Is it possible to have a untameable hamster?

CoolcatNatNat44 · 03-13-2012, 03:15 PM

I have been trying to tame Cookie the robo now since September and he just isnt taming! He wont walk onto my hand or let me hold him which makes it hard to health check etc. The only thing he will do is take food from my hand. I have been trying for months and i'm now just thinking he is untameable. He is still adorable though and likes it when i talk to him but just wont have anything to do with me other than that. Any tips or should i just let him be?

MandyP · 03-13-2012, 03:23 PM

Steve my robo was impossible to tame. The furthest i got was him taking food out of my hand but i could never hold him or check him over until he passed

Its worth carrying it on as one day he may surprise you

Steve was badley treated by the pet shop before i got him so thats why i think he never wanted me to touch him.

Sorry its not much help.

Mikayla · 03-13-2012, 03:31 PM

I tried taming Delilah for a year and nothing. She was just not a people ham, I would say that there are some 'look don't touch' hamsters.

**Hamtastic** · 03-13-2012, 03:33 PM

Viola's my wild child still, though my friend tamed her from tiniest baby age. When I brought her home, she was very skittish, all her taming undone right away. I haven't been bothering very much, but she dashes away when my hands are near, even though I might be holding a tasty treat. I figured eventually she'll calm down. I think Pom's Rolo is skittish too (and Billy to some extent?) My Dora is fairly friendly naturally--I didn't put any more effort into taming her than I put into Leela's, but Leela's just coming around to being calm around me, and Dora's been friendly for a long time.

shazzy · 03-13-2012, 03:37 PM

Willow was never properly hand tame. She would pop feet on my palm and take food off my palm, and I could stroke her while she was eating porridge, but she never liked to be picked up. She was 5 months old when I got her and never handled - I assumed she was probably roughly handled before too. She was happy in my company though and enjoyed me talking to her I could tell, so I just spent a lot of time just sitting and talking with her

Erin Loves Dwarf Hamsters · 03-13-2012, 03:37 PM

Trevor is impossible although my girls are all really easy to tame and quite happy to sit with me. I've heard it can be a behavioural trait based somewhere in the genetics but it can also be just down to the hams personality

**kyrilliondaemon** · 03-13-2012, 03:41 PM

Yeah, Pompompoms Rolo is about as bad as our Whizz, and he's had a way better life than our Whizz has.

We resigned ourselves to Whizz never planning to be tame ages back, we figure as long as she's happy we're happy anyway. Did originally blame it on her past as she's gotten drastically better with a heck of a lot of time and patience, but to be honest I figure we'll keep going with letting her have occasional chances for contact and leave it 100% up to her really.

So, maybe Cookie won't tame over time, maybe he will. I think all you can do is keep letting him have the chance for contact and if he doesn't want it then it's not really the end of the world.
Whizz doesn't like us even watching her sometimes, so if he's happy to be talked to he's ahead of Whizz lol

fluffymunchkins · 03-13-2012, 03:56 PM

It took me at least a year to get my robo Dot handable! Even then it was only ever on her terms, she prefered to be left alone (apart from taking treats from me).
Her sister took less as though she was friendly, I had no experience at taming then.

I've not experience an untameable hamster yet, I think theres just hamsters that like to be handled and some that don't. It doesn't mean they don't enjoy human company, they just would rather stay on the ground x

**Hamtastic** · 03-13-2012, 04:04 PM

Yes, my Hamilton is like that! And Dora. They are happy to hop onto my hand, but they don't want to be petted. And they are always excited to have someone to talk to them, give them attention and treats.

**Pompompoms** · 03-13-2012, 06:35 PM

Aw, bless my little shy Rolo getting a shout out. Yes, I've had him from birth, and despite him living with Whizz who is probably the most relaxed and totally tame of all the pompoms, progress with Rolo is very very slow, and full of steps backward. With Whizz right next to him, he can on his best day ever manage to eat something like some broccoli from me as he can stay a little way away and stretch to get it, but that's as far as it goes. He will very occasionally give a little sniff then leg it. He's six months this months this month, and I just accept he's very very shy, and will most likely always be that way.

Still untamable, but on the other end of the scale, there was The Cloud of course!