Quote:
Originally Posted by Nancy's Hamsters
Haha Skeever you are one of a kind,
I too have had the cuddle bug pick me up, pick me up kind of Hamster, and I've had plenty of the ewwww Human smelly hands type hamsters. Each is different in their own ways of bonding with us.
Since she allows you to scoop her up that is actually a bigger acomplishment then her climbing up on your hand. Why you ask? Cause Hamsters are prey for many other animals who are much much bigger then them. IF they don't have full confidence, and trust in you they would never ever allow your huge to their sight hand coming down from above them to completely encompass them with fingers and palms.
Since you say she climbed on your hand from the bin door use that to your advantage in training her to climb in your hand. Have a very very special treat which she will jump to the moon and back for(haven't found one yet? Keep looking as there will be something she loves out there) Open her bin door and call her name and see if she will walk over to the door. If she does then a teeny bit of the special treat is given as a reward for the behavior. Find a word to say that she will learn to associate with the behavior you want her to do. "Up,Up" is a common one used for asking a Hamster to climb on to your hand.
Even if she just places one front paw on your thumb reward her. When she will do this behavior then make it a bit harder to get the reward by insisting she place two paws on your thumb before a reward. Little by little hold the special treat farther away from your thumb and more in the palm of your hand. In a bit of time she may figure out two and two equals four and figure out you want her to climb up on your hand.
How long will that take? Some learn quickly, while others take a long time, but as has been stated in almost ever post reply. You must go at your hamsters pace and not your hearts desire. Quit getting angry as it will only make her not want to be around you(Hamsters has extremely sensitive senses and even if you left the house and came back you actually emit anger odors the Hamster can smell and sense which could possibly stop them from even wanting to be in your hand.
So always look for a positive thing from the training sessions, and be Happy with whatever she did that session. Her just coming out of her nest and towards you is a huge acceptance of you and a huge sign of her trust you won't cause her harm. Tell her how happy you are that she trust you and silly as this may sound tell her what you would like to see her do.
Hope this helps you out a little bit in getting Aria(love that name) to climb onto your hand.
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You actually have a very good point there with the picking up. She actually has freaked out about things being over and above her. She'd see "x" thing and blitz to go and hide. For being as skittish as she is, she's also never bitten me. So looking it that way you're right. Thank you so much for pointing that trust she has for me. I really can't believe that I've overlooked that.
I'll have to keep looking for a treat. Right now she LOVES sunflower seeds but I want to keep that to a minimum. Thank you for the training tips! I'll be sure to try that all out! I'm a huge believer that all animals are smart to be trained and can learn. You've made the whole training process sound really exciting and I do believe that Aria and I can achieve progress using this process!! I'm really excited to start.
Wow! That's a really great fact. It never really occurred to me that she would be able to sense my anger like that. I'll be sure to keep my cool for sure from now on. Thus far she's been alright. I think she's more uneasy about the Christmas guests being in the house. I've let her be while they're here to avoid stressing her out.
Thank you so much! I'll be sure to stay relaxed and not overlook even the smallest of accomplishments. I will take my time and let her lead the way. I will really embrace this positive training. It really does mean a lot that you have taken the time to reply and guide me with a how-to.
Thank you! I'm glad you love her name too.