No Time For Taming

crazyc4tlady · 01-22-2015, 02:22 AM

Hi everyone

I'm having an issue with taming my Syrian Stanley, We never get to actually see eachother!
I have to get up for work at 4:30-5:00am and he will be just stuffing his cheeks before bed, I might feed him a treat and he's fine then that's it. Because of course I'm getting ready for work. Then all day I don't see him because he's asleep of course, and when he finally awakes it's normally around 10pm and I'm already in bed lol
How will I ever tame him with this schedule

Rempanda · 01-22-2015, 02:59 AM

Maybe try encouraging him to get up earlier?
My Syrian got into the habit of getting up at 1am and not going to sleep until about 9am! Which was lovely seeing her when I woke up, but I never got time in the evening with her.
I have a dimmer switch on my lamp so would turn that down low at about 8pm and started waking her up a little earlier each night. So instead of 1am, it was 12:45 and so on. Now she gets up at about 8/9pm... still doesn't seem to go to sleep until I'm up though. She has her morning cuddle then goes to bed, it's so sweet! If I don't cuddle her she doesn't go to bed, just stands staring at me until I do!

crazyc4tlady · 01-22-2015, 03:01 AM

aww thats so sweet! I did think about it but I worried I might scare him, hes a bit jumpy still :/

Rempanda · 01-22-2015, 03:06 AM

Give him a treat when you wake him?
I'm not great with taming advice as I lucked out on my last few hammies, none needed taming! Lady Madonna is just an over friendly hamster who loves everyone (a bit like a playful puppy!) Theodore was raised by a vet from a very young age and feed via a syringe so is used to human contact (though very nervous around loud people/noises) and my old hammy Sandy was just very friendly from the beginning.

Maxncharlie · 01-23-2015, 01:42 PM

My hamster is soooo lazy but I find he will always wake up for a chocolate drop!

newtohamsters · 01-23-2015, 03:35 PM

I have this problem with Harvey, he likes to get up at 3 and goes to bed about 7, the rest of the time he is asleep or I am at work.

I end up forcing him awake to have a run around in the bath (dry obviously and plughole secured) with some toys on a blanket but often I am afraid I just scare him so sometimes leave him alone.

I am working on getting him to come out for food........

Pebbles82 · 01-24-2015, 05:10 AM

I had this problem too. We started waking him around 6pm for feeding - we needed to tame him at a time before our little boy went to bed, as he wanted to be involved too. The RSPCA hamster book we have suggested getting them in a routine of being woken to feed around tea time if it is for a child for example.

So, having had this advice on here, we do a bit of noisy cage stuff while changing his water and filling his food bowl and hiding the odd bit of food. Usually he doesn't want to eat at this time, but the noise wakes him up and he will either come out to investigate or will walk into a tube with a treat in so we can get him out. You might need to give him a few minutes to wake up properly or he'll be groggy. We then used to pop him in his ball from the tube, let him run around for a few minutes, then take the ball up to the bathroom and open it up inside the dry bath with the plug in, plus have a few toys in the bath and hidden treats. Most of the time he'd just try and run up the side of the bath and slide down again, but we were able to start touching and stroking him a bit at a time until he got used to touch, and then cupping him under his tummy, lifting him very slightly and letting him walk off again, until he got confident about being held. Sometimes our little boy would get into the bath first and Charlie would run all over him - so he got used to our smell and presence but be careful he doesn't run up your arm and jump out!

Hope this helps.

crazyc4tlady · 01-29-2015, 03:36 AM

Stan has started to go to bed at around 4:30-5 am when I'm getting ready for work, but when I get home at sort of 8-9am he gets up and starts stuffing his cheeks! So I've been seeing him then but he's so so jumpy.
I'm still not seeing him of an evening though he really must be a heavy sleeper lol
I haven't tried the bath thing yet though, will have to give it a go, thanks