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Old 01-06-2015, 04:33 PM   #1
Blue_smarties
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Unhappy 1st Syrian ham very scared/biting. Struggling to tame

Hi everyone,
I am a newbie to HC but I really need some advice. I bought my first ever Syrian hammy over 4 weeks ago (from pets at home) and have been trying my very best to tame her but she is still very aggressive and seems like she is on edge all the time.
I honestly don't know what to do!

I promise I am committed pet owner and just want her to be happy but I don't know what I've been doing wrong to make her dislike me so much. It's getting to the point where I'm getting very nervous around her because she's so unpredictable and can bolt at any time.

I got her a good size cage and left her to settle into it for a week, it's in a pretty much silent area of the house with no draft or direct sunlight, I have continued to give her scented tissues, stayed up late each night until she was awake to speak to her and tried to give her treats but she just darts around and bites me. I can't even change her food without her being very aggressive. I've never been able to touch her. I seem to have been stuck at this stage for a month with no progress in taming her, in fact she seems more agitated than ever and often twitches for no reason.

Any advice would've be much appreciated because I'm getting really disheartened and I don't know if I'll be able to cope with a hamster whose food I can't even change.

Thanks so much (sorry for the essay!!)
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Old 01-07-2015, 03:00 AM   #2
hamstermomma
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Default Re: 1st Syrian ham very scared/biting. Struggling to tame

Hi blue smarties,

I'm not as experienced as some people on here but thought I'd make a few suggestions that could help. are you changing her food while she's awake? If so try doing it on a morning while she's sleeping. Otherwise try offering her a treat while you put her food in.
When it comes to taming her you need to go at her pace (which may be very slow), also you need to do it in a place you feel comfortable that she can't run away or she will sense your nerves and freak out. Have you got a playpen for her to play in so you can sit and pet her? If not try the bath.
I'd suggest maybe starting from the start again if she's still abit nervous. Spend a lot of time talking to her, encourage her to come to the bars or door of the cage and always give her a treat when she does. Then start putting your hand in the cage to give her treats and Stoke her while she eats it, then try bringing her out of the cage into the playpen or bath (have lots of toys for her and something for her to hide in if she needs to also have lots of treats to feed her). Don't rush into picking her up, just stroke her and let her smell you. Then do this every night for a short period of time.
Each hamster is individual and will adjust differently, don't be disheartened. You'll both get there!
Really hope this helps and I'm sure someone else will fill in anything I haven't suggested
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Old 01-07-2015, 05:13 AM   #3
cypher
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Default Re: 1st Syrian ham very scared/biting. Struggling to tame

Hi Blue smarties welcome to HC
I can't really add much to what hamstermomma has already said, some hams do take a lot longer than others to become tame, it's very rewarding when you do get there in the end though. Sometimes it does seem as though it can be one step forward & two steps back but you seem to be taking the right approach so try not to get too disheartened & give her time to come around slowly
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Old 01-07-2015, 08:29 AM   #4
Hopefullygettingahamster
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Default Re: 1st Syrian ham very scared/biting. Struggling to tame

Hello. I'm afraid that I can't really add anything else, but I hope that you manage to eventually tame him and become good friends. I'm sure behind all of that behavior is a wonderful ham who just needs some love.
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Old 01-07-2015, 03:16 PM   #5
POLAR WHITES
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Default Re: 1st Syrian ham very scared/biting. Struggling to tame

pets at home hamsters tend to be harder to train because of the bad start they have had in life being born in a mill with no contact then being put into a small glass cube again with no contact and eventually being moved into your home where you are now at a stage with a frighten hamsters, not to mention the in breeding from the mill which can cause many health problems including mental problems.
This is what I would do and have done many times in the past if you could tell me more information as I go on maybe I or anyone on here might be able to advise more
to start can I ask what cage you have her in ? as some cages can make a problem a lot worse some are terrible for hamsters and are sold by that green pet shop! Also why is she kept in a quite part of the house with very little noise ? hamsters tame better when there is noise around them. A week for a hamster is a very long time to settle I have never left them that long a day at the most before the taming started, I guess its the advice that that the green shop as given which to be honest isn't the best and is often wrong !

To start I would move her into the front sitting room where the family is with general noise from people and the tv.
I would sit by her cage and just chat away to her even when she is asleep for as long as you can every day, this lets her know that your not a threat and she can hear your voise and smell.
If she wont let you change her food ect I would wear gloves to start as when she bites she cant hurt you and this will give you more confidence, hamsters know when some one isn't confident and this leads them to bite more, also put tissue down you top against your skin for a few hours then place it into her cage,
I wouldn't rush the touching her I would try giving her treats but its one step at a time and this stage with her might take a while but it will be worth it,
once she is happy that you are sitting by her talking and you can put your hand in the cage with gloves and she is acting normally I would then start to try and give her a treat and after that stage you could try touching her with a toothbrush as when she bites this she cant hurt you and it gets her used to being touched, then there is the bath stage but that sounds a while off just yet,
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Old 01-07-2015, 04:08 PM   #6
Blue_smarties
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Default Re: 1st Syrian ham very scared/biting. Struggling to tame

Thank you all so much! I will try all the suggestions..I think using gloves I will feel more confident and I'll be getting a playpen tomorrow so hopefully that should work too. Thanks again.
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Old 01-07-2015, 04:10 PM   #7
Jennisney
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Default Re: 1st Syrian ham very scared/biting. Struggling to tame

I got my hamster from pets at home too (never will again unless its from the adoption bit) and i've had him 1 month as well and he is still quite nervous around me too but hes getting better! I definitely agree with what others have said about putting him into a noisier room, it will help immensely! If she sees you often and hears you alot she will realise you are not a threat and she will warm to you more
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Old 01-07-2015, 06:15 PM   #8
Shannonmcn
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Default Re: 1st Syrian ham very scared/biting. Struggling to tame

I was advised here to keep my ham in a quiet place (my room) but I've found she hates the sudden noise of me coming into the room. She was at my mums for 2 weeks over christmas where the door was never closed and she adjusted really well and was v friendly with mum despite her being quite shy when first meeting me so I agree, a more noisy environment might make her less nervous of general living noises. I've started keeping my room door open to noises from the sitting room an ps us moving around and I haven't seen her run for cover nearly as much the past few days.

She was also a rescue from p@h but she's been here for maybe 10 weeks now, a quiet environment might be better for a new addition. Just because some hams react well to a noisier environment doesn't mean all of them will.

Being patient is the most important thing, even after 10 weeks with me my little one still isn't 100% tame, she's just started sitting on my hand but she won't climb on me yet. I've taken real care not to push her since you really don't know what their environment has been before they came to you. In my opinion it's more important not to risk a setback than to stick to any taming schedule. Some just take more time and the ones who take the most work give the most back in the end, you know you've really earned their trust
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Old 01-07-2015, 08:27 PM   #9
Thin Lizzy
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Default Re: 1st Syrian ham very scared/biting. Struggling to tame

Hi blue smarties and welcome to HC.
Hamsters can sense when you're nervous and it makes them nervous. Like the others have said all hammies are different when it comes to taming. Talking several times a day in a soft voice to her and staying patient will let her get use to your voice. Everytime she appears praise her, this will encourage her.
My youngest was a nightmare, and like yourself I felt she hated me and I ended up getting angry when she bit me (drew blood), that I wanted to take her back but, I'm not a quitter and in time she started to trust me and vice versa. I love her to bits and so glad I kept at it.
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Old 01-08-2015, 03:57 AM   #10
herbi7
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Default Re: 1st Syrian ham very scared/biting. Struggling to tame

Hello blue smarties, I have had trouble taming mine too, a rehomed ham of 10 months. We made progress when I stopped having taming 'expectations' and let her set the pace, I can't put my hand in her cage yet with her being conscious of it, I have had her 6 weeks now. I change her toilet jar and food when she is asleep or it upsets her. I found the best way was to do the same thing each day and just give her treats thru the bars so i am not invading her safe space. I am lucky in that mine is a keen explorer so long before she was comfortable with me she still realised she had to climb on my hand to get out but she didn't hang about on me till a couple of days ago. Thin Lizzy gave me some good advice of being positive and calm near her as like u I had got to the stage where I was losing confidence and I think my ham was picking up in that. As to noise I had a dreadful cough the first week I had her and the one thing she is calm about hearing is loud coughing cos she heard so much of it!
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