my hamster continues to bite me, what should i do?

Question

i'm still in denial that it may hate me...it's only been since june when i got it, and in the very beginning my hamster, gonesh, rarely bit me. i used gloves today cause now i'm scared of holding it. even when i used gloves it's like my hamster tried to shy away from being petted. what should i do gain more trust from it?

Answer 1

Guide To Taming Your Hamster!

Hamsters are often accused of being mean and nasty, especially Dwarfs! Sometimes this is true because they are allowed to become wild, but this situation can be avoided, or cured with a few easy steps!!!

After a short amount of time of no contact with humans, dwarf hamsters become untamed. To avoid this, you MUST handle your hamster at least once every two weeks. Unlike dwarfs, once Syrian hamsters are tame, they are tame for life. Because dwarfs have not been domesticated nearly as long as Syrians, they have a tendency of losing their tameness if they aren't held often enough. If a dwarf becomes untamed, just repeat these steps! For Syrians, only need to do this once!! LUCKY!!

Is your biting or nipping your hand? Is it difficult to get it to trust you? Are you afraid to handle your hamster? If so, you are not alone! Below is a 3-step guide for you so that holding your hamster will be fun, not dreaded. If it doesn't work at first, do the few tips at the bottom first!

1. First of all, you have to HOLD your hamster. Luckily, I know of an easy way to do this. Before you even begin to hold your hamster, always wash your hands to remove food smells! You will need either a rubber glove/ski glove or a tube of some sort. Habitrail tubes, jars, toilet paper rolls, or paper towel rolls will all do the trick.
GLOVE METHOD: Put the glove on and reach into the cage. Grab your hamster around the middle or scoop it out. Place the hamster in your other hand. It most likely will not bite, if it does, DO NOT DROP IT, AS IT WILL BECOME MORE AFRAID OF YOU!
TUBE/JAR METHOD: This is my favorite method because gloves are bulky. Get your tube and put the opposite end (the one you're not holding onto) next to your hamster. Usually they climb right in, but if it doesn't, push the tube over the hamster and quickly scoop it up. Dump it in your hand. Even though the hamster will come in contact with your bare hand, I have only had a hamster bite me once using this way!
2. Step 1 is the most difficult, so here's how you continue. Once you have your hamster in your hands, go to a quiet, carpeted room or the empty bathtub and sit down. Remain calm, don't make loud noises, and don't make startling movements. Pet your hamster gently and talk softly to it. Offer it treats and do your best to avoid dropping it.

3. Do Step 2 10 - 20 minutes per day for two weeks. For a few days, you will have to pick the hamster up using Step 1, but it will eventually let you pick it up without biting. Each day, be sure to offer it a treat or two and talk to it while you're doing this. This treatment will let your hamster know you aren't going to hurt it, and he will associate your voice with treats. Once this happens, you have completed the steps and are a master hamster trainer!

If your hamster continues to bite, give it a few days to acclimate to its new environment. Leave it alone in its cage without handling it for a few days. Talk to it softly through the cage, so it can become familiar with your voice. Try not to make any sudden or loud noises around it.

Offer it treats from your hand a couple of times a day. Slowly put your hand into the cage and dangle the treat in front of your hamster's nose. You can feed him carrot or apple bits for starters. He will begin to associate your hand with food and trust it.

After talking to your hamster and feeding it treats from your hand for a few days, you are ready for the next step. Wash your hands thoroughly. Slowly put one hand into the cage and lay it flat on the bottom. Keep it still and flat and let your hamster explore it. Hopefully, he will sniff and walk on it. If so, this is a very good sign. Keep doing this for at least a week before trying to handle it. If the hamster climbs into your hand and sits there, lift him up a couple of inches and set him back down. He will get used to you, and hopefully allow you to handle him.

Answer 2

Is it like this with everyone or just you? If it's just you, then I suggest you change your frame of mind when approaching it. If you're anxious, you're eminating nervous energy, and no wonder it bites, no one wants to be held by a stressed person! If it's like this with everyone than it's the hamster, and may not have had a calm life getting to the pet store where you bought it. In that case you will have to be patient, and possibly have a hamster you don't pet. Try calmly every day. Put your hand in the tank every day but leave him be - don't pick him up. Let him get used to your hand first and you calm first, then pet him, but don't pick him up, every day for a while, and so on, you see? One step at a time - that's how you earn trust with anything! Good luck!

Answer 3

I have a hammy I used to call The Killer Ham. She would always bite me, usually when I got her out of the cage.

What solved the problem for me was a different cage. I got a Crittertail cage with a door fairly low on the the front. This let me open the door and then hold my hand there. She would climb over the sill of the cage, onto the door and then into my hand. When she would climb into my hand on her own, she never bit me.

It seemed that the act of putting my hand DOWN into her cage was the source of her agitation. The male hammy I now have in her old cage, I get out by putting my hand down into the cage floor or on top of his house - holding my hand with fingers closed like a cup. He will climb into my hand on his own. (She would have bitten me anyway!)

Good luck. Also, you mention petting it - neither of my hammys really like being petted as such. They enjoy crawling around my hand and arms and squirming out of my hands if I make a ball around them with both hands. But as for petting their heads or bodies like a dog, they don't care for it.

I have both cages arranged on a table, with a soft white towel underneath, wood shavings bag between the cages and the corners of the cages up to the edge of the table. This creates a fairly small play area in front of the cages. I let them both out into this area, to play alone or to socialize - while I supervise. They don't go off the edge of table and can't get past the barrier so they just nose around the things laying there, usually some treats I put out too. This is a good way to let your hammy get used to you also. You could make a similar play area using pieces of wood, shelves or even cardboard.

Answer 4

I used to have the meanest hampster...omg!! ok when i would transfer George from the cage to the clear ball thing i would put on gnarly gloves for gardening....it helped but hampsters are over populating the world so get rid of it if it bites through the gloves because that means you have a hamp. from hadies!!
GOOD LUCK

Answer 5

Wash your hand before picking him up you might have the scent of food on them and this will cause them to nibble and or bite

Answer 6

Well it might bee teathing, when an animal is young its teeth have to grow in. It might bit you because its teething.

Answer 7

Introduce him to a Ferret, this will calm him down.

Answer 8

your hamster might just be the type that doesnt like to be bothered...just keep trying i guess

Answer 9

wash your hands before handling, do you have an exercise ball for it to run in on the floor????

Answer 10

Get him a girl friend