Why did my hamster bite me? My Syrian (f) hamster was just chilling in my hand, and suddenly she bit me on my finger. I was dripping blood. I had a bandaid on before, you think she smelled the blood and went for it?
I've had gerbils, hamsters, and guinea pigs and have received a few nips from the hamsters and gerbils but I don't think they were done aggressively or with malice. You might notice they seem to be constantly sniffing, their little noses and whiskers are always twitching. I think it's entirely possible that she might have smelled something on you, a food, another animal, a male hamster…something that they were interested in and wanted to investigate further. It very well could have been the smell of blood that frightened her. Is it possible you were holding her too tightly? It's almost impossible to guess her motivation as none of us were there and who can really guess what goes on in their little brains? All I can say is I've had hamsters and gerbils and yes they do nip occasionally but not because they are mean. If you are concerned about it, do what someone else here suggested and wash your hands well before picking her up. If it continues, you could always return her to the pet store and ask them to trade her for a more peaceful and calm hamster. Also hamsters like to run around so maybe you can let her run around on you, without losing her of course, but give her a bit more freedom. Good luck!!
Why is my hamster so scared of me?
I give him treats, bring him out to play often, and put him in his hamster ball, but he's still terrified of me. Is this just natural or have I done something wrong?
My hamster is soo scared of me! How can I fix this?
My hamster is terrified of me! I got her monday (Her name is Honeylou. I think shes pretty young because I know she is syrian but she is still really small) I kept trying to talk to her and then like thursday I tried to put my hand in there and she froze. She wouldn't move at all!!! I tried to give her a piece of food but she wouldnt take it from my hand. Please Please help me. Tell me exactly how to Go about taming her! She has a really nice bin cage with a hidy house, shelf, and tubes! So idk just please tell me exaclty what do to to tame her. Thanks!
How do I get my hamster to let me touch her? I've had her about five months, and she still gets scared when I try to touch her/pick her up. How do I fix this?
This will be hard because you should have started handling her as soon as you got her. Now she is not used to it. You can still try though. You will have to be REALLY patient.If you are trying to pet her or touch her back, that might be what is scaring her. That is what a predator would do right before she gets eaten. Your plan will be to teach her to sit comfortably on your hand, so that you are touching her from underneath. This will feel much safer to her. What is her favorite food? Sunflower seeds, probably. Or brocolli. From now on, she doesn't get these treats unless she eats them from your hand.Put the treat in the palm of your hand and put your hand on the bottom of the cage. Take away some toys if there is not enough room. Let your hand lay there until she comes onto your hand and takes the food. Do. Not. Grab. Her. Not now. Not ever. Don't give her the treats if she won't step on your hand. Wait about 5 or 10 minutes without moving, then take your treat away and try again later. Try about three times a day if you can.At some point she is going to get used to this idea and walk onto your hand and stay there. Don't grab her. Always have a treat in your hand.Your final goal is to be able to scoop her up with both hands without her panicking and jumping. If she jumps down, let her. Just scoop again a few times so she knows it is safe and you promise to never grab her.This is easier with a young hamster, but it is not too late. You have to be extra patient because she is older.The little robo hamsters are more jittery and may never sit calmly in your hand. But they can learn to be scooped up, especially if there is a treat waiting.Another treat they enjoy is to run around in a new place. If you can scoop her out of her cage and put her in a new play area, she may jump into your hands for that chance to explore and run. A baby wading pool with sand and paper-towel tunnels can make a nice safe play area. (One bag of sand will be plenty.)Robo hamsters are more wary and very quick. They are harder to tame but here are some tips you can try.How to Make Your Hamster Trust You
Is my hamster afraid of me?
Hamster's don't like to be touched much. I know from experience they are not the petting type. Don't pet him once he squeeks, cause hamsters are little nibblers and he might bite you. Keep giving him food, and try to play with him in the night, since that's when they are most active. When I first get my hammies, don't pick them up with my hand for the first couple weeks. I use their igloos or I use a cup and put some treats or a bit of fruit in there. Once the hamster climbs into the igloo or cup or whatever, you pick it up and out comes your hammy with it! Once he's out give him some more treats and once he's out and after a while since they are squirmy creatures he might just get tired and come out of the cup into your hand. Voila! After a while your hamster will love you and trust you very much :) I've had many winter whites, and they are the most adorable. It takes some time to get used to you, but after that they will fascinate you to no end!! All my winter whites were sweet. They would always get excited and start jumping around when I was by their cages and never ever had I had a hamster that bit me(and they are known to be biters) so try this!!!
I still have not picked up my hamster since I got her 4 weeks ago, and I’m afraid to. What should I do?
You shouldn’t be afraid, hamsters may bite but the chances they will are slim.In the start you shouldn’t hold your hamster in the first place. You need to start with trust exercises. I promise you your hamster is more scared of you then you are of her.Trust exercises are good for both of you, even if your afraid.Start by putting your hand in the cage with small treat, if the hamster won���t investigate leave it near your hand.Slowly increase how close the treat is to your hand until it is on your hand and the hamster climbs on.After your hamster learns your hand is not scary you can begin to put your finger on their head and body.Slowly after you can raise the hamster a few inches on your hand until you can fully take them out without stress from either of you.You can also put a few toys in your bathtub (has to be dry) and sit in the tub with them. This will show that you again are not scary.Owning a rodent can be amazing, you just have to build a bond. I owned 2 gerbils for a few years and it took awhile to bond but after it was the most amazing thing. To hear a little squeak every time you walk past them as they want to get a treat or pet can be the cutest darn thing.If you really can’t hold or play with the hamster because you are afraid of the hamster (aside from genuine worry about hurting her) you may want to look into re-homing her. Hamsters require human attention just as a dog does (just in smaller doses) and they look forward to seeing their human.If you can’t do this for yourself do it for her, she deserves your love even if you're scared.Good Luck!-Alyssa
Why is my hamster so skittish all of a sudden?
Hello Stephanie. This is a very simple question to answer. I take it; this is a Syrian hamster you are taking about? The problem with her is she feels vulnerable and insecure, “That’s all it is”. All hamsters start out life just the way you have explained at the beginning of you post. Most “are” sweet natured, and friendly, but somewhere along the line this can change dramatically, just as yours has. A lot of people don’t understand what makes the Syrian hamster tick, and this is where your problem lies. Behaviour problems surface, simply because the owner is not fully aware of the animal’s natural or instinctive needs. All species of hamster are territorial, with the exception of the Syrian hamster. Theses are also solitary animals. Once you are able to understand what “Solitary” really means. Then you will able to understand her lot better, and why she is acting like she is. Her friendly and sweet nature can be retrieved quite easily. She can be just as friendly as when you first got her; and she is willing to do that, if “you” are willing to spend the time in trying to understand what she wants. You say her living environment has not changed. To you, it probably hasn’t: to her, it may have. Let us go back to the word “Solitary” This means, 1, single, and no other. She is the only one. There is no other hamster in the world: That is, as far as she is concerned. So for a moment let’s look at the world through “her” eyes. She lives alone in that cage, so nothing must change, or so it shouldn’t according to her. If you have cleaned out the nest wrong, then she may think she has a predator. If you have moved her food store, again this can give her cause to think that other animals may be around. Things like these will make her feel very insecure, vulnerable, lacking self-confidence. Have a read of this page http://hammysworld.com/index.php?p=behav... it may help you to understand a bit more about the Syrian hamster. Once she gets that security and confidence back, she will be just as sweet. Syrian hamster breeder
My hamster thinks I'm edible, HELP!?
Many hamsters nibble on their pet owner's hands. There are three reasons for this - firstly they do this as a sign of affection (it is the reverse of biting which they would do when they do not like the smell), secondly they do it to see if you would give them some treats (this happens when you are used to giving them treats, so they associate your hand smell with treats) and thirdly because of our body salt which they think is food (even if we don't sweat, we can give out minute amounts of salty moisture through our skin and hamsters have a keen sense of smell and smell that too) Whichever the reason, it is completely normal for your hamster to nibble your fingers. Just make sure you wash your hands thoroughly before handling your hamster since any smell of food in your hand can make her bite your hand unwittingly thinking it is food.