Question:
Going to get a hamster, how to tame it?
anonymous
2011-02-10 07:12:11 UTC
i have had a hamster before, about 2 years ago, and i forgot what and how i hand tamed him, i am setting up the cage soon in about an hour, i have all the things from my previous hamster, when i get her home i will put her in her new home, ill leave her alone and talk to her and occasionally pet her, but to actually pick her up and get her tamed... thats what i am worried about.
Five answers:
anonymous
2011-02-10 07:30:51 UTC
Congratulations!



Remember to let your ham settle for the first few days undisturbed.



In order to hand tame her let her get used to your hand by petting her alot. Eventually she should come to your hand when it is inside the cage, when that happens practice scooping her up, but keep your hand inside the cage in case she jumps. Eventually she will become settled then you can practice holding her while sitting on the floor



Its all progressions, start slow and work your way up.



Remember the younger the hamster the easier it is to tame them.



Best of luck!
anonymous
2011-02-10 15:45:08 UTC
When you first bring your hamster home, you should leave him alone for a couple days. Place his home in an area that has less traffic. He will have many sounds to get used to! Give him plenty of food and make sure water is available. It may be tempting to take your hamster out to play, but that will over-stress your hamster. Your hamster should be kept in a calm environment.



For a hamster to be a tame and good pet, it must be socialized. This means frequent, gentle and respectful handling that helps the hamster become comfortable with people. The younger the hamster, the easier he is to tame. With all hamsters, patience is the key. If your hamster looks scared or if he bites during the taming process, you need to slow down. Go back to the previous step or even two steps back. Your hammie should approach you in a relaxed manner several times (usually a period of over 2 to 3 days) before moving on to the next step.





1. Start by feeding him treats through the bars of the cage. Let him smell your hand.



2. Feed him treats through the opening of his cage. Place treats between your index and thumb.



3. Feed him treats through the opening of his cage. This time, place the treat in the palm of your hand.



4. Make sure you are sitting on the floor when you first handle your hamster. Always have his cage or ball nearby. Let him sniff and explore your hand and lap. Hamsters like to go from one hand the other hand that's placed slightly lower. They like to go onto your shoulders, but wait on this until you've handled him for a couple weeks.



The average taming takes between 2 weeks to a month or more. Remember that biting is a reflex. Your hamster will bite when scared. Let your hamster climb on your hand instead of trying to catch him. Wash your hands before and after handling your hamster. He may try to nibble if you smell like food. In my opinion, wearing gloves can make taming more difficult and slows the process. Though, you being nervous is not going to calm your hamster. If you are only comfortable handling him that way, do so, but as long as you're not rushing and you follow these steps, you should be fine. When you're hamster does bite, calmly put him back into his cage. Never scold your hamster. He will not learn that way, he'll just get more scared and bite more!



When first picking up your hamster, don't lift him high above the floor or walk with him in your hands. Until he's comfortable with you, he will jump. Experienced hamster owners will learn to feel their hamster on their hand and know what moves he will make.
lippy lea
2011-02-10 16:09:40 UTC
if she dose not seem bothered about you stroking her then you should be ok to just pick her right up but if your not sure about that one for new time owners thye say to just leave your hand laying on the floor and let your hamster walk on and off it and then when it is comfitable start to raise your hand a little of the ground so she can still wlak on and off once she is fine with that she should be perfectly fine with you picking her up. try not to hand feed to many treats as she may start to associate a hand with food and then bite the hand thinking it is food
anonymous
2011-02-10 15:14:28 UTC
May I ask what kind of hamster it is? The breed? Different species require different methods and levels of "taming".
anonymous
2011-02-10 15:14:23 UTC
Its not like hamsters are fierce........the worst that can happen is it pees on your hand or bites you.....get over it.


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
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