What can I do about my hamster

[NotABanana]

He really is lovely except when he bites me. He is 1 year old and swings on his bars, sometimes with one paw and also chews his bars. That is what I am most concerned about so I bought him a big carrot gnaw toy as the book said he needed more things to gnaw on. I don't think he has even looked at it.

take away all his food, that'll force him into gnawing it

Okay.

SEA!!!!! I just wish he would do what he should.

You could put him into a casserole and simmer at Gas Mark 7 for 3/4 of an hour. This should quieten down his chewing impulses.

rh!

pick him up alot too, so he gets used to you, eventually he won't bite.

you have to be firm with it.

We have had him since August and haven't held him once.

Get one of those cages without bars they are clear plastic round ones on two floors normally.

How are you picking him up? if you're just grabbing him out of his cage he will bite as you're invading his territory. Let him come out of his cage in his own time and then let him walk on your hands.

All hamsters chew on their bars. Don't bother taking his food away - he will have food stashes all over the place so it'll be pointless!!

just grab them and hold them firm, aw you have to pick him up.

I'm confused as to what the problem is?

We have a hamster, he's just the same. I too haven't handled him although he always comes to me to say hi and is really quite friendly. I daren't touch him though, too scared to, frightened he'll bite me and then I react by shifting my hand so quickly and thereby flinging him against a wall. Splat

SEA - that'll freak him out more! let him come out in his own time...he'll more chilled that way and more keen to be held and stroked. remember to reward all good behaviour with food treats (like raisins)

Is he a Syrian hamster? Some breeds are more sociable than others.

sorry

What happens if you let him out and he scarpers across the living room floor and you have to corner him so that he's scared stiff in order to catch him? They like raisins?

We used to use a tube with our hamsters - half a jaffa cake tube is ideal as you can eat the jaffa cakes it's just the right size. Put it in the cage - they like dark places, so he'll run into it and you can lift him out & sit with the tube on your lap & tempt him out with a treat.

The problem is the book says they gnaw on the cage bars if you arne't giving them enough to gnaw on in the cage. So I bought something else but he shows no interest.

We got him at 12 weeks as he was in the adoption bit because his litter mates were picking on him. They said to pick him up straight away but I wanted to leave him a day to settle in. Whenever we go near him he squeaks in fear so we haven't pushed it.

Last week he bit me and later climbed straight into his ball to have a play while I cleaned out his cage. I will see what he does today when I clean him out.

He answers to his name and seems to want to have contact but only between the bars. I would love to hold him but if he is happy that is what counts. I just worry when he chews on the bars so much.

And when I do give him a treat he snatches it so quick I wonder if my finger is going too!

I think they gnaw on the cage bars because they like gnawing on the cage bars tbh - I've had eight hamsters over the years and they all gnawed on the bars no matter what they had in their cages - in fact DD's first hamster was called Nora for that reason.

I think perhaps they like chewing on something that's thin & hard - the trouble is you can't give him anything thin to chew unless it's fixed at the ends, or he'll probably damage his cheek pouches.

Thanks RustyBear. I will worry less.

The more you hold them the tamer they'll be,also make sure you washed your hands from eating food when holding them as they dont have very good eyesite and will smell the food when its really your fingers.