Taming my new 7 week male Syrian

[BuddyBW]

Hello,

I am new to raising a hamster and I collected my 7week old male Syrian last Thursday from a hobby breeder who has already started the handling process. I've been hand feeding him through the bars of his cage (a savic hamster heaven, he is on fitch bedding) and he is very happy with this. This evening I tried him in a taming box and although he was speedy, he was happy to be stroked and crawled onto my hand a couple of times from a tube. He's quite a jumpy character and very fast, which I'm assuming is due to new surroundings and his age. My question is, how often and for how long should I have him in the taming box? He's shown no signs of aggression or irritation thus far so I'm hoping he will be happily tamed soon.

Many thanks 🙂

[cypher]

I only just saw your post & it's been a few days. How are things going now Buddy?
All hams need a little time to adjust but with a breeder ham that's used to handling it's best to keep doing daily sessions more or less from the start, as long as your ham seems ok with it I would do at least 20 mins maybe even more if he seems to enjoy it.
They are fast at that age but he should gradually get more comfortable with your hands, just let him run over them to start with & offer some treats on your hand to encourage him to sit there even for a moment or two & he should begin to calm down.

[AprilPearl]

Little and often seems to work best. With new hams, I do 10-15 minutes a day twice a day (once in the morning and once in the evening) in the taming box. Usually, using this routine, they are tamed within a week. I was pleased when I collected my latest hamster from his breeder, when she said that doing 2 or 3 short sessions per day is best as that is what I have always done.

As cyphe says, because he is from a breeder, he should already be quite used to handling. Breeders tend to handle their pups from the age of 2 weeks. Having said this, the breeder I mentiomed told me that young hamsters forget how to be handled quickly so you must continue to handle him from the very start. He will, however, be jumpy with you, because you smell different. You can help him get used to your scent by putting a piece of toilet paper in your sleeve for a few jours and then putting it in his cage.

Another reason for his skittishness will be his age. They are very fast when they are young, but he should slow down soon.

[BuddyBW]

Thank you for your replies, they are both very helpful. I have been doing 15-20 minute sessions every evening at the same time (9pm) He's very happy to be stroked and take treats but I'm finding him quite speedy and skittish when it comes to picking him up so I'm taking that slowly. I've done the tissue trick and will repeat it again soon. I've been tempting him out of his cage in a tube as I don't want to scare him by grabbing at him. Are there any other ways I can safely get him out of his cage? Also, he is very sleepy and has fallen asleep in the taming box. Is this normal for a young hamster?

[AprilPearl]

When they're young and it's hard to pick them up out of the cage, I tend to put a cup in front of them to crawl inside. The tube you are using sounds fine, too. Some people use exercise balls in the same way, if they have them.

Falling asleep is very normal at that age, so don't worry.

I'll just copy and paste some advice that I have given to others below. You don't have to use it but may find it helpful:

Just wanted to share my experience which has been gained from taming 8 hamsters (though I appreciate that won't seem like a lot compared to many members here!). By taking the following steps, most hamsters will be very tame within a week, usually less. For a more tricky hamster, I'd imagine it may take a number of weeks, however it should still work. It does require patience and persistence, but if you want a tame hamster then your efforts will pay off.

First, you will need a medium sized box with no lid. In a large playpen or bath, most hamsters will be much more difficult to catch and more likely to run from you. I'm not saying you shouldn't offer a playpen for exercise, but taming sessions tend to be more successful in a smaller container. The plastic box I use is 56cm X 40cm X 30cm.

Something like this would work:

Really Useful Box Stackable Storage Box 35 L 480 x 390 x 310 mm Clear | Staples®

Now, what you want to do is put your hamster into this taming box for about 15 minutes at a time. Put your hands in and stroke them - they will skitter away or bend their back downwards at first, but keep going as eventually this behaviour will stop as they realises that stroking won't hurt them. Herd the hamster into a corner and cup your hands around them. Scoop them into your cupped hands, without letting them leave the floor as they WILL jump. At this stage, do not grab them and try to pick them up all the way off the floor. What you what to do, is to force them to come into contact with your hand, ideally to run over it. At first, they will probably jump over your hand to "freedom" as best they can, but don't be disheartened. Eventually, they will get used to your hands being in there and will walk off them, rather than jumping. Be warned: this may take quite a few sessions.

The next stage is that they will slow down so you will be able to hold the hamster in your hands a few cenimeters from the floor of the taming box and have them walk from one to the other. With time, they will be so used to you that they will be following your hands around the box, trying to climb your arms to freedom!

If you are having difficulty getting your hamster to walk over your hands, lay a cup on its side in the box. When they climbs inside it, pick the cup a few cm off the floor and make a bridge down with your hand, so they have to climb over your hand to get down. Then, repeat repeat repeat. The main aim here is to get the hamster used to being ON your hand, even if only for a second. Once they learns that it is not a scary thing, and you won't hurt them, you will be able to get him to walk on your hands, or even sit in them.

I use the taming box twice a day for about 15 minutes at a time. Once in the morning, once in the evening (though I appreciate you may not want to get up that early just to be around when your hamster is, so once a day is fine too). It will not seem like you are making any progress at first, but within a few days they should start to calm down and you will see a big change. I tend to find that for a few days there are no changes, but suddenly one day you will see a big difference all at once.

You can transport your hamster to and from the taming box in a cup or a hamster ball, if you have one.

[BuddyBW]

Thanks AprilPearl, that's very useful. I'm sticking to once a day at the moment as he's very sleepy in the morning (6:30am) and I'm reluctant to disturb his sleep. I'll have a go with the cup later

[AprilPearl]

Originally Posted by BuddyBW

Thanks AprilPearl, that's very useful. I'm sticking to once a day at the moment as he's very sleepy in the morning (6:30am) and I'm reluctant to disturb his sleep. I'll have a go with the cup later

Sounds good I only manage twice a day because I am a very early riser!

[BuddyBW]

Another question, my partner and I will be away for four days next week. I have a friend staying to feed my hamster but I'm worried my absence will affect the taming process? I'm confident my friend won't disturb him and I've left strict instructions for her to not attempt touching him. Will me being away affect the relationship I'm building?

[Thin Lizzy]

I would recommend the tissue trick, stuff a load of unscented toilet paper up your sleeves and leave for a couple of hours and then place in his cage, this gets him familiar with your scent, do this daily right up till you go. It's usually used when taming. The tissue trick is very popular and it helps the ham recognise your scent and also a majority will stuff it in the cheeks and use it as extra bedding.
It's good you've got him in a routine with out time and keeping it to a certain amount of time.
So good, you'll have someone there while you're away and that you'll be leaving instructions.

[cypher]

Four days isn't that long so I wouldn't worry, if you're making good progress now you should just be able to pick up where you left off when you get back, he may be a little nervous for a day or two or he may just be fine.
You could do the tissue trick Lizzy mentioned just before you go so he still has your scent in the cage while you're away.