Taming a nervous hamster - advice needed

Billy · 11-02-2016, 09:46 AM

Hi everyone,

I could with some advice on taming my new hamster. She's a 7/8 week old winter white that I got from a breeder 1.5 weeks ago. So far, I've just been letting her settle in. When she's out and about I offer her a treat which sometimes she'll take.

The problem I have is that she's very rarely out of her house when I'm in the room and because of this I'm not making any progress with taming. She clearly comes out when I'm not there as there's plenty of poop around and her food and treats are disappearing. I obviously don't want to invade her little nest, but I'm worried I'll never manage to tame her.

Does anyone have any advice? Do you think she just needs a bit more time to settle in?

Thanks so much

pinkneon · 11-02-2016, 10:02 AM

She may still need more time to settle in. Some hamsters take longer than others

Carla Gordon and Derrick · 11-02-2016, 10:49 AM

Congrats on your new hambaby!
Definitely don't invade her safe place, but speak softly to her so she gets used to your voice. I feed mine dry dwarf hamster mix and scatter feed them, but the smell of sunflower seeds or a small piece of fresh broccoli every 2 or 3 days tempted them out of their house and they'll sit on my hand and have a munch now

They've become used to me now and associate the smell of HamsterMum and HamsterDad with yummies.

It's hard, but just be patient. Every hamster bub is different! Can't wait to hear how you get on and what works for you! Has she got a name yet?

**Cinnamon Bear** · 11-02-2016, 12:17 PM

I have a baby robo that I'm waiting on for almost 3 weeks of hiding. She was 6-7 weeks when I adopted her.

Thin Lizzy · 11-02-2016, 09:47 PM

Congratulations on your little girl ham - have you decided on a name?
Some hams do take longer to adjust, try the tissue trick with her, this gets her familiar with your smell. Stuff some toilet paper up your sleeve for a couple of hours and then place in her cage, curiosity will have her sniffing at it, some even pouch it and add it their bed. Do this daily, add a bit more for a week and talk to her quietly, add a few treats and praise her when she acknowledges it. Don't do a cage clean for at least 4 weeks, let her mark her scent all around her cagess and toys. Do daily spot checks on her toilet area and remove any soiled substrate, use warm water to wipe the area and put in some fresh substrate.

Billy · 11-03-2016, 06:08 AM

Thanks very much for the advice and encouragement, everyone!

Little ham is called Bernadette. It was my boyfriend's idea! I think it's quite cute as it's such a big name for such a little hammy

Things have been picking up. I caught her out of her nest three times and she took quite a few treats from me each time

Juliebrei · 11-03-2016, 06:36 AM

one thing i have found has helped with my timid syrian is to put his food on my hand first instead of just into his bowl and just put my hand down next to him. he will sort through it for anything he likes, and then i just put the rest in his bowl.
but you might be a few steps away from that still, and it really depends on how bitey your hamster is. if she likes to nibble you might have a problem with this trick

AmityvilleHams · 11-03-2016, 06:45 AM

Even with my Syrian who is fond of nibbling it is easy to feed her by hand

It depends on the hamster though,and if you're nervous and shaky it won't help.It is definitely important to be careful of how you position your fingers when feeding though,as accidents can happen very fast!

I actually figured out that my hamster doesn't usually try to bite me when offering food,but if my hand is in the tank she will bite but it is more of a curious nibble to test my hand and find out what I am.This could be worth thinking about.