Taming Lil diary

[BethandLil]

Sorry if this is a really silly question.

When Lil is fully tame, will that mean she will be happy to be handled by anyone or just me?

I assumed because getting her used to my scent/voice etc is such a big part of the taming process that she will only be alright with me..

[Drago]

Most of the time, a tame hamster will be tamed with everyone. They'll feel more comfortable around you due to the fact that you follow a familiar routine, and will smell familiar as well. However, it's the habits you create that define how tame they are, and those habits typically translate to others. I personally think an important part of the taming process is socialization. I always let as many people as I can hold any new hamsters I bring home so they can become used to a myriad of different handling styles, scents, and human reactions. Please remember there is no such thing as a silly question

[AprilPearl]

I agree with Drago. However, I do think that they are more comfortable with the people they know best. When I first met Quigley with his breeder, he was so tame with her! He sat on her hand and let her stroke him and even hold him upside down. But, he wouldn’t sit still on me and got straight off my hand. After a few days ofm handling though, he is just as tame with me as he was with his breeder.

[BethandLil]

Brilliant thanks Drago and AP!

[BethandLil]

So after Drago's advice to introduce other handlers, I encouraged my boyfriend to come and put his hand in the taming box.

I expected Lil to maybe just give him a sniff, but they instantly bonded and he had her walking across both hands within a minute! I was shocked but so so pleased

[BethandLil]

Also, Lil seems to want to nibble my hands which she hasn't done before. I wash them thoroughly before handling her.

I don't leave my hand there long enough to find out if it's going to be a real bite or just a nibble..

[BethandLil]

I have got to a point in taming Lil that she will happily climb onto my hands and i am able to lift her up and move her from one hand to another continuously without any trouble.... But she's so energetic!

I'm assuming I can't expect her to sit still and want to be petted in my arms ?

Or am I wrong and there is an additional stage of taming I could achieve?

It's not a exactly a problem, I love watching her being a little energetic hammy

[AprilPearl]

That's brilliant news! Sounds as though she is now tame. The sitting still stage is not an additional stage in the taming process - rather, it is one that hamsters reach when they are older and less energetic. Some hamsters never slow down to the extent that they will sit still on you, but most will eventually walk slowly across your hands rather than running across them like a maniac! She is still a baby and it would be highly surprising and unusual if she weren't so energetic. Week by week, she will gradually slow down as she gets older. It doesn't happen all at once. But, in a few weeks time you will look back and see that she has changed a lot. Even more so in a few months. In my experience, they are much less active by the time they reach 6 months old and are fully grown.

[BethandLil]

Thanks AprilPearl that's just what I wanted to know.

[BethandLil]

I have spent about an hour sitting by Lil's open cage, letting her climb out and onto my hands and carefully letting her move from one hand to the other, etc.

This was going perfectly until she just bit me completely out of the blue.
This is the first time she has done it, but there have been previous close calls.
It wasn't very hard but it shocked me a little. I'm worried that if/when she really bites down i'll have a kneejerk reaction.

She seemed to be really enjoying what we were doing so i've no idea why she bit me.

I've mostly read that hamsters bite if they either think you're food or feel threatened or stressed, etc.

Could it be neither of those and that she is just young and exploring?

She's eagerly looking out of the bars at the front of the cage...