Best way 2 tame hamster?

Question

my hamster is a female syrian hamster that is 8 weeks old and i was wondering when and how to tame her. i've had her at home for 6 days. wat should i do?

people who have tamed their own hamsters r prefered :-)

Answer 1

The best way to do it now that she has settled into her home is to wait until she has woken up, give her a little time to become active, you can talk gently while she is waking up, this will get her used to the sound of your voice. Make sure that you wash your hands before handling, then go into the cage and pick up some wood shavings and rub them on your hands, (don't worry it won't mask your scent completely), then you can do things like sitting with your hand in the cage and allow her to come to you, or offer some tempting tit bits like a piece of apple or something, (when giving fresh food though don't give her too much as it can upset their stomachs and if she puts it straight into her pouches don't give her anymore as she will then go and store it and it will go off). You can also stroke her and if she will allow it pick her up and put her back down, do all these things for a little while and do it now while she is young and hopefully she will be tame in no time. Whatever you do don't grab at her or frighten her as it can cause stress which can then lead to a condition called wet tail which can be fatal. Good luck and I hope you and your little furry friend are happy in the future.

Answer 2

OK the first thing to do will sound weird but it helps.Wear an old pair of socks you DON'T want anymore for a day and then take them off and put 1 in her cage and throw away the other.This will get her used to thinking that your scent doesn't pose a threat.This is important because hamster eyesight is not that great.

Then wait 2 days (leaving her with the sock)then when she is awake and not eating or grooming put some sunflower seeds on your palm and put your hand in the cage.She may nibble your fingers but will not bite hard-nibbling is her way of seeing what you are.Let her take the seeds but don't try and lift her out or pet her.

Repeat that once or twice a day for 2 or 3 days,then try and gently stroke her with a finger while she is near your hand.Do that for a couple of days then assuming she doesn't run,gently put both hands side by side with her in the middle and slowly lift her out,sit down and stroke her with 1 hand for a minute then put her back,repeat this over several days or a week slowly increasing how long you have her out for.

Eventually she will be totally relaxed with you.The key is patience.

Answer 3

Holding the hamster frequently is the best way to tame her. Never try to hold her when she's sleeping, she may bite. Syrians bite however a lot less often then a dwarfs would. Try offering a piece of food or a treat to her first. My son is our trainer and he has also used a food dish or a toilet paper roll and has the hamster climb either in the bowl or into the roll then out into his hand. Always use a soft voice when handling your hamster, they have sensitive hearing and are easily startled by loud noises or voices. Our hamsters that bite more (our dwarfs) we wait until they pack their cheek pouches full of food then hold them for a few minutes, they can't open their mouth easily and are less likely to bite. When attempting to pick her up it's best to try at night first when she is awake and use a scooping motion. Always use both hands until she is more comfortable with you and you of her. My older hamsters, I can now pick up with one hand and they don't attempt to jump any more. I've rescued older hamsters that weren't handled enough or improperly and it took them about two months of working with them to come around to us. Just remember it takes time and patience.

Here is a link to a site that gives additional tips on handling and taming a hamster.

Answer 4

You hamster needs to know he/she is safe. Put your hand in the top part of the cage and just leave it there. Don't ever chase your hamster. Each day do this several times if possible. After you feel the hamster is calm enough put your hand in more. Continue doing this tell you can lay your hand on the bottom of the cage with palm up. Eventually your hamster will come and sit on your hand. Maybe a little treat in your hand will help. When the hamster does sit on your hand don't move it. After a while you can raise your hand a few inches but not too much upward. If at any time the hamster still feel fear then go back to the last action. Eventually you will be able to raise your hand out of the cage and your hamster will not have fear and will enjoy sitting in your hand.

This takes time and patience and the more time you work with him/her the better they turn out.

NEVER FORCE HIM/HER TO DO ANYTHING THEY DON'T WANNA DO & TRY NOT TO JUMP OR SHOW FEAR OF THEM.

Good Luck hun.

p.s. If you want you can either send me a instant message on yahoo with this name or email me @yahoo.com with this name...

Answer 5

i have a female Syrian hamster and shes now three months old i found at first when i opened her cage to get her out she would run and when i did get her out she wanted to jump everywhere so i started with a toilet roll in her cage and encouraged her to go into so i could handle her with out being scared of me that is a problem with hamsters if you grab them or Frighten them training takes longer than normal.when i got her out i would hold her with both hands cupped and talk to her she wriggled but i did that for a few days and she seemed to settle down then i put her in the bath with out water just in case people think I'm trying to drown it and let her run round i scooped her up in my hands if you grab a young hamster it bites so this way i was not frightening her handling is the only way to do it but be gentle and try the things i said it does work mines so tame know it just sits on my hand and i can hand feed her good luck

Answer 6

firstly you should rub your hamsters sawdust all over your hands, so you get his smell on you, stroke him first let him get his confidence up with you for about a week then try to pick him up by laying your hand on the bottom of the cage and letting him walk onto your hand, then hey presto you will have a tame hamster.

Answer 7

Pick it up and stroke it thiswill eventually tame the thing

Answer 8

by holding her,the sooner you do it the sooner she will feel comfortable with being held,hamsters are good pets to have,i love them.

Answer 9

You need to handle her a lot so she get used to you.

Answer 10

she has to be handled a lot.