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Old 05-17-2016, 09:50 AM   #1
kanmax92
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Default Possible Territorialism

Hey guys, I recently got the aptly named Jaws, she's a 6 month old ish Winter White that I bought off of some guy that had too many Winter Whites.

After settling her down for about 4 days, I recently decided trying to tame her. Today morning was awesome, I put a sunflower seed in my hand and she came up, ate it and let me stroke her with my fingers.

Coming back from work I decided to try again. This time she saw me ran immediately towards the cage, ignored the food and bit hard on my hand. No blood, but it was painful enough that I had to recoil back. I'm wondering if she is displaying territorial behavior. I always thought that she was running towards the cage out of some kinder feeling, but now I think that she's doing that because she thinks I'm invading her territory.

When I have the time, I'm going to take her out of her cage (ZooZone Large) put her in her small carrying cage and try to tame her then. Is this the right move here? Or should I just keep in her base cage?

[IMAGE] http://imgur.com/gallery/ZYAXd [/IMAGE]

Last edited by kanmax92; 05-17-2016 at 09:58 AM.
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Old 05-17-2016, 10:37 PM   #2
cypher
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Default Re: Possible Territorialism

When she's in the cage try burying your fingers in the substrate & putting a treat on your palm she may be less inclined to bite that way!
Have you done the tissue trick? Putting some plain white toilet tissue up your sleeve for a few hours then putting it in the cage, repeating that daily for some time helps them to get used to your scent & not see it as a threat.
You probably will do better with taming outside the cage as they can be a bit territorial sometimes & with a cage where you are approaching from above they can find it quite threatening too.
I would put her in a large bin or play pen though, with some toys, a wheel to run on if she feel stressed & other things to explore for taming, with a bit of space & some nice things to distract her she should feel less threatened & it will make interacting with her easier.
It can take them a while to get used to being out in a play area so do go slow, don't force your hand on her, try to go at her pace.
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Old 05-18-2016, 01:37 AM   #3
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Default Re: Possible Territorialism

Tank is territorial about his cage but we've come to an accord on how I get him out of the cage, I either scoop him in to his tin to lift him out or scoop him up from behind with my hand. This works for both of us and he's happy to be scooped up!
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Old 05-18-2016, 02:18 AM   #4
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Possible Territorialism

I don't know much about dwarf hamsters, we have a Syrian, but I think it is quite normal for them to be a bit territorial in their cages. Ours is tame and still doesn't like a hand in his cage lol! Although he doesn't bite. With a zoozone your hand could seem like a threat as it will be coming from the top so could look like an owl coming to get your hammy ha ha.

I think they are easier to tame out of the cage, yes. I still get ours out in a tube. Something like a kitchen roll tube. You can put it on the floor of the cage and she should walk into it. I used to put a treat at one end and put the other end over the house door and that used to tempt our hammy in. Then put a hand over each end and lift the tube out and have something next to you to put the tube down in (eg pet carrier). Putting your hands over is to stop her jumping out mid air. I used to put one end in the hamster ball after lifting out so our hammy walked out of the tube into the ball. Hamster balls aren't good for dwarfs to run in but can be a useful form of secure transport up to the bathtub or playpen

If you're worried about her biting your hand while she's in the tube then maybe try a mug instead and pop a piece of cardboard over the mug when she's in and lift her out that way.

If you don't have a playpen you can use the dry bathtub for taming. Put some towels down and a tube to hide in and a few toys (the cup and tube would do). I did a short video on how we tamed our hammy in the bathtub (with advice from this site!) It doesn't show much but has a few tips.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjyEme2xcq4
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Old 05-18-2016, 03:43 AM   #5
cypher
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Default Re: Possible Territorialism

I wouldn't say it's normal for them Serendipity, it does seem to be more of a girl thing but probably not as common as you may think.
I personally don't recommend taming in the bath with dwarfs, some people do but I think it's a bit too intimidating for them & easier to handle them in a play pen or bin.
Even a large cardboard box will do.
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Last edited by cypher; 05-18-2016 at 03:48 AM.
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Old 05-18-2016, 04:03 AM   #6
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Possible Territorialism

I wondered if the bath might be a bit big for a dwarf
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Old 05-18-2016, 10:02 AM   #7
kanmax92
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Default Re: Possible Territorialism

Quote:
Originally Posted by cypher View Post
When she's in the cage try burying your fingers in the substrate & putting a treat on your palm she may be less inclined to bite that way!
Have you done the tissue trick? Putting some plain white toilet tissue up your sleeve for a few hours then putting it in the cage, repeating that daily for some time helps them to get used to your scent & not see it as a threat.
You probably will do better with taming outside the cage as they can be a bit territorial sometimes & with a cage where you are approaching from above they can find it quite threatening too.
I would put her in a large bin or play pen though, with some toys, a wheel to run on if she feel stressed & other things to explore for taming, with a bit of space & some nice things to distract her she should feel less threatened & it will make interacting with her easier.
It can take them a while to get used to being out in a play area so do go slow, don't force your hand on her, try to go at her pace.

I'll probably user a large playpen (bin cage) to see if we can get something to work here. The tissue trick was a massive flop. She played with it and then said nope and ignored it. I will try this again though.

I've tried the substrate trick and it was probably the most success I've had with her in cage!
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Old 05-18-2016, 10:04 AM   #8
kanmax92
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Default Re: Possible Territorialism

Quote:
Originally Posted by Serendipity7000 View Post
With a zoozone your hand could seem like a threat as it will be coming from the top so could look like an owl coming to get your hammy ha ha.
Yeah I wondered about this, I always move it in from the top while's she is looking and then lay it flat on the substrate. So that she knows what's up.
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Old 05-18-2016, 11:47 AM   #9
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Default Re: Possible Territorialism

Just to add, four days isn't that much time to settle in. You'd be better off leaving her completely alone for another week. With just feeding and changing the water. That way she will have claimed her cage as her territory and will be a confident hamster.

I leave my hamsters alone for 2 weeks and it has always worked. She won't get lonely being left alone, it will be hardest on you having to wait especially if it's your first hamster. But definitely worth the wait. Hopefully by then you'll be able to introduce treats to her with no biting.

I would take her out into a play pen or a plastic bin or even a cardboard box to use as a play pen. After she settles in.
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Old 05-18-2016, 11:53 AM   #10
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Possible Territorialism

Good point Cinnamon Bear - I didn't realise she had just moved in recently. I think it can take a couple of weeks for them to feel less skittish as well.
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