[kesaiserris]

Originally Posted by Munchalot

I believe hamsters are really quite intelligent. It's something I've noticed with the hammies I have now, the development of trust and knowing who it is they are associating with.

My little Finley is an incredibly shy little ham, probably the most shy hamster I've owned. I am the only person he will allow to pick him up, and he becomes very relaxed when I handle him. When I put my hand into his box, I let him sniff me before I pick him up, and he immediately relaxes when he knows it's me. He had learnt to trust my mum, because she gives him treats when I'm not at home, so although he won't allow her to pick him up, he associates her with treats and is fine with her. Any other person who has tried to touch him has been bitten, because he doesn't know them and he panics.
He has actually taught me some things, and now I apply how I treat him to the untame baby hamsters I have to deal with at work.
I believe he sees me not only as a source of treats, but a source of security and friendship. For such a flighty little creature, he loves his cuddles in bed with mummy. They definitely have the ability to distinguish people, and respond to different people in accordance. They know people for reasons other than 'they get food when this person appears'.

Todd is another matter. I think he is very clever, and I have a very close bond with this little man. He responds to several words, including his name, and when he's out having free range of my room, he will come back to me if I call. Even more interestingly, if I sit on the floor whilst he's running around, every now and again he'll come back to me to 'check on me' so to speak. :L He'll come dashing out and climb up onto my knee, give himself a quick groom, lick my hand (yes, I need grooming too xD) and then he'll dash off again. He does this every 3 - 5 mins or so.
He loves his cuddles with me, and like Fin I think he enjoys a sense of security and sociability when I hold him. He snuggles into my hand and when I stroke his back he'll lick my fingers. We have lovely little cuddles. ^^

I'm going to see what I can teach Todd, because he's so responsive to voice and touch, I think I could teach him quite a lot. He also knows if I scratch the carpet whilst he's running around, I want him to come back to my hand, in case he hasn't heard my voice.

Stella my daughter's hamster also responds to her name when out and about and she does the checking bit and if she is grooming herself she gives me a few licks for good measure. She used to try to wash my daughter's hair but I now have daughter wear her hair back when holding Stella just to be sure that Stella doesn't swallow any hair by accident. One time my daughter was playing with Stella, letting her run free and I came in and daughter says to Stella "Go to Mommy" and Stella ran over to me immediately lol It was probably just a coincidence that she wanted to run to me at that time but still it was very cute and the timing was so spot on. I am not sure how I would rate her intelligence, I think they are different smart then we are but between the two of us I think she'd be better at surviving outdoors with only nature as a resource haha I also don't think they are 100% instinct, I mean humans are extremely instinctual despite vigorous denial but are we only instincts? Probably not. Stella might be governed more by instincts than I am but I do think she has a genuine sense of curiosity and playfulness and that she has feelings/moods as well.

Another cute thing. Stella has a wheel (the saucer kind, which is a good size for her) that she doesn't run in very much. The other day I demonstrated to her how to use it thinking maybe she hadn't grasped it and she watches me very closely during this demo and afterwards gets in the wheel and runs in it perfectly for a bit, then she stops looks at me and starts digging under the wheel again which is what she usually does. I mean she literally showed me I know how to run in a wheel I just don't want to do it lol Whenever we give her a new toys she goes over to it immediately and investigates, even if she was sleeping/in her house. If she happened to be sleeping she will show us she can use it and approves and then go back to sleep again. If the object is edible she takes it with her.