taming the male

couchy · 09-21-2010, 03:41 PM

well as you all know all of the babies have been seporated about a week an a half ago, and as you know there is 3 girls and one boy, milly is in one cage, the girls are in another and the male is in a cage on his own with tubes. the only thing is he wont come out and he is very mean, i have been trying to tempt him with treats trying to hold him for longer putting him in a ball and last night the little *** bit me on the finger really bad and it did not stop bleeding he bit then yanked backwards, he nearly took a chunk out of my finger. on the other hand the girls are so lovely, i pick them up all the time the even sometmes give me kisses, there not scared of me picking them up or anything, sooo different to the male, is there anything else i can do before he goes to his home?

**Hope** · 09-22-2010, 01:08 AM

To be honest I wouldnt want to give him to a new family while he is behaving like this. I would be tempted to explain that he is in no way tame enough and would they mind waiting another week or two for him? The first thing I would do is remove the tubes, dont give him anywhere to escape to where you cant get at him. I would take 'hands' out of the equation for now. Pick him up from his cage in a box or his ball and take him to the bath or a hammy proof room and just let him crawl over you, dont touch him with your hands at all. Dont pick him up, just let him crawl around and get used to your smell and voice, he needs to realise that you are not a threat. I would do this for 5 - 10 mins at a time as often as you can, 2 or 3 times a day. When he is used to this try offering him treats from your fingers or palm, see if he will come to you, then try just stroking him lightly on the back just for a second or two, again gradually increase the amount of time over several days. The next stage will be picking him up, again from the bath or wherever, still using the box or ball to pcik him up from his cage - this is his territory and maybe a bit aggressive about having hands in his cage. So just scoop him up for a second and put him down, gradually inceasing the time that he is held for. You just need to show him that nothing bad is going to happen by him being picked up and you will put him back down again!! Once he is used to this I would work on putting your hands in his cage, now he is used to you, he shouldnt mind too much, offer him treats and practice just picking him up and back down in the cage. It can be done will just take a bit of time and dedication - good luck!

SarahJ · 09-22-2010, 01:15 AM

ok, no need for me to reply to this as Hope has given you some really good advise and i would go with that

couchy · 09-22-2010, 04:28 AM

thank yo thats a good idea, he is only 5 weeks old hes got another 2-3 weeks with me before he leaves so hopefully he should be ok, he was the one starting all the fights before i seporated them all mind, prehaps he is just feisty hehe thanks for your advice

its good

souffle · 09-22-2010, 05:06 AM

I agree with Hope. Take the tubes out and give him a cage that is easy to access.
Persist with the taming and don't let him away with nonsense LOL.
I would tend to keep him in a busy area like the lounge and take him out lots. Remember the others have siblings to boost their confidence. Don't let him go till he is settled. We find pups often go through a skitty phase about 5 weeks but they work through it so don't worry.

couchy · 09-22-2010, 01:32 PM

ok well i give him a nice big fat strawberry and he tucked in2 it and he is starting to let me pick him out of the cage i jus give him a nice run around and played ith him for about half hour and he doesnt seem so bad tonight

i should update my pix of the pups too they have gone so big, even the runt she is the cutest