Becoming UNtame?

[luxbear]

Is it possible for a ham to become UNtame? My six-month-old Robo no longer likes to be held, and I'm not sure why. There was a brief period of time where I let him relax in his pillow or play, which didn't involve holding. I'm wondering if he's become 'un-used' to it.

[Hekomi]

I believe dwarfs will lose their tameness over time, whereas Syrians will not.

Handling and Taming Your Dwarf

"After a short amount of time of no contact with humans, dwarf hamsters become untame. To avoid this, you MUST handle your hamster at least once every two weeks. Unlike dwarfs, once Syrian hamsters are tame, they are tame for life. Because dwarfs have not been domesticated nearly as long as Syrians, they have a tendency of losing their tameness if they aren't held often enough."

[luxbear]

Well I'm willing to endure the little nibbles to tame him again

[Hekomi]

Sounds good! Offer him some treats and hopefully he'll remember you soon. I try to handle my hams everyday if possible, but sometimes it's not plausible (if you're going away, etc.) so I understand completely.

[luxbear]

Yeah I make sure I play with him daily, but it doesn't always involve handling -- especially because he LOVES just laying in his little pillow.

[Hekomi]

Awh he is such a cutie! I'm sure he'll warm up again soon!

[DrKMcK]

He's so pretty in that photo. The bow just makes it!

[luxbear]

That was his Christmas photo :P

[Colby and the Dwarfs]

Might be a little off topic, but sometimes, after having a litter, my females get a little un-tamed. They aren't held much, if at all, for 2 weeks! Anyway, so if they can get un-tamed, I'm sure any dwarf can. That probably didn't help, but oh well

[polishrose]

I must have some weird dwarf hamsters because I have found the opposite-apart from robos my dwarfs have always been tame even with less handling than the syrians.The syrians on the other hand have needed handling every single day or they start losing their tameness.