Hamster Central - View Single Post - Hamster really skittish as soon as I touch his back

Ria P · 01-07-2021, 06:08 AM

Hi and welcome to HC!

It can take a hamster two weeks just to settle into their new home and for the first two weeks i just talk to them and give them a chance to get used to their new surroundings.

I think that you are rushing things a bit and may be expecting too much too soon.
I would back off for a few days and then start taming out of his cage keeping the sessions very short at the beginning.

What works for me is the following: i sit in a playpen or hamster proof area and let the hamster walk around on my lap without touching him at first but only for a short while. I then move on to lightly touching him while he's eating a treat and increase the length of the sessions gradually. When the hamster is comfortable with touch i cap my hand around him briefly and from there move on to pick up exercises.

It worked for a very scared hamster who used to fly around his cage when i tried to touch him so i stopped that and tempted him into a "hamster taxi" mug with a treat to take him out of his cage.

Taming a hamster can take a lot of time and patience and i had estimated two to three months for my scared hamster but he became tame a lot quicker than that because i was willing to go at his pace and gained his trust slowly.

01-07-2021, 06:08 AM
Ria P House of Hamsters Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: Wiltshire, UK Posts: 7,103	Re: Hamster really skittish as soon as I touch his back Hi and welcome to HC! It can take a hamster two weeks just to settle into their new home and for the first two weeks i just talk to them and give them a chance to get used to their new surroundings. I think that you are rushing things a bit and may be expecting too much too soon. I would back off for a few days and then start taming out of his cage keeping the sessions very short at the beginning. What works for me is the following: i sit in a playpen or hamster proof area and let the hamster walk around on my lap without touching him at first but only for a short while. I then move on to lightly touching him while he's eating a treat and increase the length of the sessions gradually. When the hamster is comfortable with touch i cap my hand around him briefly and from there move on to pick up exercises. It worked for a very scared hamster who used to fly around his cage when i tried to touch him so i stopped that and tempted him into a "hamster taxi" mug with a treat to take him out of his cage. Taming a hamster can take a lot of time and patience and i had estimated two to three months for my scared hamster but he became tame a lot quicker than that because i was willing to go at his pace and gained his trust slowly.