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Old 11-20-2017, 08:30 AM   #1
Billz004
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Default How can I tame my Robo hamster

Hi, I’m used to having Syrians, and though I researched I didn’t know taming a Robo was actually so hard.

My Robo is 3 months old and I have had him for nearly 4 weeks. He is slightly better in that he sometimes looks at my hand but that’s it.

I need advice on ways to tame him.

Thanks
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Old 11-20-2017, 09:27 AM   #2
Pebbles82
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Default Re: How can I tame my Robo hamster

I've just got a Robo for the first time too and I think it is hard - a lot of time and patience and I suspect ours will never be tame because I don't really have the time these days. Four weeks isn't long. Oak Farm roborovskis says they need handling every day - which might be ok for a breeder when they are babies and in a nursing cage, but for a grown robo in a set up cage, you've got to find them before you can handle them! I don't think they come out of the cage willingly, and chasing them around with your hand will probably just make things worse. I used a mug to scoop our Robo out with this week-end, but I was only able to do that because I was doing a cage clean so had taken everything out.

Not sure what cage you have but some people recommend starting them in a smaller cage for taming, and then upgrading. I didn't do that - maybe I should have!

It sounds like progress though - he looks at your hand rather than running away from it.
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Old 11-20-2017, 09:37 AM   #3
Billz004
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Default Re: How can I tame my Robo hamster

Thanks for your advice. I have a fairly large bin cage as I have had bad experiences with wire cages. Thanks for your reply
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Old 11-20-2017, 10:29 AM   #4
Pebbles82
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He should be fairly easy to find in a bin cage I'm still working it out myself. I wish I had a cage I could attach a tube to at the moment as then I could have a tube leading into a playpen and he might come out of his own accord then, and once in the playpen you'd be able to have taming sessions. That might be an option if you could cut a hole and attach a tube to bin cage? Leading into a playpen area - a tube you could blockoff sometimes.

This might help

The Roborovski's Dwarf Hamster

Last edited by velma; 11-20-2017 at 11:02 AM.
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Old 11-20-2017, 11:15 AM   #5
velma
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Default Re: How can I tame my Robo hamster

I was pretty lucky with Hector my last robo as he was pretty friendly. My first robo several years back was just happy doing his own thing & wasn't really a people person, err, hamster I think the first thing to do is not compare the process with your Syrians. You might end up with a robo who wants to run around your hands but they're never really still or you may have a robo who will take food from you but doesn't want to be held. If he's not running away from you then that's good progress, I'd say. I personally favour a start smaller approach when it comes to cages. Hector never settled in a larger cage so went back to the min duna I started him in and lived there. It seems to make them a bit less skittish. The bath tub method people recommend for Syrians isn't suitable for robos as they're so small and quick. I used a plastic storage run for a play area, which actually wasn't that huge either. I put a handful of substrate in to scent it, a spare wheel, a loo roll and his sand bath or a little cardboard box. It gave him something to play with & hide in but not so much that he wouldn't come out. Luckily Hector was a greedy wee thing & was food driven which was easier. I had jam jar or mug to transfer him - just put your hand over the top - and to get him used to it, I'd put sunflower seeds in it so he'd go in voluntarily. He soon learnt the jar meant treats. When he was in his play tub, I'd give him a chance to run around and work out what was going and then is out my hand flat in the bottom, Usually with a sunflower seed or something in the middle & he soon got used to walking onto my hand. The joy of being in the rib is that you can then start gently lifting your hand - just a little bit to start - and if he jumps off he won't fall far & is safely contained in the plastic tub. Be patient, a month isn't long. I'm sure you'll get there.
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Old 11-20-2017, 12:54 PM   #6
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Default Re: How can I tame my Robo hamster

I've got Joshua, my robo in a Mini Duna which seems to suit him well and it's easy enough for me to find him in it although he usually prefers to climb into a tube so I can lift him out rather than have me pick him up directly from his cage. Then he's usually happy to walk over my hands with me putting one hand in front of the other so he can keep moving for a while and then every so often he'll sit and take a break.

There will be some robos who are less keen on handling than others, just as you would find with any species but with a little patience and altering the usual hamster taming methods, you'll have given him a good chance to get used to it whilst he's still young.
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Old 11-20-2017, 04:23 PM   #7
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Default Re: How can I tame my Robo hamster

I have got my robo hamster to climb into a ball, flower pot and then put him into a playpen. I had better success with him getting on my hand when the playpen was empty. I made the playpen a bit smaller for taming. An empty box may work well to.

If you can find a food/treat your hamster likes. You could try having your hand flat with food on.
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Old 11-23-2017, 08:58 AM   #8
Billz004
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Default Re: How can I tame my Robo hamster

Quote:
Originally Posted by velma View Post
I was pretty lucky with Hector my last robo as he was pretty friendly. My first robo several years back was just happy doing his own thing & wasn't really a people person, err, hamster I think the first thing to do is not compare the process with your Syrians. You might end up with a robo who wants to run around your hands but they're never really still or you may have a robo who will take food from you but doesn't want to be held. If he's not running away from you then that's good progress, I'd say. I personally favour a start smaller approach when it comes to cages. Hector never settled in a larger cage so went back to the min duna I started him in and lived there. It seems to make them a bit less skittish. The bath tub method people recommend for Syrians isn't suitable for robos as they're so small and quick. I used a plastic storage run for a play area, which actually wasn't that huge either. I put a handful of substrate in to scent it, a spare wheel, a loo roll and his sand bath or a little cardboard box. It gave him something to play with & hide in but not so much that he wouldn't come out. Luckily Hector was a greedy wee thing & was food driven which was easier. I had jam jar or mug to transfer him - just put your hand over the top - and to get him used to it, I'd put sunflower seeds in it so he'd go in voluntarily. He soon learnt the jar meant treats. When he was in his play tub, I'd give him a chance to run around and work out what was going and then is out my hand flat in the bottom, Usually with a sunflower seed or something in the middle & he soon got used to walking onto my hand. The joy of being in the rib is that you can then start gently lifting your hand - just a little bit to start - and if he jumps off he won't fall far & is safely contained in the plastic tub. Be patient, a month isn't long. I'm sure you'll get there.
This is helpful for me. Thanks for the advice. He is in a 220L bin cage. My mum thinks its too big so I have bought a 110L one and still seems way to big, for temp until he is tame i mioght move him into the Pets At Home cage (large) (well its called a large hamster cage, but it's small.) lol.

He is still running away from my hand and he is finding it hard to get used to people walking by the cage as he is in a central area.
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Old 11-23-2017, 09:01 AM   #9
Billz004
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Default Re: How can I tame my Robo hamster

Quote:
Originally Posted by Serendipity7000 View Post
He should be fairly easy to find in a bin cage I'm still working it out myself. I wish I had a cage I could attach a tube to at the moment as then I could have a tube leading into a playpen and he might come out of his own accord then, and once in the playpen you'd be able to have taming sessions. That might be an option if you could cut a hole and attach a tube to bin cage? Leading into a playpen area - a tube you could blockoff sometimes.

This might help

The Roborovski's Dwarf Hamster
Good idea and thanks for the link. I am moving him into a store bought cage (decision I hated to come to (temporarily)). He is still quite scared of people and sometimes is intrested. It's like he is biopolar. lol. I have bought him all the best things to make his expirence a neat one. Burgess dwarf hamster food, not so much treats: I gave much of my packs of treats (Milk, Choc, Yogurt drops) to my sister for her Syrian hamster as dwarfs, as I have learnt from reading exesively online, can not eat too many treats as they are rpone to getting diabetes.
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Old 11-23-2017, 09:02 AM   #10
Billz004
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Default Re: How can I tame my Robo hamster

Quote:
Originally Posted by CMB View Post
I have got my robo hamster to climb into a ball, flower pot and then put him into a playpen. I had better success with him getting on my hand when the playpen was empty. I made the playpen a bit smaller for taming. An empty box may work well to.

If you can find a food/treat your hamster likes. You could try having your hand flat with food on.
Thanks for the advice. He enjoys Rostaks (spelling deffo wrong lol) fruity bites.
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