Chinese Dwarf - Few questions

[saretti1979]

Dear all, it would be great to have some answers and opinions from you, especially from breeders, about some "hamster issues". My boyfriend and I got a lovey Chinese dwarf from P@H about 10 days ago.
We don't know how old he exactly is but we suppose 6-8 weeks.
We pick him up from his cage every evening and let him running on the couch and on us, and he seems to be quite confident although I notice he gets scared easily. Yesterday for the first time he bit me on my wrist whilst he was running all over me, I suspect it's because I was moving my arms when I noticed he risked to fall on the floor and similar? Could it be that he was annoyed by my movements? I didn't smell of food as I always wash my hands thoroughly before touching him, but I noticed my skin was smelling a bit of onion, as I had cut it before (not form him obviously) - could it be annoyed by that?
After the bite (which didn't leave any mark but it hurt) I let him run for a minute on the couch again and then out him back in the cage, where he did a run around and then went straight to eat. I have to say it wasn't an unbearable pain but now I am a bit scared as it seemed to be coming out of nowhere (as he run on me and my hands for a while before biting).

The other thing is that I am going away for two weeks and I fear a bit the idea that he will forget about me (my bf will be with him to feed him and handle him) and that he won't let him handle him again when I am back without biting me. Is there anything I can do, like leaving something with my smell (i.e. a napkin or sock) in/near the cage, or will he remember my smell when I come back? He's my little baby and I want him to remember his mommy!

Last thing I wanted to ask is about singing (soft melodies) to him, when I am near or when I handle him. I haven't tried yet but I was thinking about it.
Could this help in making him feel safe and reassured, and associate me with positive things? Will he remember my voice/melody?
I've noticed many animals react well to gentle music and songs, but I am not sure about Chinese dwarfs?

Thanks in advance for your answers and sorry if you already talked about these things in other posts, I haven't' had time to read them all yet! Sara

[shiny]

Our Chinese Monty has a nibble of us sometimes, he never breaks the skin & it isn't a hard bite so I've come to the conclusion that it's the way he checks things out. It doesn't really hurt but it can be a surprise when he does it!

Hopefully it was just a one-off from your hamster. Do be aware though that if he bites you & you pop him straight back in the cage, he can get to remember this behaviour & use it as the way to get you to put him back in the cage which would just encourage him to communicate withyou by biting! Try to avoid making this link for him.

Some people pop a tissue inside their T-shirt so it smells of them then give it to their hamsters for nesting material to get them familiar with their owners smell, maybe you could try this if you want to leave him with something that smells of you? Make sure it's just a normal paper tissue or bit of value toilet roll that's ok for hamsters.

I don't see why you can't sing to hamsters, they are much more reliant on sounds & smells than they are on their eyesight so he will respond to your voice / singing I'm sure

Vectis know loads & loads about Chinese hamsters so maybe she will be along & able to say about the biting thing.

Hope this is helpful. With best wishes, shiny & the hammies

[racinghamster]

Hi sara. Congratulations on your new chinese hamster. They are wonderful little pets and more mouse-like than a hamster as their body shape is more like a mouse, but with a shorter, prehensile tail. Chinese hamsters are quite intelligent (again, like a mouse) and they settle into a routine. The female I had was very easy to tame, yet she came to me after she was a year old and never knew me.

I would advise the following. Keep him inside his cagebase and interact with him there. Chinese hamsters are shy by nature which is why they sometimes `nip` due to feeling stressed if out in the open and are unsure of their suroundings. Allow him to climb onto a lowered arm that is sleeved to give him something to grip onto. A Chinese hamster will dart straight up an open sleeve though so be warned! They tickle like mad but they do love doing it! This was a game I played with my female and I stood there while she rummaged around inside my top!

Offer him something like a fleecy pouch to climb into if you want to remove him from his cage. If he wants to play, he will hop in. If he doesn`t, he won`t. Little steps at a time and plenty of patience is the key. He may grow out of the nipping, he may not, but that will really depend on how you approach taming him and not asking too much of him. It can take weeks, sometimes months for a hamster to trust you, but believe me, chinese hamsters are worth the effort because they are usually sweet natured.

Hope this helps and when you go away, ask your boyfriend just to keep handling to a minimum, but still spend lots of time with him while he`s playing away inside his own cage. He can offer a small seed treat on the palm of his hand like millet seeds, wait and stay still until he explored his hand and takes the treat and then gently and slowly, remove his hand.

If he`s sleeping, I woldn`t disturb him.I would only interact with him once he`s fully awake.

Chinese hamsters are also one of the diabetic prone species of hamster, so he would benefit from being fed a non-sugar, non molassed diet and never fed any shop bought pet treats like honey coated seed bars.

Natural treats would be sprinkled millet seed for birds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, Kallo organic puffed rice (found in Tesco & health food shops) and small crushed pieces of peanut, but nuts are high in fat so keep him off the whole peanuts! No fruit at all as fruit contains fructose. Very small pieces of vegetables raw are a good fibre source but not carrots as these contain sugar. Sprouting mung beans at home is a good treat and they sprout in 48 hours in cold water. Mung beans can be bought in Tesco and soaked for 48 hours. Rinse the water a few times a day though or it turns green and goes sour. The green shells come away from the beans and expose the white beans beneath, which sprout a tail once ready to eat. These make a nice, juicy treat for hamsters and they are cheap, but healthy.

[saretti1979]

Thanks so much for your replies! It's good to hear that it's not all lost!

Yesterday evening I just put my hand in the cage with a couple of sunflower seeds in my palm, my little boy (btw his name is Salvo, like Inspector Montalbano ) came and put them in his pouch, but after the second one I felt his teethe in my palm (again it didn't leave signs but it HURT!), I hope it was just because he thought it was food?

I probably sound stupid and childish by saying this, but I was so upset that I felt like crying! I now a bit scared of handle him, but above all I felt like I was being rejected... I loved him so much from first sight and every time I look at his pinky face he melts my heart, but I feel so sad at the idea he might not like his mommy! And I am getting less confident and am scared to even put any part of my skin near him! I would prefer not to use gloves because I want him to get used to my smell and know I am a friend and would never hurt him. Although now he;s the one who's hurting me

It only just happened since the first bite, as I remember the second day I had him and I let him run on the couch, he took my finger into his little hands and open his mouth putting my finger in it, but it didn't hurt at all, so it wasn't neither a bite or a nip as I didn't feel the teeth at all. Also, a couple of time he ran in my sleeve up and down and he was so funny, I absolutely adored him... But now I am getting scared and upset and I fear that this could compromise our relationship as he could feel my fear and never get used to me...

[racinghamster]

Okay, the thing is, you don`t need your confidence knocked at this early stage, so allowing him to walk onto you SLEEVED arm and not allow him on your bare hand or skin might be the answer here. Hands can be attractive to hamsters because hey nearly always have a bite or a nip! Most of the time, it`s a misunderstanding, or the hamster is just saying "Oi, I`ve had enough!", or he`s mistaking your hand being there too long as something he can take advantage of. If you do offer treats from the palm of your hand, rub your hand in his shavings first to get his scent onto your hand. Let him approach and take the treat and remove your hand right away.

There is a YouTube video I can post the link to for you which features a chinese hamster taming. I will post the link when I find it again, okay?

[racinghamster]

Here you go:

Step by Step Guide to Taming Hamsters - YouTube

Notice how the owner takes her hand away once the hamster has taken the treats? It`s all about allowing the hamster to decide what he wants to do and lots of gentle patience and telling him what a good boy he is. They do get to recognise voices an certain words like their name being called or a childish vocalisation of their favourite treat!

Hope this helps. x

[de4life]

I adopted a little chinese female yesterday, so this advice is great for me too. Thanks all!

[racinghamster]

Aw, congratulations de4life, you will really enjoy having a chinese, I`m sure. The reason I like this particular video is the fact that it`s done quietly and gently and as the owner of the video suggests, take things slowly and never expect miracles after a week! Chinese hamsters are such sweeties but like all hamsters, they need soft and gentle handling.

[de4life]

I've only had syrians so far so it's fascinating watching her scurry about. she's about 4 months old already (owners gave her back to the pet store because she got ill from stress when she was first bought) so the taming process may be a little longer. but I've got plenty of patience and two very tame syrians to keep me occupied whilst Lola is coming to terms with her new home

[racinghamster]

Well she`s found the right home now, that`s for sure. I`ve only owned the one chinese hamster myself and she taught me so much. I adore them because I love their mouse-like qualities. I kept mice for ten years previously and for me, the chinese hamster is just as intelligent!

They are so unlike what you might normally see in the other hamster species.