Got a new baby Syrian hammy... and got a problem..

[sak_soon]

I got a hamster from Petsmart, although I really wanted to get one from a breeder which does not exist in my area, and it seems like she hasn't handled by people at all. She's a sweet little curious girl that wants to bite my finger lol. She obviously doesn't know what's gonna happen if she bites off a human finger. She's not afraid of me anymore. She comes to me with curiosity and tries to figure out if my fingers are cheetos or not lol. I used to let her sniff my fingers, but now she comes to my finger with opened mouth lol. She's like "get ready to get bitten "
I'm sure that she just wants to find out what it is, but I also doesn't want to let her bite my finger lol. I did that once before with my dwarf hamster and never fixed the problem. I believe Syrian hamsters are a little different from dwarf... I also had a Syrian hamster who never bit me.But one time she got super curious about my finger and bit me once. Ever since then, she never bite me again.
Anyways, so...should I let her bite my finger? lol Is there any other solution to stop this problem?

Here's what I do before showing my fingers to my new hamster:
-I always wash my hand super thoroughly (no scented soap)
-I'm not using scented bedding
-I talk to her super soft
-I give her treats all the time
-She's fully awake

She would be perfect if she doesn't bite humans

[cypher]

Does she just do this when she's in the cage or during out of cage time as well?
Sometimes they can get a bit territorial about hands in the cage & are less likely to bite if you use something like a tube or mug to lift them out of the cage & then interact with them in a safe play area.
If you've been hand feeding treats it may be worth stopping for a while, still offer treats but just put them down in front of her, that way she will still associate you with treats but not your fingers! Alternatively you can try burying your fingers in the substrate & leaving the treat on your palm.
If she's ok with that then try going back to hand feeding after a while.

[dreamtree1234]

Cypher couldn't give any better advice. I definitely agree with everything previously stated. Although you are doing everything right in most cases, sometimes the taming process needs to be slightly tweaked in order to better fit your hammies personality at this time.

Every hamster is different; and thus, their reactions to things vary as well. Don't be discouraged because she never had much (if any) human interaction prior to you bringing her home. The conditions also tend to be much more isolating due to the nature of PetSmart's hamster environment. This doesn't mean, however, that she is untameable. It just may take baby steps instead, and sometimes there may be a few backward steps as well.

I would suggest also implementing the tissue trick again so she can be even more comfortable with your scent and accept your hand in her cage better. After a while of successfully using the container trick to remove her from her cage for outside playtime, you should retry scooping her up gently by having your hand entering her cage as low as possible. Therefore, her prey instinct will not kick in as much.

Good luck with everything, and I will be keeping my fingers crossed that she will turn around soon so she can interact with you more. Be patient because it will definitely be worth it in the end.

[Emilyeva]

It seems like it tries to get used to you and it seems like its very young but if this carries on she might be losing eye sight and think your fingers food because its right next to its face!

your sincerely
Emily