Scared to tame my hamster

[InLoveWithTofu]

I got a new male winter white hamster and I'm too scared to tame it. I have only had syrian hamsters up until now and I am more comfortable interacting with them because they are bigger and slower.

I did put my hand in his cage one time in the beginning when i was drunk(i wasn't nervous cus i was drunk) and he climbed all over it but a few weeks ago, my syrian escaped his cage n jumped into his and attacked my ww, which left him with a swollen cheek pouch and foggy eye. He is all healed up now and I made sure to put extra security on my syrian's cage.

Since i do not like to get drunk all the time and i certainly would not like to get drunk just for the sake of taming my ww, I been too nervous to put my hand in his cage so I used a glove which people recommended but he attacked the crap out of the glove and wouldn't even let go. Is this because he recognizes that a glove and a human hand are different or is it maybe because he got attacked that he is aggressive now?? This makes me even more worried he will bite me so any help please???

[dreamtree1234]

I am sorry that your winter white was injured by your Syrian, but I am glad that your ww is completely healed now. That recent, bad experience could definitely make your ww more fearful of interacting and possibly even more easily startled if his vision has not come back in its entirety now. Although hamsters don't rely on their vision as much as their whiskers, he may be more prone to being more skittish due to what he has gone through recently. I am glad that your ww was very willing to climb all over your hand previously, but I definitely do not think being drunk in order to play with your hamsters is a good thing. Although being drunk may calm your nerves, it can greatly hinder your reaction time dealing with a very quick and mobile ww which can be potentially dangerous to both of you. If you aren't feeling ready to begin taming with your ww due to your fears, I would suggest that you give both you and your ham a bit more time to adjust to one another. You definitely don't want to begin the process of taming him that terrified, or he will sense your fear and be much more likely to react to it in a negative way, making the taming process unsuccessful. Also, I would try to refrain from using gloves unless your ham is a consistent and very hard biter, drawing blood every time. Lots of hams can be more apprehensive of gloves and more likely to bite them, and it also doesn't allow them to get familiar with your scent. I believe that the best thing you can do for both of you right now is just start from the very beginning. Let him have a little more time to settle in and regain his confidence that all will be alright after being attacked by your Syrian. This will also give you time to gain courage to interact with him in a way that will be successful for both of you. During this time, keep talking to him in a soft and reassuring way even if he isn't visible at the time. Definitely use the tissue trick so he will get familiar with your scent and use it as his nesting material; thus, he will associate your scent with comfort. Then, after you are both feeling ready to begin the actual taming process, I would progress through each step very slowly and keep each session very short and build up the time as the days progress. I would use a container that he will not be able to escape from as his transport to the taming area (preferably a hamster-safe playpen full of lots of toys, hideouts, etc.). Let him crawl on you on his own. Offer him treats with your palm flat on the floor, and after a few time of him successfully climbing on to it and accepting the treats, begin with raising him a very tiny distance of the floor and letting him crawl off by himself. Then, increase the height gradually and over time after the previous stages are a success (always being sure there is something soft underneath in case he decides to jump off). It may also be a great idea to rub your hand in his substrate in order for your hand to smell even more familiar to him. Keep very consistent with the taming process. I hope that this helps. With time, patience, and a whole lot of love, the two of you will gain a lot of trust with one another and a beautiful, loving bond will develop. I will be wishing the two of you the very best of luck and hope taming goes well.