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Pebbles82 · 03-24-2020, 01:29 PM

They are very different in the cage to when they’re out of it. The cage is their territory. Maybe it’s time to do some bathtub taming. Easiest way would be to tempt him into a tube with a smelly treat at the far end - eg cucumber or cheddar cheese. Put the other end near his house. He should walk in to get the treat and you can then lift the tube out with your hands over each end so he can’t jump out. Wear gloves if you might jump if he touched your hand and you were nervous of a nip eg (unlikely but you don’t want to drop him if he makes you jump). You need something next to the cage he can walk into from the tube. A hamster ball is good for this - put one end of the tube in the ball and keep your hand over the other end. He should walk into the ball and you pop the lid on and can then carry him in the ball to the bath and set it down in the bath and take the lid off. Or a high sided box if no ball. It’s a good idea to have a couple of toys in the bath - eg a tube and a hidey place. A couple of treats here and there. He can then run around in there and you can stroke him on the back occasionally with one finger. Again wear gloves if you’re nervous of being nipped. Maybe try that two or three times first session. If he leaps away or jerks round to see you off then wait a bit. Try again. It can be a slow process to start but then suddenly happen quickly. A couple of days later do another bathtub session and same again. When he accepts being stroked on the back by one finger you can move onto the next stage wher your hand is flat on the base of the bath, palm up and let him walk over it. A couple of times of that then lift your hand very slightly - eg 1cm but still let him walk off. Next session do more of that but lift your hand a bit higher - eg a couple of inches but still let him walk off. From there you should be able to hold him without him pinging (wriggling and leaping away) but bear in mind hamsters often don’t like to be held too long or stay in one place too long. And always hold them over something low with a soft landing eg cushions in case he decides to rub or jump.

03-24-2020, 01:29 PM
Pebbles82 Hamster Antics Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 23,533	Re: New hamster. They are very different in the cage to when they’re out of it. The cage is their territory. Maybe it’s time to do some bathtub taming. Easiest way would be to tempt him into a tube with a smelly treat at the far end - eg cucumber or cheddar cheese. Put the other end near his house. He should walk in to get the treat and you can then lift the tube out with your hands over each end so he can’t jump out. Wear gloves if you might jump if he touched your hand and you were nervous of a nip eg (unlikely but you don’t want to drop him if he makes you jump). You need something next to the cage he can walk into from the tube. A hamster ball is good for this - put one end of the tube in the ball and keep your hand over the other end. He should walk into the ball and you pop the lid on and can then carry him in the ball to the bath and set it down in the bath and take the lid off. Or a high sided box if no ball. It’s a good idea to have a couple of toys in the bath - eg a tube and a hidey place. A couple of treats here and there. He can then run around in there and you can stroke him on the back occasionally with one finger. Again wear gloves if you’re nervous of being nipped. Maybe try that two or three times first session. If he leaps away or jerks round to see you off then wait a bit. Try again. It can be a slow process to start but then suddenly happen quickly. A couple of days later do another bathtub session and same again. When he accepts being stroked on the back by one finger you can move onto the next stage wher your hand is flat on the base of the bath, palm up and let him walk over it. A couple of times of that then lift your hand very slightly - eg 1cm but still let him walk off. Next session do more of that but lift your hand a bit higher - eg a couple of inches but still let him walk off. From there you should be able to hold him without him pinging (wriggling and leaping away) but bear in mind hamsters often don’t like to be held too long or stay in one place too long. And always hold them over something low with a soft landing eg cushions in case he decides to rub or jump.