Handling Help

[alamaya]

Hi

We got our Syrian Elsa in May. In a Savic Hamster Heaven

She was a very frightened thing, who would block herself in her tubes, so we removed them for a bit so she could access water.
A few week on, we tried tubes on again and shes fine.

Problem is handling which is totally my fault.

I stroke her back I pick her up from above fine but im too frightened to let her sit in my hand. Its stupid in the past I had hamsters on my chest all night stroking etc, my last one was a nasty one who bit me constantly and I think im imagining Elsa will be the same.

When I open the cage door shes always practically jumping or climbing the door to come see me but I panic.

I feed her by hand.

Any pointers to reduce my stupidity
xx

[Chezzu]

Hello! Sorry to hear about your past hamster, we all tend to get a bit nervous around hamsters if we've had a more recent bite!

My suggestion would be to try and get some gardening gloves, don't get washing up gloves or winter gloves as these wot work!

Gardening gloves are made for handling a lot of spiky plants with huge spiky thorns so a hamster will have trouble biting through them if they do bite! Practice handling her and picking her up and stroking her with the gloves, and when she is comfortable with you and you are ready you can start trying to handle her without the gloves!

Hopefully handling with the gloves will get you used to handling her and you'll feel more confident when you find she doesn't bite - and if she does it won't hurt and you can get her used to you and past her biting with the gloves before you take the gloves off!

Good luck! xx

[alamaya]

thank you <3