Syrian hamster Arthur is still frightened of me

[lamarie]

2 weeks ago I brought home a Syrian hamster, who I named Arthur. He's such a lovely boy, he loves running on his wheel and is crazy about cardboard tubes. The only problem is that he's always so scared :/ I haven't attempted to pick him up for obvious reasons. He has a large 80x50 cage which I gave him time to settle into. He does take treats from my hand sometimes but will never get too close, and sometimes even the slightest twitch of my hand will cause him to dash to his bed out of fright. If I put the treat in the palm of my hand he will go nowhere near me.

Is this normal? Is there a different method I should try to gain his trust? Or will it just take more time and patience? I feel so bad for him, he probably thinks I'm this horrible scary creature when really I just want to show him some love! This is the first time I have owned a hamster so any advice will be greatly appreciated

[Amethyst_ice]

Hello,

It sounds normal but I can understand how awful it makes us feel, if only we spoke hamster to assure them we are ok!

There are lots of taming tips on the forum, perhaps just spend some time sat next to his cage talking to him to get him used to your pressence. Food is always good, some smelly tiny bits of cheese can be a nice tempting treat!

[Ria P]

I wouldn't worry, some hamsters take longer than others to become comfortable around humans.

I remember when i brought a very scared hamster baby home who would jump and run for cover soon as he saw a movement. He even managed to scare himself a few times.I remember thinking, no way is that poor little thing ever going to trust me but about a month later he started to relax and become more confident. He is so tame now and comes to his door when he sees me.

Yes, time and patience is the key. Talk to him so he gets familiar with your voice, put some tissue up your sleeve for a few hours then tear it into strips and put it in your hamster's cage so he gets used to your scent. I'd offer him treats through the bars while you talk to him.
I find it easier to tame a hamster out of his cage. I let my scared hamster walk into a mug and put him on my lap while i sat in a hamster proof area to smiff around. I kept this sessions very short and didn't touch him at first. I then moved on to very lightly touching his back and eventually stroked him while he munched on a few sunflower seeds. Then i put my hand around his body and later lifted him up briefly then put him down. I did this exercises for a while in individual sessions of course and eventually he accepted my touch and i was able to pick him up, stroke him and carry him about. It does take time though and you need to go at your hamster's pace. I think he was fully tame after about six weeks. On evenings when he didn't want to walk in the jug i left him and tried again the next evening. I put a treat in the jug and he got the treat regardless of whether he'd walk in or not.
There are different ways of taming a hamster and people use different approaches. I'm only explaining what worked for my hamster.

I'm sure that Arthur doesn't think you to be a horrible scary creature. He just has to learn that you are his friendly and loving human friend.

Whenever we meet a new person we need to get to know them first over time before we can become trustworthy friends.