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Old 06-29-2021, 06:22 PM   #1
squeaktheham
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 4
Unhappy my hammy hates me...

Hi everyone! This is my first post ever, so I'm still confused as to how all this works. But my desperation spoke louder than my anxiety, so here I am haha
I have a syrian hammy named Squeak. I got him about 3 months ago. I built him an entire playground out of popsicle sticks, i built him a huge enclosure, he has a 30cm diameter spinning wheel, i try to give him healthy treats (such as carrots) every other day, and always keep his water bottle and food plate full.
Still, he seems to absolutely hate me. Every single time he sees me he either hides in his little burrow or goes to his wheel and starts sprinting. I'm so terrified of scaring him that I don't even try taming him anymore. He loves carrots, but he waits for me to leave the room to eat. If I try offering him a carrot he will simply ignore me or hide and wait for me to leave it in his little food plate.
I've tried taming him so many times. I even just tried to make him smell my hand so he gets familiarized with me and knows he's safe. But every time he gets a sniff he runs and hides. I don't know what to do. I want to be his friend so badly. Any suggestions?
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Old 06-30-2021, 06:04 AM   #2
Petite
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Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Scotland
Posts: 501
Default Re: my hammy hates me...

I think it's very unlikely that your hamster hates you! He just sounds nervous and timid, and at 3 months he's still quite young. I've never had a Syrian, but it's taken more than 3 months for my dwarfs to learn to trust me, so don't give up hope. There's a couple of tips you could try. First, tuck a tissue about your person for a few hours (eg up your sleeve or wherever) and then leave it in his cage. This will help him to get used to your scent. You can also try running your hands through his substrate prior to offering him food from your hand, as this could make him think your hand seem is more familiar scent-wise. If you have a playpen for him, put him in it as often as you can - there will be fewer places to run and hide, and try to engage with him, even if this only means talking softly to him to reassure him. Some hamsters just aren't very tactile, but I think Syrians mostly are; it probably just needs a bit more time. Good luck!
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Old 06-30-2021, 07:39 AM   #3
LunaTheHamster1
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Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2,593
Default Re: my hammy hates me...

Have you tried the taming sessions outside of the cage?
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Old 06-30-2021, 07:56 AM   #4
squeaktheham
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 4
Default Re: my hammy hates me...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Petite View Post
I think it's very unlikely that your hamster hates you! He just sounds nervous and timid, and at 3 months he's still quite young. I've never had a Syrian, but it's taken more than 3 months for my dwarfs to learn to trust me, so don't give up hope. There's a couple of tips you could try. First, tuck a tissue about your person for a few hours (eg up your sleeve or wherever) and then leave it in his cage. This will help him to get used to your scent. You can also try running your hands through his substrate prior to offering him food from your hand, as this could make him think your hand seem is more familiar scent-wise. If you have a playpen for him, put him in it as often as you can - there will be fewer places to run and hide, and try to engage with him, even if this only means talking softly to him to reassure him. Some hamsters just aren't very tactile, but I think Syrians mostly are; it probably just needs a bit more time. Good luck!
Thank you for the tips!!! I've never had a hamster before, and all the youtube videos and websites I looked at said that you could start taming them only 3 days after they got home. And since its been 3 months that I got Squeak I pretty much had lost hope. I can't get him out of his enclosure because I'm scared that picking him up will startle him and make him trust me even less, but I'm building him a playpen that will connect to his actual enclosure so I don't have to pick him up until he trusts me.
I will try the tips and tricks you suggested and post updates as I (hopefully) make progress! Thank you!!
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Old 06-30-2021, 08:01 AM   #5
squeaktheham
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 4
Default Re: my hammy hates me...

Quote:
Originally Posted by LunaTheHamster1 View Post
Have you tried the taming sessions outside of the cage?
I am super scared of picking him up cause I feel like that he might get even shier and more terrified of me. Once I managed to pick him up and let him loose on my bathroom (I hamster proofed it), but he still managed to find a hiding spot in which he refused to come out of for hours. It was only when he got hungry that he came out and I managed to put him back in his cage. Ever since, I haven't even tried picking him up. I just wish he would trust me
But I am building him a playpen that will connect directly to his cage so I don't have to pick him up without him trusting me.
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Old 06-30-2021, 03:37 PM   #6
RalphsNan
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Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 23
Default Re: my hammy hates me...

hi as the others have said your hamster doesn't hate you - I know when we had Ralph the guy in the pet shop freaked him out by manhandling him badly and Ralph was extra cautious and timid. Its taken a good six months for him to be ok at being picked up and to be affectionate (in his own way) - keep persevering.

We used a playpen and my daughter sat in the playpen and let him get used to her scent, she gave him a quick stroke every now and then when he was running about, we put just her arm in first for him to get used to it.

Other tricks like I used to click my tongue if I had a treat for him, and he got used to reacting to the sound and eventually forgot his shyness and comes rushing out
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