How to Tame a Hamster Using Your Hands

Handling your hamster and making friends with it is one of the joys of having a pet hamster. But until you and your hamster get used to each other and make friends you won't have much success holding your hamster. I strongly suggest if you go out to buy a hamster that you make sure you purchase a hamster that is 4 - 6 weeks of age. Young hamsters like this will have far fewer learned bad behaviors than older adult hamsters.

Please know that if your hamster bites you or tries to bite you it is because the hamster is afraid of you. Imagine if you were the hamster and the hamster was you. Would you not be afraid. I know for sure that I would be. Older hamsters that have been setting in a pet shop for months or sometimes even a year or longer is going to be very hard if not almost impossible to make friends with.

Use Bribery To Make Friends With Your Hamster

You can use treats like sunflower seeds, strawberries, pieces of apple, or a little peanut butter on a cracker to bribe your hamster and make friends with it. While your making friends with your hamster and bribing it you may have to give your hamster more treats than you really should. Ideally you shouldn't be giving your hamster over 10 percent of its daily diet in treats or bribes as I like to call them.

When you first bring your new hamster home leave it alone for 1 - 3 days to allow it to get used to being in its new cage and also allow it time to get to know you and its surroundings. You want to have everything ready for your new hamster when you bring it home. You should have its cage or enclosure already set up and waiting for it when you bring it home. If your hamsters cage did not come with a water bottle buy one and install it. You should also have a hamster ball so you'll have somewhere to put the hamster while your cleaning its cage. At least once a week you must clean your hamsters cage thoroughly both to avoid a bad smell and so your hamster will stay healthy and happy.

Let me warn you here about one thing. Never give your hamster apple seeds as they can be toxic to hamsters. You need to read all of the below Hub Pages in the link section so you'll know everything you need to know about what to feed hamsters and what to never feed hamsters.

Your hamster will live for 2 - 3 years and this is another reason for buying a very young hamster so it will be around for a long time. And you'll need to decide if you want to keep one hamsters or more. If you have a Syrian Hamster it must be kept in a cage by its self. Syrian hamsters are very territorial and will often fight to the death. So never try to keep but one Syrian Hamster in a cage by its self. You can keep several Dwarf Hamsters together but they need to be of the same sex or you will end up with baby hamsters and have to deal with finding homes for them.

Really for the best results you don't want to handle the hamster much for at least a week after you bring the hamster home. During this week set by the hamsters cage and talk to it quietly and gently. Don't make loud noises or play loud music or you'll startle your hamster and scare it. If you have a cat keep it away from the hamster cage as much as possible. Make sure that no one teases or aggravates your hamster. Treat your hamster as you would a small child.

Play Soft Music For Your Hamster

be sure that you put your hamsters cage in a low traffic area where it won't be disturbed while it is sleeping in the day time. Don't place it under a ceiling fan or in a drafty place. Don't put the hamster cage where there is full sun. And again if you have a cat try to keep the cat away from your hamsters cage as much as possible. You can if you wish play classical music for your hamster on a radio or tape deck near your hamster. I have hamsters that really seem to like soft gentle music playing near their cage.

Hamsters Are Nocturnal Animals

Remember that your hamster is a nocturnal animal and you never want to wake it up or disturb it while it is sleeping. Try to put your hamster some where that loud noises or loud talking won't be a problem. You wouldn't want it to be loud or noisy where your sleeping would you. But at the same time you don't want your hamster cage in your bedroom because hamsters can be very noisy at night while your sleeping. Waking up a sleeping hamster is a sure way to have a grumpy upset hamster. So always allow your hamster to wake up on its own. You'll see it get up in the evening and it will usually get a drink of water and have a snack before it does anything else.

Taming and making friends with your hamster is going to take some time and patience and its not going to happen overnight. Your going to get agitated and disappointed at times but I promise if you've bought a young hamster and your persistent you will eventually win over your hamster and soon you'll have a great friend that will really love you.

Trust Is A Big Issue Between Hamsters And Humans

You must learn to trust your hamster and your hamster must learn to trust you. Spending time with your hamster is really the only way that this is going to happen. You must spend 15 - 30 minutes a day giving your hamster attention so that it will get to know you and you will get to know your hamster. Before you know it your hamster will be your friend.

First of all you never want to do anything that will upset your hamster or scare it. If you do it will take you a much longer time to make it your friend. And remember no loud noises please.

Be Sure You Know How To Pick Up Your Hamster Friend

When your ready to start working with your hamster about 4 - 7 days after you bring it home open the hamster cage and try to softly stroke your hamster. This of course should happen after your hamster is up and around for the evening. If the hamster seems to be okay with being touched you can then scoop the hamster up in your hand and hold your other hand over the hamster to keep it from falling. Keep in mind if you drop your hamster you can seriously injure your hamster. Do not chase the hamster around its cage because you will seriously scare it. So always scoop the hamster up in your hand.

If the hamster resists you picking it up back off. Come back a few hours later with a little bit of a delicious treat and offer the hamster the treat from your fingers. Know that hamster bites do not as much hurt as much as startle their human friend. If you have purchased a young hamster getting bit should be a rare thing.

If your still having problems with making friends with your hamster put a few sunflower seeds in your hand on your palm and lay your hand in the cage with the hamster. The first time you do it the hamster may not take the sunflower seeds off your palm If it doesn't don't give the sunflower seeds to the hamster. Instead back off and give it another try a few hours or a day later. Eventually if it is a young hamster you will one day be rewarded by it hoping up on your hand and taking the sunflower seeds. If you have a hamster setting on your hand on a regular basis and taking sunflower seeds off of your palm you can next attempt to scoop the hamster up and cap your other hand over the hamster to keep it from falling or jumping out of your hand.

When And How To Purchase Your New Hamster Friend

Plan your visit to the pet shop to pick out your new hamster friend so that you'll get there after the hamsters have gotten up for the evening. Ask for a hamster that is 4 - 6 weeks of age so that you can easily make friends with it. If they don't have any young hamsters ask if they have tame hamsters that have been handled. If the pet shop worker puts on gloves to handle the hamster this should be your first clue that something is wrong. Ask them why. If they don't have any tame hamsters move on to another pet shop or consider ordering off line.

You need to let the hamster get used to you and your hand. You need to add some treats to your hand or palm. And you need to get the hamster used to you picking up the hamster. You need to go slowly and not try to rush anything. Trust is the biggest issue between you and your hamster. You will have to approach your hamster with confidence and caution. You may have to bribe your hamster with treats in order to get it to cooperate. Most hamsters especially young hamsters will go along with becoming your friend. If at first you don't succeed try again later or the next day.

If your hamster ever does happen to bite you keep in mind that the hamster is biting you out of fear. Most likely the hamster is not mean and no it doesn't have anything against you. Its scared of what is going to happen to it and you must use everything you can to make your hamster trust you and become your friend. Treats are the best way for you to make friends with your hamster.

When you hold your hamster until you know exactly how friendly it is always set down in the floor or on a bed to make sure if you drop your hamster that it doesn't receive a serious injury from a fall. This is also why its very important to find a good veterinarian for your hamster before you need one. It may be to late if your hamster falls over the weekend and you don't know where a good small animal vet is.

Once you start holding your hamster in your hands it will soon get used to you holding it and before long the hamster will come to the cage door to meet you. Hamsters can really be quite loving if you give them a chance and take the time to make friends with it.

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