Taming

[Basia]

Well I'm determined to do a better job of taming Sybil than I did Basil. Bad tempered dogs, horses, rabbits hold no fear for me but I have to admit I am nervous of hamsters I think it must be because I was badly bitten by a friends hamster as a child.
My children tamed our previous hamsters, by the time I handled them they were already tame. Basil is tame up to a point, he lets me stroke him and will run over me in the playpen but is very jumpy and fast if I try to pick him up. I am (understandably I think) nervous of him since he bit me a couple of times. I really don't think he was being aggressive, he is unbelievably greedy and sees me as a source of all treats. I think he was seeing if he could eat me, but it hurt and the damage has been done psychologically and I think I make him nervous now.
Well Sybil and I are doing ok I think. She is incredibly slow and placid. I have been stroking her and putting my hand on the floor in front of her so she walks on me since the second day really but today I actually held her, sitting on the floor and she walked (slowly) from one hand to the other. I think it helps that she shows no signs of biting me and is soooo slow.