Hi, I have a cute lil' hamster named Butter Nut. Although she is cute I have two problems:
1.Whenever I open her cage to give her a quick scratch on the back or to give her food she runs and hides in her tube. I have tried to be quiet, but she just obviously doesn't like me.
2. She likes to bite. Although she doesnt draw blood it still hurt rather badly. I always wash my hands before I stick my hand in the cage. And if she doesn't run away at first she will bite then she will run away. Also the times that I can get her out she will bite my hands. I have also changed the soap that I use on my hands to see if she just liked the taste of the other soap, but needless to say she still bites. Just to give you more details I don't put any lotion or touch any of her food before I put my hand in her cage. Once again I think she just doesn't like me.
Please help I love Butter Nut very much, but I would not like her to be ignored due to her bad biting habbit.
Kaity
2007-01-13 11:23:31 · 7 answers · asked by Kaity 1 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
Daily handling is important. I had a litter of pups not long ago that all bit me. As you can imagine cage cleaning and playtime was dreaded. I got tired of the bulky gloves quickly and was disheartened. Someone gave me an excellent suggestion. They told me to put them in a cardboard box and clench my hand (making a fist) so the hamsters couldn't get a decent hold. They sniffed at first, but soon began ignoring my hand and thus became used to my smell. After a few weeks of this, the biting became infrequent and now it's extremely rare.
To speed things along for you, make sure that you do not give treats to your hamster in her cage. Take her out and THEN give her treats. She will associate being taken out with recieving treats and will want to come out often. Just be careful not to smell like the treats until you have her tamed.
Also, be sure to never wake a sleeping hamster by grabbing them. They will be sure to bite you out of fear. Instead, make some noise to awaken them and then place your hand (fist) in the cage and allow them to come to you. Have patience, running away at first is normal. It does not mean that your hamster dislikes you. It's a natural instinct to avoid anything larger than them out of fear that it is a predator.
Oh yes, another thing to try is blowing gently on her when she does bite you. They do not like this at all and will soon understand that biting=rush of air.
Good luck.
2007-01-13 11:51:41 · answer #1 · answered by CC 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Reassure yourself, it has nothing to do with what's on your hands or if she likes you. She needs to be handled more often; get used to you. When taking her out of her cage, always lift her from the front so she can see you coming. Consider giving her a treat while holding her so she associates you with something enjoyable. Don't squeeze. Make sure she's at ease, not frightened. Be patient and wear work gloves until she becomes more comfortable. (ya, hamsters can hurt.)
2007-01-13 11:37:43 · answer #2 · answered by brittabonita 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i visit relate to that. My cat is evil too. What i do is grab him by technique of the again of his neck and pa him gently on the rear and then bite his ear. He stops after that most of the time. My cat is 0.5 simese so thats why he's recommend. I actual have cuts and bite marks throughout my legs and palms. in case your cat remains less than a 12 months previous try a water gun and shoot it with water. If all else fails pop it on the nostril. they say it truly works yet I actual have not began to work out it. also attempt to get it fixed and de-clawed.
2016-11-23 16:38:34 · answer #3 · answered by lansford 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This reminds me of one of my hamsters about three years ago that would bite, but what I did to get her out of the bite habbit is that everytime I feed her, when she getting her food I open the cage door and start rubbing her back very soft and this maybe take months for this to work but it works for me.
My hamster that was name Snapper sounds more mean than your Buter Nut so if this did work for me then I know it got to work for you.
2007-01-13 12:03:14 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
make sure you wash your hands before you touch or pet it.
it's pretty much biting you because you have a food scent on your hand.
2007-01-13 11:57:27 · answer #5 · answered by bubble_bath951 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
what you do is put soap on your hand before she can bite you. she will dislike the taste and eventually stop.
2007-01-13 11:36:51 · answer #6 · answered by josh w 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
love and nuture her. i have a hamster named Jessica and she runs from me everytime i open her cage. but she doesn't bite. she's just very skiddish. her mother is also in my care.
2007-01-13 12:09:01 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋