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Old 04-17-2019, 12:43 PM   #11
mikatelyn
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Default Re: How get Syrian used to being held?

Thanks Souffle!
Smokey seemed to have tamed overnight with this method... but then he bit me for the first time ever out of nowhere.
After last night's session (yes, he did have about 10 minutes of down time between handlings, and he was up and about on his own, so I wasn't waking him up each time), I picked him up a couple of times this morning when he was already up. Around noon I made some rustling noises in his cage and he came out to explore, so I did a taming session over about 10-15 minutes where I kept giving him little treats and picking him up for about 30 seconds, then putting him back down. He kept coming back for more, then he started voluntarily walking out onto my hand! He was initially kind of sleepy looking, then became more and more alert, becoming increasingly excited and moving more quickly. He started walking from hand to hand faster, looked like he wanted to run out and explore. I kept putting him back in his cage and he kept walking back onto my hand when I offered it. Because he was walking faster I had to move my other hand up faster, and then he nibbled my thumb before taking a good bite (I bled from 2 little puncture wounds), then he nibbled my index finger (I moved it away before he could take a chunk out of that too). I kind of think he got excited and then confused because those were the fingers I was picking up food with, because other than that he seemed extremely comfortable with being handled. Or maybe he associates the left hand with safety and food since I usually have it palmed in that hand, and the right hand with coming to pick him up so he attacked it? Or just that I moved up too quickly with that hand and he got scared?
So I'm not exactly sure what to make of that, but I'll keep at this method because otherwise he seemed to be making fantastic progress.
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Old 04-17-2019, 03:30 PM   #12
souffle
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Default Re: How get Syrian used to being held?

If they get over revved up we would end the session and put them back in. They can get over excited and bite at that point. We don't tend to hand feed food but instead put it in a dish in the cage and set them down near it to get their treat. It was likely because your hands smelled of food he bit or over excitement as you say. They are like toddlers and need to learn to be calmer and that they won't get food every single time. They soon ask to come out just because they enjoy it.
Our screetcher who arrived today called Treacle has actually stopped almost already now she realises that screetching does not scare us off from picking her up. She is but a little diva!
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Old 04-17-2019, 04:28 PM   #13
xosunflowerox
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Default Re: How get Syrian used to being held?

Thanks for all the replies! My hamster will step onto my hand to get treats. However, she won't walk all the way onto my hand. There's no point since she can grab the treats off with one or two paws on my hand.

I also wasn't aware it was okay to wake a hamster during the day. Like others have said, I have read that is never okay to do. If I can wake my hamster for a quick taming session, that would help a lot. I'm going to try it today. I also read to never pick a hamster up from above as they think your hand is a bird, picking them up to be eaten. Grabbing her from above will be significantly easier.
I have been having her walk across my hands. She crawls inside a cup and then I lift the cup, using my palm as her only exit. From there, she will crawl onto my hand and then I do the tunnel thing with my hands for a bit. I've done that twice. She was pretty scared the first time, but seemed better the second time.

I'll try to directly lift her up today and then have her walk on my hands.
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Old 04-17-2019, 05:08 PM   #14
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Default Re: How get Syrian used to being held?

Update: I just woke her to try taming her. I tried picking her up from above and she flipped out really badly. She kept escaping my hand and started squealing. I kept doing it and I tried to get her to walk across my hands. She would just jump off right away. I tried for maybe five minutes before letting her rest. I'm not sure if that really helped... I guess after I picked her up a couple of times, she would go still in my hand for several seconds rather than immediately try to escape. Do I just keep trying to lift and put her down until she is used to that? Or am I doing something wrong?
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Old 04-18-2019, 01:01 AM   #15
souffle
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Default Re: How get Syrian used to being held?

This is our way and a suggestion to try. If you are managing with the cup to get her out then that is fine but once out you still need to lift and lay. Until they are confident with the lift and lay we don't do the hand to hand work at all. Some people like to use a dep play box and do the lift and lay in that as well as lots of stroking and letting them see that hands are fine to have around.
It's entirely up to you if you want to wake them or not. We do wake ours and none of them seem stressed or have passed away as a result. Bean the hamster in the pics is now fine being wakened and comes out his nest. He has gained nearly 20g since he came and a stressed hamster would not be gaining a good amount of weight. When his family come for him we will teach them how to wake and handle him.
Everyone makes their own choices and using tips from multiple sources and selecting the ones that work for you should give you a good result.
Good luck.
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Old 04-18-2019, 08:30 AM   #16
Ria P
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Default Re: How get Syrian used to being held?

Maybe the way we wake our hamster affects their response. As I said before, when mine's rolled up and in a deep sleep I leave him be. Mostly he wakes when I make a bit of noise like a gentle tap on his roof and lift part of his roof off. I wait till he yawns and stretches then stroke him for a while. Sometimes he wants a snack first. Just now at 16.00 I held a piece of green bean in front of his nose which got him up and moving and then picked him up. He ate the bean sitting on my hand which is a first in itself. Then i did the lift and lay exercise which seems fine by him. I do 10 reps and count along so he can hear my voice. Soon as he gets restless I let him go back in his cage. Souffle's method works amazingly well. All we need to do is apply it and amend it to suit our hamsters. I don't think there is a step by step hamster taming manual because they ain't no washing machine. Well, that's the way I see it.
SOUFFLE, can we see a photo of your little diva Treacle please...unless she's a client of course, data protection and all that.
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Old 04-18-2019, 09:20 AM   #17
mikatelyn
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Default Re: How get Syrian used to being held?

I am having a similar experience to Ria. Smokey seems to be progressing nicely with Souffle's taming technique.
I had another taming session last night as well as this morning with Smokey. The biting seems to have been a 1 time fluke. He has returned to his normal, sweet, non-bitey self.
I have been trying to time the sessions for when he's normally a little more active. I've had him 4 months now, so I know his routine pretty well. If he's not already out and about, I'll listen for little chewing noises so I know he's awake, or when he comes out to take a drink. Usually I'll call for him softly, make some scratching noises outside of his entry way, and wave something good smelling like a small piece of carrot/cucumber/walnut towards his den. After a couple of minutes he'll poke his nose out and slowly come out. Then over the course of 15 minutes or so I'll do repeated lifts with 10-60 second holds (probably about 5-10 reps), put him back, give him a little break, then do it again a couple of minutes later.
I've not had the guts to lift his house off of him, since I've noticed that he seems to do a lot of self soothing/excessive grooming/hiding in the corner or even completely move out of his nest if I disturb his nest the TINIEST amount.

He's already used to being pet and taking treats, so I usually put a hand flat in front of him with (or sometimes without) a treat in the palm, and slowly move the other hand over him in Souffle's described computer mouse lifting technique. Then I just do a brief lift onto my open palm, or scoot him completely onto my palm if he already has a couple of paws on my hand.
The first few lifts during each taming session he doesn't look thrilled and tries to bends his body away or walks a few inches to another part of the cage to avoid my hand, but after a few times he starts to look kind of blase about it, then he starts to look like he's enjoying coming out of the cage and keeps coming back to the open edge of the cage. Then he starts walking out on my hand all by himself. If he starts to get zippy I end the session.. I don't want a repeat of the bite! Or if I have time, I go sit in the bathtub with him for a few minutes so he can run around to his heart's content without me worrying he'll escape.
I've only ever had this one hamster, so I don't know if he took to it so well because we've already had the prior 4 months of the cup/bathtub/playpen/coaxing him out with treats trainings, but we were definitely stalled until I started trying Souffle's method.
Sunflower, hopefully describing our experiences helps you in some way! Believe me, I understand the frustration of not knowing what to do with the lil guy! As Souffle says, I've been gathering tips from as many people's experiences as I can and trying out different things, so hopefully you find something that works for you and your hammie as well.
Souffle, thanks for the suggestions! I really feel like we've had a breakthrough over here. I'd love to keep hearing updates about little Screecher's taming as well!
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Old 04-18-2019, 11:09 AM   #18
Ria P
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Default Re: How get Syrian used to being held?

Mikatelyn, get a wooden house with a removable flat roof. Henry had a solid house which got too small for him even though he's small and a bit weedy for a Syrian. With a removable roof you can check on your hamster without disturbing his nest. I got my partner to cut the roof into two sections so I can spy on Henry without him knowing (joke). He knows. You can get all sorts of fancy houses in the UK but don't know what's available across the pond.
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Old 04-18-2019, 04:59 PM   #19
mikatelyn
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Default Re: How get Syrian used to being held?

I do envy all the Syrian hamster appropriate supplies in the UK! It's ridiculous how hard you have to look in the US to get the right things. Most hamster things are for dwarves, even though Syrians are the most popular hamster pets. It makes no sense.
I have not found a ready made flat roofed wooden house (well, not one that will ship to Arizona anyways. I did check out the UK ones *sigh*), but I did convert a shoebox with a lift off roof. It is sitting on a bunch of substrate, all empty and just waiting for a Smokey to go move in, but alas Smokey seems very comfortable in his current wooden house with no removable lid.
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Old 04-19-2019, 12:33 AM   #20
Ria P
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Default Re: How get Syrian used to being held?

Haha! Sounds like you have a hamster like my Henry who can be an awkward little thing, forever outwitting me. The house comes as a flatpack, four walls and a roof that all slot together. Feriplast guinea pig house. I'm surprised that Amazon doesn't ship to Arizona.
Quick taming update: last night Henry calmly sat on my lap for quite a while, just sniffing and looking around which is another first. This morning I announced myself and took his roof off but he looked at me as if to say 'what do you want', had a pee and a snack then buried himself deeper into his nest. I put the roof back on and will try again in a few hours.
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