I've recently adopted Noodle, a Chinese dwarf hamster and so far so good. I got him on Sunday and so far he's becoming very friendly and is allowing me to stroke him and takes food from me. He even comes and licks my finger if I poke it into the cage.
I was thinking that by the end of the week, I could start introducing him to being handled but I'm not sure what the best way of doing this is?
I've read that maybe placing my hand down is a good way to start and somewhere else I read that I should scoop him up gently with both my hands.
What is the best way?!
He's my very first hamster and after seeing the speed he does dashing around his cage, I'm worried about dropping him!
Advice - Do it in a big cardboard box or his cage if its got a big enough opening... Keeping them in a place with walls means escapes are less risky, and has proven very, very handy for us in the past.
And er... I tend to try the method with putting my hand down flat, then lift it slightly and let them run over both my hands e.t.c, but scooping them up gently should work too as far as I know
the wiki section on the left of the screen has a section on taming that's fabulous, and having great results with it.
Personally i find it a lot easier than with piggies, as the piggies want less attention as they live in groups. Because Syrians live alone, they seem to be more open to receive attention. Having said that our piggy area is massive, so i think we over spoilt them, now they will only come out if we have treats for them, fickle bunch lol.
I second what Kyrilliondaemon said above, put your hamster in a big wide box of some kind with reasonably high walls so they can't jump out. Then rub your hands in the bedding so that you smell "normal" and just persevere with picking Noodle up for a few seconds at at time, letting him walk over your hands and letting him get down again. After a while he will become more and more calm and easier to pick up. Just don't lift him up too high unless you're sure he won't jump!
I also loudly sprinkle food around (with a spoon, not my fingers) when he's walking around so that he associates me with dinner time
How to start handling Noodle?
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