Hi all, new and feeling guilty hamster owner!

[smurfymansam]

Hi all, My name is Sam

I came here to find out a bit more about my hamster and what she needs to have an awesome life. I have discovered that some of the things I have been doing are actually not great and I feel quite bad about them.

My hamster is Called ChiChi (after Goku's wife in Dragonball Z if anybody watches!) She is roughly 11 weeks old and I have had her since 5 at 5/6 weeks at a guess. She has a very lovely Hamster Heaven by Savic, with the roof terrace removed as she kept getting stuck .

She has plenty of toys and things to keep her occupied. However I feel I have been a bit of a bad owner when it comes to handling. I started to tame her roughly a week after we had her, gently coaxing her over with food and stroking her. She quickly adapted to being touched. It was when it got to the picking up that things started to go wrong. I found myself chasing her around the bath tub, picking her up against her free will and forcibly holding her in my hand, trying to get her to calm down. She never bites , just always tries to run away.

If I attempt to scoop her up in her cage she does not like it, and will not sit in my hand unless I have food. she will just come over and sniff me and walk away. However she will happily come to the big opening and allow me to scoop, or pick her up from there. She will after a couple of seconds start to try and wriggle free. I thought that holding her still against her will would get her used to being handled, but I feel bad about doing it. Yet I do begin to get frustrated when she will not calm down in my hands and before I know it find myself holding her against her will again. It is only when I come to my senses that I let her go. I would just like to make you all aware, I do not squeeze or abuse her, but I am aware that holding her in my hand against her will is not the way forward and I do feel terrible, she has squeaked once which was a clear telling off.

I have not owned hamsters since I was a small boy, where taming would have been done by my mother, I am a grown man now and I should know better yet find myself having days where I am frustrated. I would just like some general advice that I have not done any permanent damage to our relationship, although i couldn't blame her. She will usually come out onto my bed and happily run around all over me and the bed but show no interest whatsoever in my hands, even running away from them unless food is involved where she will sit and eat. She doesn't seem frightened, as I said I will pick her up if she goes near an edge of the bed and move her, she is fine with that apart from the squirming if held too long.

I know what I am doing is wrong, and that forcibly holding her when she wants to run off is scaring her, but I honestly don't mean to frighten her, I just try talking to her soothingly and stroking her at the same time. Yet i feel too guilty and have gotten annoyed which is wrong.I am worried its having a bad effect on our relationship.

I am really sorry for the HUGE essay, and would love to get to know some fellow hamster owners who can give me some advice and help raising her. She is a hyperactive crazy little lady and I love her very much but I am clearly mistreating her, even if not intentionally. I just want to know if it is normal that she never wants to be held or sit still, and some alternative handling methods because I am clearly being an idiot, and I feel dreadful.

All the best,

Sam

[flowerfairy]

I have one hamster who comes out of his cage into a pringles to be transported into his play box and another who has a teeny cardboard box for the same.

Any kind of tunnel or box works well. They soon associate it with nice things.

[cypher]

Hi Sam & welcome to the forum.

It sounds as though you've done quite well with taming so far so don't feel so bad, it's not unusual for young hamsters to be difficult to hold, they have far too much energy & would rather be running around exploring or hunting out treats than sitting still in a human hand!
I think you just need to give it time, as Flowerfairy says use a tube, or a ball or mug will do, to transport her to the bath or other play area & let her spend time running around on you, she should eventually calm down a bit more & allow you to hold her but go slow, one step at a time.

[Thin Lizzy]

Hi Sam and welcome to HC. I use a tin to transport Harvey, whenever he sees it, he happily climbs in.
You've gone a good job, I find lying still on the floor and letting Harvey explore works. He loves to run up and have a sniff.