Anyone got any advice on taming hamsters?

[pumpkinsweetie]

Since our hamster came home nearly 4 weeks ago he will not allow anyone to handle him without biting! Our hands are always clean so not to smell of food and we have tried feeding him by hand to get him used to us but he still bites and can be quite frightened of us at tines. Has anyone got any advice about taming him?

There is some brilliant advice on this forum .

Have linked to some taming advice! Hope it helps! :)

I used a handling tube - you can use a toilet roll/kitchen roll tube, but I always used a cut-down jaffa cake tube, which has three advantages
(1) it's a bit bigger than a toilet roll if you have a plump hamster
(2) it's only open at one end, so he's less likely to fall out when you're lifting it
(3) You can eat the jaffa cakes

Put the tube in the cage and the hamster will hopefully run in, then lift it gently out and sit down with the tube on your lap and a treat at the entrance and wait for the hamster to come out in his own time.

Don't try to stroke his head from the front, they don't seem to like seeing hands coming down at them - presumably because predators tend to strike from above. My hamsters always seemed OK with having their back stroked from behind.

Ive had ten hamsters so may be of some help.

What breed is it and is it male or female? The bigger breeds and particularly the females always seem to be easier to handle. Chose a time when he/she isnt eating, grooming or asleep. Sit quietly with the cage on the floor infront of you. Its all about increasing their tolerance of you at the beginning. open the cage and just put your hand inside and leave it there - not touching anything, not moving so that he/she can get used to your smell. hopefully after initially running a mile he/she will begin to potter about the cage.I would then move your hand around a bit, fill up the food bowl etc so that they become used to you moving around. Allow them to come and sniff you, if they go to nibble your hand just gently move away for a second. I then wait until they have their back to me and gently stroke from mid back downwards. Talk quietly and calmly to them. If they flinch, retreat a little but come in again. do this a couple of times until they stop flinching and then give a treat (yoghurt drops, piece of food etc). Build it up in short bursts each night so that you are stroking lots, always from behind, always reward in some way. Once they are used to this stroke as before and then very confidently and without hesitating lift them around the middle just for a second put them straight back down and give reward. Stroke few more times and leave them to recover. again repeat and build up until you feel confident to lift them onto your lap. hold them to your body, be calm and quiet and dont handle them for long. make sure you handle them every day at around the same time. Its just a matter of building up their tolerance of being handled.

Thanku for advice i shall try these things and c how we get on
He's a male syrian hamster