Scruffing?

[Vectis Hamstery]

I'm a fan of the jar/tube method for taming/transfer too. I like to get my little ones used to being picked up, but if they're jumpy then a tube/jar is great!

One of my syrians, Basil the Rat (usually called Baz), agreed to have a tooth check:

[Sammybingo]

Aww, thanks Vectis Isn't Baz a love! What a kind young fella, showing us all his chompers.

I'll try this again one day soon. I've taken to just waiting for Fur-nando to yawn to check his teeth haha. x

[Flamestriker]

I have never scruffed, now or years ago. The vet once did to one of my syrian males and he was so annoyed he turned in his own skin and bit the vet! And I told the vet off for it mainly because the rest of the hamster wasn't supported.

I check Squeak often (for signs of Pyo really) and I just hold her and turn her over in my hands. She wriggles a bit and it's quick and secure, and she gets a treat after. Squeak is a Syrian, and iv always checked my Syrians this way.

[TheFeldhamster]

@Flamestriker: with Syrians I can imagine it's a lot easier to get by without scruffing - there's so much more hamster to get a grip on But when you have to clip the claws of a diabetic and therefore hyper-active dwarf and there's pretty much no way around it.