Hamster will not let us touch her?

[hsweeezy]

I got a dwarf hamster about a year ago, and upon getting her home she would not let anyone touch her. She'd bite. I figured this was normal, she was scared. Well it's now a year later and she bites even worse. I can't even reach in to give her food without her biting me. She's extremely wild, hates being in her ball, only gets up at night. I have tried calling her by her name, giving her treats when she doesn't bite, picking her up with gloves. I have decided I don't want her anymore, I have a friend who is giving me a new baby regular hamster. But....no pet stores around here will take hamsters and I don't know of anyone who would want a hamster they simply can't touch. What do I do? If I get the baby hamster, do you think it would be dangerous to put in the cage with her? My hamster now is a girl, but I have no way of telling what the baby will be.

[P!nk Portrait]

I'm sorry I have to say this.
Your current hamster won't let you touch her and you're getting another one? Out with the old in with the new?
I think you should familiarize yourself with basic animal training and dealing before you get another pet. Or you may just end up with the same problem again. Part of her problem may be that when she comes into heat she gets cranky this happens with many animals.

[Mushiemallows]

Hmm... I'm not the expert on hamsters, but it seems like she just hasn't been tamed. Did you try taming her when you first got her? I.e trying the gloves etc when she actually came home?

It's going to take quite a bit longer if you waited a year to try. I don't want to sound like I'm cutting you down though - sorry if I come across as rude!

How big is her cage? Does she have a big enough wheel? Enough toys? That could cause her to be unhappy too, from boredom etc. Before you get a new hamster I highly recommend you concentrate on making sure your current one has all of the best things she needs! Taming is possible but will take more than a couple of days!

Do not put them together if she acts aggressive and especially if you don't know the baby hamsters sex.

[Nush]

Whatever you do, do not put the two hamsters together. One is very likely to harm or even kill the other.

Some hamster are more difficult to tame than others. There are taming tips on the wiki page: Taming tips - Hamster Central WIKI

Also like Mushiemallows has suggested, make sure she has a big cage and wheel and the right food etc. It might make a difference with her behaviour.

If you still feel you want to give your hamster away, then please find a good home for her because even though she might be fierce, she still deserves a good home.

[HollyHamster]

I am sorry your little one is giving you such problems, however, we are here to help.

First of all, don't give up on your little girl. She needs you now, more than ever. Obviously something is very wrong with her and she needs help. Why would you abandon her when she really needs you?

Anyways, Let's get to the bottom of this mystery, shall we? To do this, I have a few questions I need to ask you about your current hamster.

Where are you located, the UK or the US? This will help us figure out which brands of cages and food to suggest to you.

What species of hamster is your current hamster exactly? Roborovski? Russian Winter White? Campbells? If she is a Russian Winter White or a Campbells then she is prone to diabetes, which might be why she is so cranky all the time.

Was she from a store or from a breeder? Often times store bought hams can have a myriad of issues, especially the Russian Winter Whites and Campbells hamsters as they are often hybridized with each other and can therefore, almost always be diabetic (at least that is the case in some parts of the US).

What are you feeding her? As I've said before, almost all species of dwarf hamster, save the roborovski, are prone to getting diabetes some time in their life. A good healthy diet that is sugar free as possible will help your hamster feel healthier, and thus happier.

What kind of cage is she currently housed in? Sometimes when housed in a cage that is too small, the hamster in question acts a little aggressive. Getting a larger, more adequate cage is usually the recommended way to go.

ABOVE ALL ELSE, DO NOT HOUSE THE CURRENT DWARF HAMSTER IN THE SAME CAGE AS THE NEW BABY SYRIAN HAMSTER YOU ARE THINKING OF GETTING!!!

Sorry about all the caps, but I can't emphasize this enough. The new baby Syrian will inevitably attack and kill the dwarf, as Syrians are solitary animals by nature and highly territorial. In fact, I wouldn't bother getting a new hamster at all. Why would you? You have a perfectly good hamster right there in your home, just waiting for you to address whatever the matter is and to help her to become happy and healthy.

[OreoTheHamster]

Hello :')
I would not reccomend getting another hamster, One of my old hamsters use too bit me all the time, one day i got sick of it and put some rubber gloves on (thick) and just picked her up and held her for about 1 hour, i did this everyday and hand fed treats and it worked like a charm. Mabey your hamster is very insociable because it isen't tame, please type in on google 'How to look after a hamster' and read up on them, there is alot too know for such a tiny little creature.

[slatted]

Hsweezy, I am not sure where you are located, are you in the UK...if so you might find the RSPCA can take her to re-home if you are determined...or they or may know of a person/organisation who might take her for possible rehoming.

Sounds as if she has learned that biting and aggression get her peace and quiet. Is she happy when in her cage alone? Is is only when you are trying to interact she seems unhappy?

Some hams just prefer their own company and it may be that she is one of these.

Could you not just keep her as a "cage" pet rather than get rid of her for a "new model"?

I agree with what the others have said about putting her with another ham and would also point you to other threads on this site about keeping even two dwarfhamsters together and why this is tricky at the best of times....although I think by the term "regular" you mean a Syrian hamster which, as others have mentioned, will not tolerate another hamster around and could kill.

[Arraminta]

Hello,
Please be advised this is simply my opinion!
Firstly is it a good idea to introduce another hamster on the hope that it will be friendly?!'

Unfortunately there is no guarantee that any hamster will be friendly and often takes a very long time to get some hamsters tame.. Time and patience are they key.
If she doesn't like being in her ball then it's probably a good idea to not put her in it!
It could be that she is also suffering from some cage rage!! This can be worked on but again will take time and patience. One of my hamsters had cage rage, caused by me putting her into a different much larger cage, which totally overwhelmed her and she used to go ballistic when I went near her tank! With loads of advice from Hamster Central members I finally can pick her up and cuddle her.
A couple of questions! Is the new one a Syrian or a dwarf? Syrian hamsters may look cute and cuddly but are solitary animals who will fight any other hamster to the death!! Generally if they are the same species of dwarf they might be ok in one cage but you have to be certain they are the same sex as you will only be adding to the problems you already have if they aren't!
From what I understand dwarfs can take more patience to train.

If you ask there are members who can help you here on HC! Try searching on cage rage and taming to see past posts.
Personally I find it sad that you want to get rid of her! but if you want to then have you tried asking the vet if they know anyone who rescues hamsters?

Arraminta

[JBH316]

I really despair of the 'disposable' society we seem to have become where pets are concerned

I understand the frustration of having a pet you can't really interact with - been there done that with 2 psychotic rats! They had a massive cage with lots of hammocks/tunnels/toys so I just made sure they were kept clean and fed and left them to it. Sadly not all pets will live up to the expectations that we have of them but that is just the way it is. When you buy or adopt an animal, you make a commitment to look after them. You can't just get rid of one and replace it with another. What if that one doesn't particularly enjoy being handled either?

Just let your girl live out her days with whatever amount of handling she is comfortable with.