Aggressive hamster, can't tame him

sever2 · 04-07-2012, 09:19 AM

I have my winter white russian dwarf hamster for 1 week.. Today I cleaned his cage and he seemed happy a lot.. I decided to start taming him.. I put him in a box and started squeeking and running and biting.. He was very aggressive.. I have never seen hamsters like that again, and I had like 3-4 in the past.. I regretted that I bought him. I don't know if it is worth the time to tame him. He is very angry.. In his cage he takes food from my hands etc.. Dunno what to do. I just regretted buying this hamster..

Hammymad · 04-07-2012, 09:30 AM

So because he isn't tame in 7 days,you regret buying him? You need to understand that not all hamsters will tame as fast as others,I know that some of the members on here have had their hams,months,maybe even longer and they're still not 100% tame.

I don't think you're being fair to this little guy,most hamsters will bite out of fear,not aggression,but unfortunately they get too easily labeled as being "vicious and aggressive"

If you are asking yourself is it worth your time after just 1 week,then I doubt you will put in the time,effort and patience he obviously needs.

HamstersOfHell · 04-07-2012, 09:35 AM

Hamsters need a lot of time and patience, some are sweethearts from the start, others need time. When I had Ruby it took me until August for her to be tamed and I had bought her in April. People need to be prepared to take on and help an animal they buy whatever
the cost.
Your hamster can't help being like that, he may of had a bad past with humans, just a week isn't giving him enough time to be settled and had the chance to trust you and be tamed.

Angelhamster · 04-07-2012, 09:41 AM

Sorry, I'd have to agree with Hammymad and Hamsterofhell. They're all unique so will tame differently. As much as we love to get enjoyment from their antics, they're not simply here for our pleasure. I hope he settles but if you're not going to keep him, please find him a good home with a patient owner. Best of luck

sever2 · 04-07-2012, 09:44 AM

I didn't know that it could take months. All my hamsters in the past were tamed on the 2nd - 3rd week. Thank you for the information. I will spend much time with him everyday from now on but will be wearing the gloves till it gets used to me. Is this method (putting the hamster in a box and taming him) bad? Maybe he was scared because he wasn't in his cage or something like that? Should I try something else?

racinghamster · 04-07-2012, 09:44 AM

Hello. I know it`s frustrating but if you have only had him for one week and within that time, he takes treats from your hand and was otherwise `okay` until you cleaned his entire cage, this could have been the trigger for the behaviour you are seeing. He has settled into his home and you have disturbed his den, his home, his territory. You have to look at things from his point of view, so what I would suggest you do now is, that you go back to the beginning and let him settle again. Only speak to him gently, work around him by only spot cleaning his cage and then leave him alone to sleep. There is no need to do full cage cleans. Hamsters like familiar scent around them and will scent mark their cage and their accessories. So you may have just undone some of the good things you had within that first week by cage cleaning and trying to be hands-on with him too soon.

As Hammymad said, some hamsters take a little longer to settle in and get used to you.

Try not to take his behaviour as personal because it isn`t aimed at you. It`s what hamsters do when they feel stressed or upset, that`s all.

Also, if your russian dwarf is from a pet shop/pet store, he could be a Campbells or a Hybrid, so he could be tempramental genetically. Again, not his fault.

How do you feel about it now? Do you think you can work with him and take these steps now and just take things a day at a time? We`re here to help you know, not dictate.

Hammymad · 04-07-2012, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sever2

I didn't know that it could take months. All my hamsters in the past were tamed on the 2nd - 3rd week. Thank you for the information. I will spend much time with him everyday from now on but will be wearing the gloves till it gets used to me. Is this method (putting the hamster in a box and taming him) bad? Maybe he was scared because he wasn't in his cage or something like that? Should I try something else?

Yep,it can take awhile,and it won't be long before you start to see his behaviour change and he will warm to you.Just be calm and patient,he's only teeny tiny and the world probably looks very scary to him.

Racinghamster could have hit the nail on the head with saying about you doing full cage clean so early into having him.Hamsters are well known to freak out abit if everything is cleaned (especially when they aren't used to you,or their new home) they do like to be able to smell things that are familiar to them.

Good luck with him

sever2 · 04-07-2012, 09:54 AM

I really want to spend time with him. I want to give him love because I love hamsters ^^. I just wanted to make sure that it will be tamed one day in the future.
Maybe you are right. I disturbed his terriroty. I cleaned his house too. I think I shouldn't.

I have never spot cleaned a cage, all my previous hamsters didn't have this problem, but I will do this from now on. But isn't it a problem if I dont clean his house? It is full of poop and smelling bad.

Hammymad · 04-07-2012, 09:57 AM

You can clean all the poop/wee smelling bedding,but try and leave a bit of his old bedding in (if it's dry) and say he likes to wee in a certain spot,corner,just clean that bit and leave the rest of the sawdust in.
It's better for hm and it saves you cleaning the whole cage weekly too when it doesn't need it

sever2 · 04-07-2012, 10:02 AM

I have no idea where he is peeing. I am not at home all day and I spend around 30 mins with him everyday if he is not sleeping so it is dificult to know where he is peeing. But I will try to do as much spot cleaning i can. Thank you for the advice. So, should I keep giving him treats from my hands when he is in his cage for now? I really don't want to stress him out more.