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Old 06-13-2018, 11:56 AM   #1
TinyTinaTrash
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 2
Unhappy All My Hamster Does Is Bite.

Hi there,

Recently (1 week ago) I brought my second hamster home. Over the past few days he has made himself at home inside his cage and become far more comfortable with my presence around his cage as I've visited it time and time again. I can tell that he's an energetic hamster.

Now I've tried several times to take it to the next level but it is literally too dangerous! I'll go near his cage and he's not even reluctant - he's alert and gnawing on the bars begging to come out - but despite that I can't even let my hand more than an inch near him without it nearly being bit off. I've tried everything - I've put my hand gently in his cage with a treat on it and what does he do? Well. He must think that my hand is far tastier than the food clearly, because drew a lot of blood. Every single time I go near him my hands are freshly washed with unscented soap and wiped on my clothes to ensure I smell only of my scent. I've tried petting him, which only worked once because he didn't even know I was doing it. He'll take food from my hand and that's about it. And because of this, I'm unsure of how to clean his cage without getting hurt...

It's quite upsetting really. I've been speaking to him gently and trying this for five days now, and I'm only getting more cuts on my hand. Is he okay? Because I honestly don't think this is 'normal' when it comes to taming hamsters, and I've had no troubles like this with my previous hamster.
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Old 06-13-2018, 07:46 PM   #2
dreamtree1234
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Location: United States
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Default Re: All My Hamster Does Is Bite.

Hi and welcome to HC! I'm sorry that you have been having such a difficult time with taming your second ham. One week isn't long, and some hamsters may take longer to feel comfortable settling in their new homes and interacting with human hands. I would just take the entire taming process extremely slowly so you can build up his trust and not get discouraged if there happens to be a backtrack in progress prior to moving forward again. Have you tried doing the tissue trick? If not, I would suggest that you do so since it will allow your hamster to get accustomed to your scent and associate it with something comforting and familiar. This is because he will probably use it to make his nest. Another helpful thing is to rub your hands in their substrate so you will smell familiar to him as well prior to picking him up or physically interacting with him. In addition, if he has a tendency to bite when offering a treat, it may be good to refrain from giving him a treat directly from your hand until he gets tamer and no longer bites. Also, it sounds like your ham may be showing signs of being territorial of his cage and that is why he is acting out in an aggressive way. Since this is the case, I believe that interacting with him in the cage is not the ideal route to take for taming him at this point. For hamsters that are biting you in their cage, it is best to tame him outside of it and in a hamster safe, escape proof area such as a playpen or a dry bathtub with a towel covering the drain. Let him crawl into a escape proof container or hamster ball in order to transport him there. Once there, let him roam around and play with the hideouts and toys you placed in the area and let him crawl on you. Keep the taming sessions extremely short at first and gradually increase the time as he becomes more and more comfortable with it. The key is to be consistent. After he begins to crawl on you or sit on the palm of your hand, gently and slowly begin to lift your hand up a tiny bit off the floor and let him crawl off of it. After he does this for a few times in other taming sessions, begin lifting him a tiny bit higher with some cushioning below in case he jumps down. Eventually, he will become accustomed to being held, realize that he is safe doing so, and learn to enjoy it. I wish the two of you the very best of luck in the taming process and hope that you build a wonderful, loving bond with one another in time. Btw, what is your hamster's name, and what breed is he?
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Old 06-14-2018, 11:03 PM   #3
TinyTinaTrash
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
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Default Re: All My Hamster Does Is Bite.

Thank you so much, I'll be sure to try that! And my hamster is Syrian - his name is Toby.
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Old 06-15-2018, 12:00 AM   #4
dreamtree1234
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Default Re: All My Hamster Does Is Bite.

Aww, Toby is such a sweet name for a hammy! I will be keeping my fingers crossed that taming goes great for the two of you.
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