my hands when she can smell the soap i use.

The dont simply walk over and allow you to touch them, your massive to them you have to get the hamster to trust you a great deal.

My hammy will now simply sit in my lap and fall asleep sometimes if i handel her enough (hours lol)

She tryed to bite me for 4 weeks so i used gloves, if you have thin gloves on the hamster cant draw your blood as there will be no grip on your fingers but it will help the hammy get used to you.

get some thin soft gloves. NOT wooly as hamsters love to eat wooly stuff
 
I have had two hamsters.
One was a vicious little b****** and wouldn't let anyone get near the cage without jumping at the bars and snarling - literally! Read about hamsters inflating themselves when angry!
However it was also very active for a hamster and used to swing across the top of its cage.

The other was as quiet (but also less active) as possible and would just walk onto my hand when I opened the cage. It also had a taste for daddy long legs!

Yes, a hamster or gerbil bite can go through a small finger with ease - my Dad can testify to that!


Andrew
 
Cheers for the advice. I'm not trying to go grab it, just allowing it to come to me but obviously i need to try another approach as suggested.

Also what kind of material gloves did you use then ?
 
Buy a cat and buy a dog.

Set all three free at once and watch the chaos ensue.

Winner takes all.
 
buy an unscented soap and obviously dont handle them after you have handled food

ours was a biter for the first couple of weeks but hasnt bitten now since the end of the first month we got her (april)

also male or female?

female will get hormonal and will be more bitey, I think ovulation only lasts 12 hours or so

just remember, they bite because they are afraid..they will bite more if you disturb them before they are ready to get up..they are nocturnal after all and dont like being rudely awoken

they can be trained, treats after being handled..ours looks miffed if she gets put back now without a yoghurt drop

theres plenty of advice available on the net from care to diet (I was amazed what they could eat)
 
I had a hamster a few years ago as the missus wanted a pet. Evil little mother ******.

About as much fun as hepatitis, and harder to get rid of.
 
Orrible little things hamsters...shoulda got a couple of non-biting intelligent rats instead. (& male ones...their balls are usually the hilight of any visitor!)

Usually tho hamsters are best handled from an early age & frequently. (so my long departed rats used to tell me)
 
Offer it food, you might gain its trust and make slow movements. Make sure your hands are clean of nice smells and let it come to you.

Not all hamsters are nasty. My two syrians are both very friendly and quite happy to be picked up and cuddled. In the 20 odd years I've kept hamsters I have only ever been bitten once. I always make sure mine are happy to be handled before I buy them, I'd never purchase one without having a hold in the pet shop first.
 
My current syrian I got from the pet store when it was very young, it SCREAMED when it was picked up and in the box on its way home. Opening the cage and you going anywhere near it resulted in screaming and the hamster trying to get away.

I've had 2 syrians before this one, and I knew handling it was the only way, its now fine to be picked up, just got the lay down the law to be honest.
 
Im guessing that it will take awhile for them to be more accustom to the new home so will be more on edge during this process?
 
Leave them alone for a dew days to settle down, it's pretty stressful for them, and then start trying to offer treats through the bars, next rub your hand in their sawdust and try stroking them inside the cage while offering treats, slowly they get used to you and you can start trying to pick them up still inside the cage though.

You can also try seeing if they want to walk on your hand if you lie it on the floor of the cage.

It's a gradual process and can vary in how long it takes.

My last hamster Winnie got there very quickly but my girlfriends hamster although she would let you pick her up a lot sooner than Winnie was 'on edge' for a lot longer and resisted being picked up for a couple of months, any sudden movements and she'd try to get away from you when being held too, she's fine now though.

Gloves may be a good idea yes! A week yesterday since I lost my Winnie man :(
 
I had 2 hamsters when i was younger, i read a book that explained they have to get used to your scent before they'll trust you and it suggested cutting off a little bit of your hair and putting it in the cage, the hamsters find the hair and use it in their nest and get used to your scent surrounding them.

I used this method and it worked like a charm for me.
 
This reminds me of something from the "Brand New Monty Python Bok" titled "Hamster: A Warning".

Either way, I used to have hamsters when I was a kid and I just used to pick the buggers up and play with them until they got used to it. Yup, I got bitten a fair bit in the process but they got used to it after a while.
 
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