When ever I want to hold my hamster she always wants to jump out of my hand and run away. What can i do to stop it?
2007-05-29 03:34:20 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Rodents
You can't 'fix it' per se, as it's normal hamster behaviour. How long have you had the hamster for? It's not unusual for them to be difficult to handle when you first get them - perservere and she should settle down.
How are you holding her? It should be in cupped hands to pick her up and hold her - don't try clamping a hand round her as it'll only scare her more. Just let her sit in your cupped hands and try to keep up with her running around! She may in time just sit in your hand to eat a treat or something, but mostly hamsters don't really stop running around, unless they're ill or really old!
Chalice
2007-05-29 03:55:54 · answer #1 · answered by Chalice 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Get a piece of lettuce. Hold the lettuce in your hand and put the hamster in your hand with the lettuce. Keep doing this at different times of the day. Eventually you'll teach your hamster that it's a good thing to be picked up instead of it feeling afraid (which is natural for any animal that small to feel when picked up by something so much larger). You have to teach her that she gets food when picked up instead of becoming food.
2007-05-29 10:42:55 · answer #2 · answered by sonofstar 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The more you handle your hamster, the tamer she will become but SHE may never want to just sit still in your hand ... you may want to 'pet' her but all she wants to do is to go off and explore!
Try cupping your hands together and allowing your hamster to move from one hand to the other, ensure you hold her over a table, close to the floor etc ... so if she does manage to 'jump' off you, she will not hurt herself!
Have fun!
2007-05-29 10:50:14 · answer #3 · answered by Tifferz 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
She is probably uncomfortable with the way you hold her, you might be squeezing her, and not even noticing it. If you just got her, she needs to get used to you and her cage.
Never make your fingers into a ring and slip her in. Open your palm and let her sit there, and switch hands every minute or so. Or, use both hands so you won't squeeze her. But never ever drop her, accident or not. She will really be frightened if you do.
2007-05-29 15:21:41 · answer #4 · answered by juicystarrr 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If she is trying to jump out of your hand its a sign she feels nervous or scared.... Time to bribe her into believing your hand is her best friend LOL
Make sure you offer her lots of treats so so will think of your hand as something nice, rather than something to fear, and when you do take her out, let her race around the house EVERY evening in her exercise ball. Coming out the cage will seem exciting for her.
I have had my male syrian a year and i do remember when i first handeled him he jumped from my hands. You just have to make them think its to their benefit when you hold them. He only did it the once. Every evening, or first thing in the morning he goes slighty scatty because he wants to come out of his cage. He responds to mine and my husbands voice. He is extremely sociable, and never bites, so dont worry to much. Yours will be the same too in a few weeks.
2007-05-29 11:06:46 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
i have had to buy another hamster some hamster accept you like the common hamsters but the funny named hamsters well it is just in there nature wa hamster have u got all makes a difference
2007-05-29 10:47:44 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
maybe you're scaring her. i had a hamster that did that even though i didn't scare her. you can't stop it. but if you're scaring her, then approach her slowly in the cage and let her sniff you. don't worry if she bites, it barely hurts. wait till she walks on you, or if she doesn't, bring your other hand in and let her sniff that, and slowly push her onto your other hand. make sure you dont smell like food or else she will bite.
2007-05-29 17:42:45 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can't stop it, it's natural. They are frightened of you no matter how much you do it.
One way to try and keep her in your hand is to put food in your hand but when that's run out she'll probably try and run away again.
Whatever you do, don't squeeze her!
2007-05-29 10:38:03 · answer #8 · answered by Bert 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybee If you TAME your hammie then it wont be scared of you.
Taming a hamster takes time.Be patient and its all worth it at the end.
2007-05-29 10:52:31 · answer #9 · answered by x.X.Barbie-Doll.X.x 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋