Okay...this is getting old...

Mikayla · 07-16-2011, 07:04 PM

My robos are not easily tamed apparently. I use the bath and they still won't come near my hands. The will bite me if I come too close, and if I forcibly pick them up (which I sometimes have to resort to

) They spit out all their pouch onto my hands! If I put them in the tube to take them to the bathroom then they spit seeds out in there, if they are in ball they do it in there! I have transport them by my hands since if I don't I get seeds everywhere. And if I do, they bite me. Any help?

**Hamtastic** · 07-16-2011, 07:24 PM

Sorry, how old are they again?

My girls are 6 months old now, and only recently has Dora been milder and willing to walk on my hand (which does not mean that she'll stay on it for long or try to fall asleep, but she's fairly tame now comparatively). Leela still darts away if I'm too quick. Now, they always took food from my hands and didn't mind me doing stuff in their cage or bite me. But it did take 5 full months of being careful with them, not stressing them out, not taking them out often (the more I tried to tame them, the less tame they were...) After careful approaches for a long time, Dora just decided she wasn't afraid of me anymore, so it was basically hard-earned trust.

Mikayla · 07-16-2011, 08:43 PM

They are about a year, I think. They are from a pet store so no one knows, they haven't grown at all in the six months that I have had them.

They will NOT take food from my hand even. They won't even take food at all, nothing fresh at least.

**Hamtastic** · 07-16-2011, 08:50 PM

Hm. Have you been trying to tame them actively or have you gone through a period of not taking them out for a couple weeks (except to clean) and just leave them alone? Just more like stand nearby and talk to them and maybe (rarely) put your hand in the cage for a while so they get used to it with a treat on it (and not trying to touch them). My girls get nervous easily, so I try to not subject them to much forced taming. I take them out to play periodically but mostly leave them alone and just come talk to them (and put my hand in sometimes). I do have to trim their nails every 2-3 weeks though, which they hate :<

Mikayla · 07-16-2011, 09:18 PM

Yeah, I tried very, very, slowly for a long while. But when that didn't work (I mean I just started two weeks ago) I decided to try to force them to let me hold them.

Gizmodo ^_^ · 07-16-2011, 09:22 PM

I know how stressful it will be
after a year of taming only now is Pip coming on my hand, and letting me handle him..

**Hamtastic** · 07-16-2011, 09:23 PM

Yeah, I don't think grabbing them would work if they weren't even comfortable with you giving them food. I'd personally leave them alone more and if I took them out, I'd carry them in an opened running ball or toilet paper roll and just let them play as they wish. They really just need to be comfortable and not afraid, so however that can be arranged.

fluffymunchkins · 07-17-2011, 06:06 AM

Emptying pouches is a defense in the wild to distract a predator. So unfortunately it seems this is how they see you. My first hamster did the same when we held it, but otherwise it was fine

How do you react when they bite you?
You could try gloves if they have established your scent with a threat, also this will help you not to react when they do bite.
The might not be comfortable outside the cage, how are they when inside the cage?

Rarely hamsters never tame and you have to find ways to keep them happy while still providing proper care.

**Pompompoms** · 07-17-2011, 07:05 AM

It does very much seem like they see you as a threat as they are showing stressed behavior.

It must be very frustrating for you as you have been trying with them, but if you are to have any chance of taming one or both, you need to not force them. I know that's easy to say when they won'r come near you otherwise, but it really won't make things any better if they are scarred they're going to be chased and grabbed.

I would go back to the very beginning again. If you have the time to, perhaps in the evening I would spend half an hour with my hand just resting in their cage. Wash your hands with the same non perfumed soap every time you do this, put their favorite treat on your hand and just sit there. Don't try to approach them, let them come to you if they want to. They might take a few days to, but they will wander up and give you a sniff when they realise that this big hand in their cage hasn't done anything scary. If they nibble try not to react at all, The Cloud would sink his teeth in and draw blood, but if I gritted my teeth and ignored him he's realise that I wasn't going to go away with biting, nor was I going to react in any way.

Just keep going with this until they are happy with your presence. You can talk in a really soft voice too so they get used to both your hand and your voice not being a threat.

If you are sucessful with this, they will then feel ready to take food from your hand. Again don't be tempted to grab them, patience and them building trust is the key, and it takes as long as it takes. If you rush any stage and they are frightened of you, you're back to the beginning.

Don't panic, lots of people have struggled getting their robos relaxed and tame. There are robos that won't tame at all, I had one, but he wasn't frightened which at the moment it sounds like yours are. Work on getting them relaxed with you, the taming comes after that.

Do keep coming on here and asking people, lots of us have been through the same thing and are only too happy to try our best to help.

Mikayla · 07-17-2011, 04:10 PM

I know where you guys are coming from, I guess I got impatient...

I' did the same things that Pompompoms mentioned for five months and we made NO progress whatsoever. They would just run on their wheel until I left, they would run till the point of exhaustion. I didn't do the treat though, because after doing it with tons of different kinds, and they would smell it and walk away (even if I left it overnight) When they bite I blow at their faces, I suppose that probably doesn't help...They stop though :P

I also wonder if they will never be tamed because they are old. They are about a year, and from what I understand they only live to be 1.5-2 years. Maybe mine are just eye-candy?

I seem to have made more progress with picking them up and such. Delilah doesn't spit out food, and will only bite occasionally. But Phoebe does :P

I'll be back...believe me