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Old 08-19-2018, 08:53 PM   #1
inko
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Join Date: Aug 2018
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Unhappy from licks to bites...

i recently brought home a striped dwarf hamster and let's just say things have been a little shaky...

first thing's first, everything i had purchased from the pet store was not good for my new baby! tiny cage, pine wood bedding, food that's not even for hamsters! sigh... i didn't use any of that, though! just the cage since it came with a small bag of food plus proper bedding. he was in that small cage about two days. when i learned it was too small, i put him in a 55 liter tub. (i plan on getting something much bigger, don't worry! this is all i have right now...)

also, my grandma, from the moment i bought him, scoops him out of his cage to hold. it is very annoying, she doesn't listen when i tell her not to.

anyway, i've been putting my hand in the cage so he can get used to me. i won't pick him up, i'll just leave it. he licked me a lot at first, a few little nibbles. nothing too bad. tonight he started nipping at me, though. mostly the tips of my fingers, my nails, hard nips but not enough to draw any blood or hurt more than a pinch. i'm scared he'll end up biting hard, what should i do!
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Old 08-20-2018, 04:22 AM   #2
alpacassei
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Default Re: from licks to bites...

Have you begun taming him outside of his cage yet?

I’ve found that a lot of Russian Dwarfs can be quite defensive of their homes and while they can be the friendliest sweetest hammies outside of their cages, will still nip you if you stick your hand in their cage. Also hamsters just seem to get curious about fingernails tbh.

Find a little dish or toy that he can wander onto so you can lift him out of his cage and begin taming him outside the cage, the more he gets used to interacting with you outside the cage, the less bothered he’ll be by your hands inside of his cage.

When he’s used to you holding him, put him in his cage using youir hands and then leave your hands in the cage for a few minutes, he’ll recognise its just your hands still so he’s unlikely to bite, and he’ll also get used to the idea of your hands being in the cage. That’s what I’m doing with my Mishka and its helping her cage aggression a lot.
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Old 08-24-2018, 04:53 PM   #3
Mawuu
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Default Re: from licks to bites...

Well best thing is to first get Grandma to stop holding him because he could nip her as well if he's startled. Also little nips here and there in the beginning is going to happen especially if that hamster is cage aggressive. Id start by offering food like a seed or something between your fingers and let him sniff the back of your hand so it wont hurt as bad. Also if they are cage aggressive don't move anything around with them in there, thats just asking for trouble lol.

Also fair warning even with taming sometimes some hamsters are just nippers like my Luna, shes well tamed but loved to give love nips at times =v
Just know, your fine and its just part of their personality.
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cage, small, bedding, hard, food, things, pick, listen, annoying, hold, leave, hand, putting, tonight, pinch, hurt, blood, scared, biting, hell, end, draw, bad, scoops, nibbles

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