How get Syrian used to being held? - Page 4

souffle · 04-22-2019, 06:11 AM

a few more of her having a grape!
trrr1A.jpg

trr1A.jpg

tr9A.jpg

trr6A.jpg

Ria P · 04-22-2019, 10:23 AM

She is so cute! What a little pudding. She looks so content. The screaming she used to do intrigues me though because I've never heard a hamster screech. Can some of them be quite vocal then when they're not happy?

mikatelyn · 04-22-2019, 12:09 PM

Awww, she's so sweet! Thanks for sharing!
So Souffle, do you hand tame other people's hamsters for them, then? It sounded like Treacle came from somewhere else, but that she's also returning to her owners?

souffle · 04-22-2019, 02:28 PM

Yes we do taming for people who are having problems. Mostly it is families with kids who are struggling with pet shop hamsters. Treacle is our third one in the last 6 weeks! It usually takes a couple of weeks. We then spend time with the owners to help them with handling and suggest improvements to the set up to make it easier and a better home for their hamster. Often they are people who have asked about one of our pups and didn't want to wait till we had any. We usually do it when the family are away on holiday so that they have hamster holiday care as well.

Ria P · 04-23-2019, 02:57 PM

Update: I got Henry out of his cage, he ate while sitting on my hand and then he bit my finger! Not a nibble mistaking me for food but a proper bite that drew blood. Afterwards he sat very still on my lap for quite a while which was also unusual. I don't know what to make of this because he has never bitten before. I put him back in his cage because I'm not in the mood to handle him right now. Was it all getting a bit too much for him?

mikatelyn · 04-24-2019, 06:33 PM

Ria: Was there any sign before Henry bit you?
Smokey has acted out of character twice in recent memory.
The first time was when we first started with the pick up reps. He started to look like he was enjoying coming out of the cage, then he got really excited and his head started swiveling all over the place sniffing at any hand/finger movement, then he bit me. But he was back to himself by the next day.
The second time was a few nights ago. He woke me up around 3am with the noises from his water bottle while he was drinking, so I went and played with him for a few minutes (that sentence probably should have started with "you know you're hamster obsessed when...") He walked right out onto my hand, and when I put him back in his cage he started to race back and forth in front of the cage door. So I went back and got him back out, and he was ok for a few seconds, then he got really zippy and raced right off of my hands and plopped onto the floor. Luckily, I was able to get him before he raced under some furniture and therefore put me on another hamster hunt (not fun, FYI). Again, he was back to normal a few hours later during our usual morning play time.
I think I'm learning the signs of when he's too revved up and more likely to do something untame-like. Maybe Henry has some tells too?
It sounds like if things get really bad that maybe you could visit Souffle at Custard Hamstery for a hamster taming consult!

(By the way, Souffle, that sounds wonderful what you do for problem hamsters! I wish there were some options like that over here for people who need help with their hamsters!)

Ria P · 04-25-2019, 12:15 AM

On reflection, I think I made a huge mistake that evening by lifting Henry out of his nest because I tried and didn't manage to tempt him out of his house. Not something I usually do but I thought he'd be ok with it. He's never asked to come out of his cage (there's a seperate threat on that querie) and must have been really peed off with me. I think he bit me out of anger not fear. Maybe he can't be socialized because he's not sociable by nature. This morning the chances of a taming session were nil because he had barricaded his front door again so I took the small section of his roof off to find him eating in his nest but sleepy looking. His nest is off limits now and once he had finished his supper he turned around and gave me his 'kiss my ...' gesture again. His bodylanguage is quite expressive. I'll let him do his own thing for a while to avoid getting bitten or continue wearing gardening gloves not sure what's best here but will get a proper playpen, put his cage without top in the middle, take his roof off and see if he'll come out and explore on his own accord.
Souffle is at the opposite end of the country otherwise I would have been knocking at her door and booked Henry in for taming classes.

xosunflowerox · 04-30-2019, 08:22 PM

I feel you both on mixed progress from your hamsters. It is like one step forward and two steps back sometimes... Last week I moved my hamster's hideaway to wake her up for a session. She looked so disoriented... I ended up ruining her nest in the process. I don't think she was happy about that at all. I decided after that, I won't move her house to wake her up.

A couple of days ago I took her into the playpen for taming. I haven't taken her in there since starting Souffle's method. She seemed much calmer about being picked up than when I had tried in the playpen in the past. I started trying to get her to walk across my hands. She was doing it and doing really well. When I tried having her walk across my hands inside her cage, she'd usually go too fast and end up face planting into some part of her cage.
But then she started making this squawking sound which she's never made before. I was kind of scared she was going to bite me. I think she was getting frustrated from walking forward and not getting anywhere. I put her down and tried again. She kept making the sound.

I tried a few more times and on the last attempt, she was quiet. I figured after that she was probably done so I put her back in her cage.

I have noticed after I pick my hamster up, she'll start trying to burrow, chew on anything she can and hide. I'm sure it's stressful for her. I hope after doing it enough times, she won't seem so stressed after being picked up.

Ria P · 05-05-2019, 08:42 AM

Hi Sunflower, yes mixed progress is definitely a good description of Henry's taming. I've stopped the regular sessions now because i feel that a good part of Henry's behaviour is down to his personality and i would consider him as hand tame now. I can pick him up without issues providing he's agreeable and i can stroke him etc. There are times when he flatly refuses to get picked up and makes this very clear with his body language. I have come to respect that, talk to him instead but leave him alone.
You could get a house with a removable roof or use a shoebox where the lid acts as a roof to avoid messing up the nest unintentionally. Henry is less nervy since applying Souffle's technique and it has certainly helped a great deal. I'm quite curious to see where we go from here and how or if the relationship between my hamster and myself will develop into something more sociable with more interaction, maybe. Still waiting for Henry's contribution though.....

demyere · 05-10-2019, 09:20 AM

Hi! Would like to know if the computer mouse method also works on dwarves. I have a winter white hybrid and he is responding ok to being on my palm and walking palm to palm but would like to lift him and perhaps turn him on his back to check for health problems regularly. He seems rather small though to do your method?