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Old 10-10-2017, 01:46 PM  
Pebbles82
Hamster Antics
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
Default Re: Adopted syrian is social but afraid of hands!

I think it's time and patience. She has probably been handled roughly before and had bad experiences with hands. She may learn to trust you and your hands or she may always prefer to avoid them, but not all hamsters like being held anyway. Our last Syrian was lovely and tame (but it took two months of bathtub taming before we could pick him up!) and he would happily sleep on my knee under a blanket or sit in the curve of my arm for a stroke, but he never did like being held in hands that much.

I would keep doing the bathtub taming - you've only had her a week so she is doing well. It does take a lot of patience and so frustrating when you want to hold them! Just let her run around in the bathtub with some toys. Occasionally give her a little stroke on the back with one finger. If she jerks away leave it till another time. Eventually she should accept a stroke on the back with one finger. Then move onto cupping a hand under her while she's in the bathtub and just lift her 1cm or so but don't hold her, let her walk off your hand. Next time do this again, maybe once or twice. The time after try lifting her a bit further and see if she will walk from hand to hand. They learn to trust gentle handling. Also keep talking to her in a gentle tone so she gets used to your voice. And she also needs time just to adjust and settle in
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