Rio’s thread

[Rio’s Mum]

I’m a new baby Russian owner and when Rio was out and about his cage this morning I give him a tiny sliver of apple to taste and when he was distracted I lowered my hand to the cage floor, keeping it flat and very still with a couple of pieces of mealworm and a pumpkin seed. Unlike yesterday when he climbed on (for the first time and then nibbled my cuff), today he sniffed my finger for ages, then took the pumpkin seed, and back to my finger which he then bit 3 times getting stronger each bite. I kept really still thinking he will realise I’m not food, but he bit so hard the 4th time he drew blood. I told him no and removed my hand. I left him for 5 mins then gave him a dried mealworm which he took gently from my fingers to reassure him (and me) that things are okay.

I don’t know how to read this one as I gave him time to realise I’m not food but he bit down hard anyway. There was no ‘squeaky gate noise’ from him which I heard on day 2 when he rushed at my hand to get me out of his space. He seems very used to my hand now being in his cage as I change his water daily and sift his beach area too when i see poop. He also wasn’t stressed in any way and had taken 2 treats from my fingers.

I would love your thoughts on this … am I moving too fast with him as I’ve only had him 12 days but he seems so confident and totally fearless (unlike me ).
Thanks, Annette (Rio’s HooMum).

 

[elusive]

I wouldn’t worry too much, sometimes they can get a bit bitey & it’s not always so easy to know why but you did the right thing to not suddenly move or scare him.
It can also sometimes seem like one step forward one step back with taming to begin with, just keep going at his pace, if he continues to bite then just offer a treat from your finger tips for a day or two, you can also try burying the tips of your fingers in the substrate when you put your hand in, fingers can be a bit tempting sometimes!
I’ve found they usually grow out of biting, I did have a female who was very territorial & would always bite my hand in the cage but if I put my hand by the door she would just walk on to it & was fine out of the cage so it can be an individual thing too.

 

[RainbowBrite]

My little robo does this too. If you think about it, hamsters chew everything, even things that are not food so I imagine our fingers are quite a fun chew toy. I think you did the right thing by removing your hand. Also, after touching food our hands smell of the food so perhaps that confuses them and they think they can get some more food.

You sound like you are doing a great job with Rio to me. You are being gentle and taking it at his pace. I know some people do not offer food with their hands as the hamster can associate hands with food and then bite them. Perhaps you could wait until Rio is a little more settled and then your hand could be his taxi to a playpen rather then a nice chew toy.

 

[Maz]

It's difficult to tell sometimes, if they think you are food or if they're just saying "remove that hand from my cage!" You probably know already but it's always a good idea to wash your hands before having hands near them, just in case you smell/taste of food - they have a strong sense of smell. And use plain soap - not anything with honey or flowery. If you've just been giving him some food then it's possible that particular finger and thumb do smell of it.

You haven't had him long and he's still testing out the world, so try not to take it personally Our current Syrian used to bite me. But it was only when he was looking the other way and my hand was near him. Almost like a startle reflex. But he also looked annoyed at the same time. So yes, sometimes they are seeing you off as well! We got past that stage. I wore gloves when trying to handle him at first until he got used to taking food from my hand. It really helped though, once he was on the sofa next to me and we were on the same level - I don't think he liked me being above him, looking down or my arm disappearing upwards.

However he is a nibbler - he will test anything to see if it's edible - so he's now tested your fingers!

By the way I edited your thread's title to Rio's thread - just to distinguish it from your other thread - but if you want to call it something else, just let me know!

 

[Rio’s Mum]

It's difficult to tell sometimes, if they think you are food or if they're just saying "remove that hand from my cage!" You probably know already but it's always a good idea to wash your hands before having hands near them, just in case you smell/taste of food - they have a strong sense of smell. And use plain soap - not anything with honey or flowery. If you've just been giving him some food then it's possible that particular finger and thumb do smell of it.

You haven't had him long and he's still testing out the world, so try not to take it personally Our current Syrian used to bite me. But it was only when he was looking the other way and my hand was near him. Almost like a startle reflex. But he also looked annoyed at the same time. So yes, sometimes they are seeing you off as well! We got past that stage. I wore gloves when trying to handle him at first until he got used to taking food from my hand. It really helped though, once he was on the sofa next to me and we were on the same level - I don't think he liked me being above him, looking down or my arm disappearing upwards.

However he is a nibbler - he will test anything to see if it's edible - so he's now tested your fingers!

By the way I edited your thread's title to Rio's thread - just to distinguish it from your other thread - but if you want to call it something else, just let me know!

Thanks Maz … yes I do think he is a nibbler plus I’m not confident enough to take him out the cage yet as I’ve never even held or touched him. I’m doomed if he gets away from me so taking him out of the cage to play isn’t an option until he totally trusts me.

 

[elusive]

You might actually make more progress if you could take him out of the cage, sometimes they’re more comfortable with taming outside the cage.
I know it can be a bit daunting at first but it’s not too hard.
You need to find something he will climb into to transport him, a tube blocked off at one end or a small cardboard box similarly blocked at one end so he can’t get out work well, some people use a hamster ball for this purpose (the only way they should be used).
Make sure you have an area like a play pen that he can’t escape from, climb out of or sneak under somehow, then put toys & hides in to explore & begin by sitting beside it & introduce your hand that way. He should just climb back into his transport box/tube/ball or whatever you’ve used after a while to go back to the cage.
Short sessions to begin with until he gains confidence.
Another thing you can try is to use a tube or box like above in the cage, see if he’ll climb into it then put your hand in front so he can climb back out over your hand & get more used to hands that way.