Biting hamster

[Darira]

Hi all,

So I ended up getting a hamster afterall. Her name is Momo and she is quite feisty. When I put her in her cage for the first time she was darting all over exploring it. However the days afterwards she bearly comes out of her little house. She only comes out after I turn off the lights and its completely quiet. She then goes crazy on her wheel xD

I left her alone the first 3 days. On the 4th day I was able to get her to take treats from my hands. On the 5th day I tried putting my hand flat in her cage with some treats on my palm. To my surprise she had no problem jumping on my hand and taking her time eating her pumpkin seed (at least 1-2 min). The problem is when she is done eating all of the treats on my palm. Without getting off my palm she then goes for my fingertips (especially my thumb) and bites me quite hard. Because she's still on my palm I can't jerk my hand away because I don't want to scare her. I always wash my hands before doing this but I think she now always associates my palm with treats and now I don't know how to stop her from biting my fingertips. Any ideas how I can handle this the best way?

[Darira]

I must add that I've tried rubbing my hands in substrate before putting my palm in her cage but that doesn't help. Even if I give her treats via her cage she finishes the treat and then proceeds to trying to bite my fingers through the cage >.>

[Drago]

Her biting may simply be her smelling the treats that were in your hands and thinking there's still treats there. However, it's better to try and take things slow with your little one. Sometimes hams will show their discomfort by nipping or biting their guardians when they're lifted. Try instead just getting her more used to you, essentially associating your presence with good things like treats so she anticipates good things like food. You can also use the tissue trick to get her used to your scent. Take it slow, be persistent, and be patient! She'll come around with time and regular handing. Something important to note for future reference is that when she does nip, don't pull your hand away or discontinue handling as she'll begin to associate biting with ridding of the negative stimulus. Taming is all about building trust and is a long and sometimes grueling process, but it works out in the end. Good luck and hope all goes well

[cypher]

This kind of biting is quite normal, it can take them a while to figure out where treats or food end & hands begin thumbs always being a prime target!
I would try feeding single seeds or treats from your finger tips for a bit longer then try burying your hand in the substrate so your fingers are well out of the way with a treat on your palm so there isn't much to bite.
When this happens I usually gradually remove my hand or put them back in the cage if they're sitting in may hand & take a break from treats for a few moments before offering a seed from my finger tips, they do gradually stop biting & you can continue to feed from your palm without a problem.

[Darira]

I haven't tried lifting her yet at all. I will try the trick with burying my hand in the substrate.
When i say treats I do mean just seeds. I've tried sugar free yoghurt drops and carrots or celery but she doesn't seem to care for them at all. Is that normal? I thought all hamsters a crazy for carrots.

[cypher]

They have very individual tastes so try a wide range of veg, most really like broccoli but you just have to try things a few times to see.

[Pebbles82]

I think sometimes as well - they just really don't like having a hand in their cage! Our Syrian hated a hand in his cage and it got to the point where we gave him treats out of the cage instead. The good thing is she is getting used to you as taking the treats from you and will be familiar with your scent. Maybe it's time to do some out of cage taming. Once she is tame she will accept a hand in her cage easier - although I still reckon they don't like it as it's an invasion of their personal space:

We used to let our Syrian jump into his ball - either by putting the ball in the cage, or if he was nowhere to be seen - putting a tube over the end of his house with a treat at the far end and the far end of the tube in the ball. He would walk into the tube and the ball. We'd then pop the lid on and carefully carry him upstairs in the ball and set it down inside the dry bathtub, with the plug in, and take the lid off. While having the odd toy in the bath first - eg tubes, hidey places. A ceramic mug on it's side and a kitchen roll tube are easy. Then let him run around in the bathtub and slither up and down trying to get out. We did that about twice a week until we could touch him and hold him without him leaping in the air or threatening to bite. Once he was handtame he was sweet as anything

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjyEme2xcq4

[Darira]

Thank you for your replies everyone! I will get some broccoli this week and try that when doing the bathtub method. I was thinking maybe I should wear gloves afterall but I really don't want to resort to using gloves since I think they look even more threatening to her.
Once she will allow me to hold her I will post a picture for you all! She's a dwarf hamster btw with a sapphire coat. She's so beautiful and I can't wait till she will allow me to hold her

[cypher]

If she's not biting out of the cage I wouldn't wear gloves, just give her time to get used to you handling & interacting with her & avoid putting your hands in the cage for now as much as possible.
I personally don't think the bath is all that suitable for dwarf ham taming, it's a bit of a big scary environment for them, better use a large storage bin or playpen, either bought (the metal ones are fine for Russian hams) or a home made one.

[Darira]

Actually I have this small entry/hallway that is hamsterproof. I'm planning on taking her in there and let her walk over me (I don't have an actual bathtub). Will keep you updated how that went