Should I release my hamster?

Question

I have had a hamster since April. I saw that they were four quid, and since I had the cage and everything from last owning a hamster, I bought one.

When it was younger, it wouldn't like being handled - and bit. So whilst we did take it out of it's cage often and put it in it's ball, it's not really been handled.

Currently, it refuses to use the wheel that we have put in the cage, piles all her sawdust up to one corner of the cage - and tries frantically each nice to get out (we put her in the ball every other night). Is there a way to prevent her trying to escape so much, aside from letting her go into the great outdoors?

There is the possible suggestion of 'put her in the ball more often' - we have tried that. When she gets returned to the cage, she starts scratching at the top again to get out.

Suggestions please.

Answer 1

Do NOT release her into the wild!!! Not only will it put the hamster's life in danger of a very unpleasant death it can affect the natural environment around where you live in a negative manner since hamsters are not indiginous there.

Just make sure she gets a LOT of exercise ....even to the point that going back to her cage will be a PLEASANT experience and not a negative one. You can buy all sorts of tubing to build very long winding tunnels for hamsters to run in. Make her a maze out of this stuff and hide bits of food and places for water in all sorts of areas of that maze. Rebuild it once in a while to change it up for her so she doesn't get bored with it.

Answer 2

Hamsters often stop using their wheel because most wheels in hamster cages or that you buy are too small for a fully grown hamster to run comfortably. I was never able to find bigger ones when I had my hamster so good luck to you if you can find one.
Hamsters like to nest and dig burrows in the wild so this is probably why she is piling up all the sawdust.
Most hamsters are very good at escaping and will do so at any opportunity so I would suggest that you just try to ignore her scratching unless you think that she is unwell.
Try stroking it and feeding it food from your hand while it is in its cage, if it becomes more confident, try lifting it inside the cage. If i allows you to do that, then it will probably let you handle it after a week or so, however, some hamsters are nervous and never get used to being handled. I am glad that you still let it out in the ball.

Answer 3

More toys. Your hamster is bored.

Try some homemade toys: empty toliet paper or paper towel rolls, unflavored rawhide hung from a string, blocks of wood, bedding material (such as shredded newspaper or paper towels), a mirror, and so on. More 'ball time' would help too. Try a different wheel---some hamsters are finicky and only like solid wheels, wire wheels, plastic wheels, and such.

If your hamster is a dwarf, you can get her a friend (another female).

Whatever you do, don't release your hamster---she's not a wild animal and doesn't know how to survive---she'll be killed by a bird, dog, cat, or some other animal. If you don't want her, then find another home for her.

Answer 4

i had a hamster 14 years ago when i was 5 and learned that they do not liek to be handeled cause it would always bite be and id always run into my mothers room crying with blood running down my hand saying that the hamster bit me! lol

realeasin it into the wild will not do you any good, you will probab;y feel guilty afterwards. a outdoor neighborhood cat will probab;y catch it and eat it. or a hawk will fly over and eat it. or it would just starve to death. the only way you can tame it is to possibly put on some thik leather gloves so just incase it does bite you it doesnt puncture your skin. handel it every day. when he/she pushes al the saw dust to the side in the corner they are just really creating privacy and making a bed. eben when you walk into the pet stores and you see the hamsters they all have that int he corner of their cages. maybe you can try getting it a bigger cage. have it run around in the ball some more. whatever you do, do not let it run around loose! they can go anywhere and are hard to get if they disappear into a spot that u dont want. we let our hamster out and it got up into the stove system. there was a gap inbetween the floor and the cabinent and i told my mom "tigger (hamster) is going to go up there" my mom said not she wont then all of a sudden there she goes into the cabinents!. we had to call our neighbor. listen for our hamster and took out the chain saw to get her out! lol yeah just a story. but you shoudl try buying a pair of gloves and handling him/her more to tame it. if that doesnt work then you can always ask the pet store for suggestions. but please do not release it into the "wild" =)

Answer 5

Get it a bigger cage with more bells and whistles on it. It probably just needs a change of pace. If possible, get it a glass--not wire--cage so that it has a clear view of everything.

Don't release it. It will definitely die.

This goes along the lines of what you have already tried, but you could try to put her in her ball for longer periods of time--a couple hours, maybe. That might tire her out--both physically, and in her desire to explore.

Also, try new bedding. She might have developed an allergy to the sawdust and is just trying to get away from that. My hamster is allergic to all but one type of bedding.

If all else fails, call a veterinarian. They do work on hamsters (trust me, my hamster's face broke because he forgot to swallow the food he was carrying), and can probably tell you what to do.

Answer 6

Don't "set her free". If you must get rid of her, take her to a shelter/adoption agency that takes small animals. Another option is giving her to a friend. You didn't mention what kind of cage you're using; perhaps the problem lies in the suitibility of the cage for your individual hamster. Try talking to experianced workers at a pet store - they hear tons of animal problems and have both the answer and the means to let you buy what you need right there.
Best of luck.

Answer 7

DO NOT RELEASE YOUR HAMSTER. You could get a pen for it and just let it walk around outside and maybe put some treats all around the cage to make the cage seem more pleasant for her. Also you might want to talk to and expert or something you could go to http://www.allexperts.com/browse.cgi?catLvl=3&catID=2005 and ask some of these people questions. I've used it before and seems pretty good.

Answer 8

Whatever you do, don't just "release her" outdoors. She will be prey for some other animal. Also, hamsters can't tolerate the cold, if you live in an area where it is cold. Why don't you try getting another cage, or changing the type of bedding you use for her. (Sawdust?) For future reference, male hamsters make better pets. Good luck.

Answer 9

A hamster really doesn't belong in the wild so don't let it go. What you can do with your problems is this. You can contact a vet.Take your lil hamstey there and he'll answer your Inquiries. Or you could go to your local Pet smart or Pet co. and ask someone who works ther about who at the store can help. That's what I did with my hamster who sadly passed away last year.Marshmellow, I miss you!

Answer 10

hamsters are not able to survive in an outside environment once they have been domesticated. they would not find sufficient food and may even not run from predators. it may be that she needs to be out and about as much as she wants, and will eventually want to get into her cage when she learns she is being given more freedom. you may also try playing with her when she's in her ball to help her be more receptive to handling.