Help taming a baby hamster

[Newhamster]

Hi, we picked up a gorgeous 7 week old little boy, who my son has named Cole, 2 days ago, and he seemed tame at the time. We have tried the bathtub taming technique at home, but he just seems to get scared and is trying to run up the sides of the bath tub. We put a big cardboard roll into the bath which he hid in, but then he refused to come out. He refuses to eat anything from our hand whether he is in the bath or in his cage. When in his cage, he tends to run into his house and hide if we put a hand in the cage. We have been able to entice him into a large mug to transport him back and forth between the bath and the cage, and I have managed to hold him a little bit when he comes out of that, but he does seem scared. We have tried giving him things we know he likes as he picks them up if we put them down and move away (eg sunflower seeds, peanuts, walnuts), but he won’t take from our hands.

What can we do differently to try to tame him? I don’t want to lose this precious time when he’s a baby.

One more thing, my son is 11 and goes to bed at 9pm. If the hamster has been asleep all day, is it ok to lift up the roof of his house around 7/8pm to see if he’s awake? Otherwise my son won’t see his hamster at all.

 

[Socks' Mum]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Your little Cole is very beautiful You are doing well with your hammy, although it might not seem like it at the moment. He is starting to associate his carers with nice food. I think having a peep at him in his little house and maybe offering him a tasty treat won't do any harm and is a good way of making sure he is OK. Perhaps start gradually with just a tiny visit and then increasing the time over a period of days. He is still quite young and won't have developed much of the cheeky male hamster attitude yet that drives hamsters to want to come out of the cage for time in the playpen and to explore, but that will set in before long. Putting the cage in a quiet corner of the living room can help him to get used to having people around, if he is not already in a room with people around. Hamsters are quite good at interacting with people and asking for things like playpen time and food. Perhaps speak quietly when he is out of his nest to keep him calm.

You are being very good about carrying him in a container to keep him safe. Hamsters should only really be handled sitting on the floor or over a really soft surface to avoid falls as they can be injured from even quite a short fall and can jump suddenly while being held. In the bath, perhaps put a fleece blanket on the bottom of the bath to give his claws good grip, and then put lots of nice tunnels and cardboard boxes or little hiding places so he can run about under cover from place to place. This should allow him to come out and explore more comfortably, although he might still be a bit young for adventurous behaviour yet. Stay still or move slowly and speak softly. I'm sure you will see more of Cole as he gets bigger and more curious. You are already doing a very good job with him ❤

 

[Maz]

Hi. It's hard isn't it? But if you only picked him up 2 days ago, he will be terrified! And he's still a baby. Personally I wouldn't lift the roof of his house (not for a long time) because he needs a couple of weeks to settle in and feel secure. Literally, after 10 days to two weeks, they can seem confident in their enclosure.

It's usually recommended to leave them alone for the first 2 to 3 days, while they adjust to new surroundings, new smells, new cage etc. And so they have chance to scent mark everything in their cage and make it their own. After that it's best not to try and get them out for the first 10 days to two weeks - unless the hamster is showing they want to come out (eg coming to the door). But during that couple of weeks, you can start with talking to him through the bars (even if you don't see him) - that gets him familiar with your and your son's presence, scent and voice - to help build some familiarity and security. You can also start offering him the odd treat through bars or similar - if you see him!

Baby hamsters are very easily frightened at first but while they may be frightened one minute, a week later they can be bouncing around looking confident. However the cage is always their territory, once they feel safe and at home there. Tempting a hamster into a tube with a bit of cucmber at the end is usually better than lifting the house roof too soon. But I wouldn't try that just yet. I've also linked our taming guide and also the cage cleaning tips link - because if he's cleaned out too much/too soon that will also set taming right back

I know it's really hard at first when he will just want to hold and interact with the hamster. But it needs a bit of time and patience initially He's the equivalent of a child/toddler at the moment

How to tame a hamster

Hand taming a hamster can make life with your hamster very rewarding. Suddenly they will sit on you to be stroked or even go to sleep on you, and will be very easy to handle. It can take a bit of time and patience initially.

www.thehamsterforum.com

Hamster cage cleaning

Tips on how to clean your hamster cage and avoid causing stress to your hamster. It's best to have plenty of depth of substrate and mainly spot clean your hamster cage. Avoid disturbing your hamster's nest and hoard.

www.thehamsterforum.com