Taming little Noah

[Noahsark]

Hi fellow hamster friends,

first post on here :P recently bought my Syrian shorthair hamster, named Noah. want a photo?
He has a very sweet and inquisitive attitude towards me, he's showed no signs of aggression but he's so nervous and jumpy, I'm looking for taming tips and tricks..
I've tried getting in the bath with him (a dry bath obviously) but he just scratched the sides as if he was terrified of me, I've also tried giving him treats by hand but he just sniffs them and ignores me, that or takes it and drops it

Ive had a hamster before but i was much younger and he wasn't nearly as nervous as my new wee friend, i just want him to be comfortable and happy, so any advice will be appreciated and put to use.

Thank you in advance!!

[cypher]

Welcome to HC

I've never used the bath for taming as I have dwarf hams but I think it could be a bit overwhelming for some hams & the room may smell very different to the room your ham lives in (to a sensitive ham nose!) so you might do better with a playpen, you can make one (video here) the original storage cubes used there may not be available but Amazon still sell very similar ones if you have a look, not many playpens sold for hams are actually suitable for syrians but the wooden one on Zooplus is ok.
You could put lots of things to explore like toys, cardboard tubes or boxes & a wheel in there, let your ham have a bit of a run around & then just gradually begin to introduce your hand & let him slowly get used to it, short sessions to begin with.
If you make the stylish playpen you can make it plenty big enough to sit in with him but even with a smaller size you can interact from the sides.
What treats have you been giving for taming? Sometimes it can take a while to find what each ham finds impossible to resist & some hams are more food motivated than others but I would keep trying with that though.

[dreamtree1234]

Hi and welcome to HC! Noah sounds wonderful, and yes, I totally would love to see a pic of your darling whenever the opportunity arises. Cypher gave excellent advice on taming. I would also suggest using the tissue trick if you haven't already. It is a great way for your little ham to get more comfortable with your scent which makes taming so much easier. Good luck and have fun during the taming process. I look forward to seeing you around the forum and getting to know your precious Noah.

[Noahsark]

Hello Cypher

Thank you for your response, I agree the bath was maybe a little too much for him, having a look into play pens today, many I've seen I reckon he'd get out of in seconds, but I'll have a look into the wooden one you've suggested, so thank you.

Ive bought many treats, I've tried him with sunflower/pumpkin seeds, he does his sniff and ignore thing with them, and Ive also given him bits of a hamster fruit salad mix that I bought from my local pet store, he takes the dried banana chips from me, then he just drops them, but I've noticed he goes back to them later once my hand is out of his cage, so I think its just a trust thing. He loves little bits of carrot, he took one out of my hand the other day, and actually ate it, which felt like a huge victory!

Any other treat suggestions?

[Noahsark]

Hello Dreamtree1234!

Thank you for responding! He really is, he's stole my heart!
The tissue trick I have heard of but I wasn't sure, I'll definitely be giving it a go, do I just rub it on me, or something? I think he might use it as bedding, is that safe?

I've attached a photo to this post of Noah!
Proud mamma moment, here he is..

ps, I know wood shavings are frowned upon but the stuff I use, I've used for many years, it's dust extracted and is good quality, just incase anyone wonders

[cypher]

What a great photo! He looks lovely & those ears are just adorable

I'm sure you'll gain his trust with time, if he's coming back for some of those treats he will come to your hand in his own time.
When you do the tissue trick just put the toilet tissue up your sleeve for a while or anywhere it's next to your skin. Sometimes they use it for their nests sometimes not but either way is fine.

[Noahsark]

Hello everyone,
hope all is well, just thought i'd do a wee update on Noah, he's doing so well!!

Noah has been with me for just over 3 weeks now, I've taken his taming day by day, going at his pace, I've used the tissue trick since the first week as he used that as his bedding I think its helped massively. Tried him in his ball the second week, wasn't sure if he'd like it but he seems to, I've also been using it to take him out of his cage, the first time he was a little apprehensive but now he hops in everytime without hesitation. I purchased the zooplus wooden playpen, at first he wasn't keen but I think it may have been something to do with using a blanket underneath, he seems to be calmer on the carpet aha He's taking food from my hands now and I've noticed he looks at me for more when he wakes up during the day to nibble or drink!
Handling has also been going well, he now runs from hand to hand and is getting curious about climbing on me. Still not at the stage I can scoop him out of the cage with my hands, but we're definitely getting there, I'm super proud of him

Everyones suggestions were a great help and a comfort, as im a bit of a worrier, so thank you all!!

Photo update
This was him last night having a nibble, I grew him some grass, he was very curious!

[cypher]

Aww! he looks really sweet exploring his little grass forest there!
Good to hear how well taming & bonding are going now.

[dreamtree1234]

Aww, Noah looks absolutely precious and so, SO sweet in all of his adorable pics! He is such a handsome fellow with the cutest expressions. I am so pleased that his taming is going so well and your bond is growing stronger by the day. The tissue trick is one of the greatest tricks for early stages of taming. Although Eros is totally tame, I still put tissues with my scent in her cage whenever I clean it or know I will be having her cared for by a hammysitter when I am away for a few days, lol. She always gains so much comfort from it and has often been seen carrying it around like a security blanket; she reminds me of Peanut's Linus and his blue blanket when she does this - TOO CUTE!!!!

[Mawuu]

welcome to HC~! Noah is so cute ; o ;!!
I'm no means an expert but im sure little Noah will warm up to you as time passes <3