Taming my new 7 week male Syrian - Page 2

dreamtree1234 · 08-16-2017, 04:55 PM

Everyone has given you excellent and very detailed advice for taming so I won't repeat what has already been said here. It sounds like you are doing an excellent job taming him already.

Don't worry about not being there for a few days; it isn't long enough to have a setback in the taming process. Just keep placing the unscented tissues with your scent only in his cage consistently up until you leave and then continue again once you return. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask. Have fun with you little fluffy and good luck with taming.

ashleynicol3 · 08-16-2017, 06:24 PM

This thread is great! I just put a tissue in my bra for my little guy, lol.

BuddyBW · 08-22-2017, 03:22 PM

Hi everyone, a couple of weeks down the line and I've made some progress but Buddy is still very nervous and jumpy. He seems quite scared of us still and it's proving to be very disheartening. He will happily take food from our hand and will be stroked but there's no chance of picking him up any time soon. I can't see him getting much tamer then this, I don't know whether to persist or just let him be. I had visions of a happy, friendly hamster who would climb onto our hands and not be terrified of us. Is there anything more I can do? I've been using the taming box each night and I've now got an arizona ranch run for him to have more space to run in. All ideas welcome!

cypher · 08-22-2017, 10:34 PM

He might do better in the playpen than in the box, it's still early days really so try not to be disheartened some can take a while to become tame & confident, just carry on as you are & he should get there.

BuddyBW · 08-23-2017, 09:44 AM

Thank you Cypher, he's much less jumpy in his cage and hasn't shown any signs of aggression yet so there's hope. I just need to keep being patient and take it at his pace, he is only young after all.

BuddyBW · 08-29-2017, 01:06 PM

HELP!!! We are 4 weeks down the line and no more improvement since my last post. Buddy HATES being picked up. I haven't even successfully managed to hold him in my hand for more than a second. When I try to pick him up he literally pings in the air and looks to want to bite me. I am close to giving up. We have a very good relationship with him otherwise, he will very happily take food and let us stroke him but that is the extent of it. He has also climbed onto my lap a couple of times to eat broccoli so I don't feel as though he is scared of us he just doesn't trust our hands. Ideas please? Should I go back to the taming box and persist with him climbing out of things onto our hands? I feel this just irritates him further but I'm willing to give anything a go.

AmityvilleHams · 08-29-2017, 01:29 PM

I'd stick to his comfort zone rather than trying to force it.Some hamsters just don't want to be handled,and he could be one of them

Reinforce the positive interactions.Keep in mind that some hamsters can take a very long time to be tamed(some never get fully tame to the point of easy handling!).

cypher · 08-29-2017, 10:22 PM

It sounds as though he's doing well other than not wanting to be picked up so & some hams just aren't so keen on being handles, I would let him climb over you if he wants to & continue to interact with him but don't force the issue, have you tried sitting in a playpen with him so he can run around & just climb on you if he wants to?
With time as he gets more confident & relaxed around you he will probably be less afraid of being handled.

AprilPearl · 08-30-2017, 01:35 AM

If it were me, I'd probably persevere with the taming box for another few weeks as it has really worked every time with me. It won't appear to be making any difference for quite some time. But, every time he climbs over your hands he will get more used to being on them. It's a gradual process and you have to be patient. For weeks it can seem as though you are making no progress at all, but in the background it is slowly happening and one day it will all click into place.

Ultimately, if you want to be able to puck him up, you want to get him used specifically to climbing on and eventually sitting on your hands. So, perhaps try putting a piece if broccoli onto one hand (hamsters love it!) and see if he will sit on your hand to eat it.

Having said that, every hamster is an individual and so it's hard to judge the situation without having met him. Therefore, the above is merely an outline if what I have observed with my own hamsters. It could be that Buddy is one if those rare souls who never become comfortable with being picked up, and that is ok too.

You know Buddy best and if you think that the taming box won't help then don't do it. Sitting in the playpen or even bath with him will get him used to climbing over you.

BuddyBW · 08-31-2017, 04:17 PM

We seem to have turned a corner! I now have Buddy's playpen in front of his cage so I can open his doors and he climbs out. He seems a lot more confident knowing he can run between the two and I've been sitting in with him. Tonight, he climbed all the way up onto my shoulder and happily let me pick him up a few times (albeit when he was trying to climb out of the playpen) He now comes running up to the front of the cage when he sees us and is a lot happier and less nervous in general. His confidence seems to be growing each day and tonight was very rewarding. He's also moved his nest from the penthouse of the hamsterheaven cage to the floor of it, in plain sight. He had been blocking the tubes off with bedding too as I think he felt insecure. I reckon the reason for the move could be because I've had to wash it out twice in the last 4 weeks due to the smelly stale urine. But it feels like a sign that he's more comfortable in his new home.

Anyway, thank you for everyone's very useful advice. I'm sure he's going to have off days when he's not so friendly but tonight was promising!