Help needed with taming

Pleasehelp · 03-17-2021, 06:05 PM

Hi guys so I’ve had my female Syrian (around 11 weeks old) for just over a month.

I’m really struggling to make progress with taming her and getting her used to me. She’s fine with me petting her and will take treats out of my hand but won’t climb into my hand if I put treats in my palm. It’s also incredibly hard to interact with her because she won’t come out of her burrow unless it’s pitch black. Even if there is little light (leaving just the lamp on) she won’t come out. If I put a blanket over the cage she will come out and explore but if I turn the lamp on while she’s out she will go burrow again shortly after. I’ve tried the bathtub but I gave up on that because I wasn’t getting anywhere and she just kept trying to burrow under the blanket.

I guess I haven’t been to consistent in the sense that I haven’t been able to interact with her daily. Should I just try set a daily routine? Would that help? I interact with her often at least 4-5 times in a week. But do I need to do it everyday at the start of the taming process?

Also could it possibly be the cage? I have a 110 gallon fish tank for her. 90cm length and 32 cm width and 6 inches bedding.

I’m losing hope because I feel like I haven’t made any progress since the first week of getting her if anything I’m going backwards because she used to eat out the palm of hand but now she won’t.

Dodo · 03-18-2021, 12:37 AM

Hi there! I am sorry you are struggling with taming. I am too

so I thought I could tell you a bit about my journey. I brought back home a 11 week male Syrian 2 months ago. He still does not come on my hand and the process of taming him is slow and frustrating, but I try to be relaxed about it. The 1st weeks I tried various forms of out of cage taming and that led nowhere, the poor thing was super stressed and it was just not pleasant at all for either of us. I abandoned this for various weeks, focusing on getting gim used to me in the cage, speaking to him, feeding treats etc. Recently he tried frequently to get out of the cage when the lid is open, climbing on his platform and lifting himself. I used that to get him either in a carrier or a mug and take him to the bathtub. He explores a bit, I’ve put treats there, and he is definitely more relaxed. When he goes into the carrier/mug I take him bacl to his cage, so he knows he can go back whenever he wants. I’m now trying to get him to come on my hand to leave the cage. No luck so far but we’ll see. Basically he is far from being tame but I keep trying and most importantly I enjoy the fact that at last he does not freak out the way he used to. He is more confident and eager to explore and I take that as a good sign.

Finally (sorry this is a looong post), your cage might be on the small side. Many advise no less than a 100x50 enclosure for female Syrians who are notoriously demanding space-wise. Maybe you could upgrade at some point? An Ikea Detolf is always a good option. Good luck and keep us posted!

Ria P · 03-18-2021, 03:51 AM

Could you post a photo of your hamster's set up please?

Just to rule out that the reason she's reluctant to leave her burrows is not caused by something environmental like feeling exposed due to lack of shelter or overhead cover.

Not all hamsters climb into a hand. Our Syrians don't and never have done.