Becoming Good Friends with Your Hamster
Hamsters will gradually get used to their new environment and the presence of their owner. Some hamsters quickly show fearlessness, but generally, it’s important to proceed step by step according to each hamster’s personality.
Feeding with Your Hand
When your hamster shows interest in your actions during feeding times, try offering it something it likes with your hand. You can use something it often eats from its regular diet, or if you’re unsure, sunflower seeds are a good choice. Hold the food on your fingertips and wait for the hamster to come over.
Feeding in the Palm
Once the hamster readily takes food from your fingertips, place its favorite snack in the palm of your hand and extend it into the cage, waiting for the hamster to come over to eat. Initially, you can start by placing it near the fingertips and then slowly move it to the center of your palm.
When the Hamster Stands on Your Hand
When the hamster is willing to stand on your hand, try extending an empty palm in front of it. If the hamster climbs up, immediately offer it its favorite snack.
Trying to Stroke the Hamster
If the hamster is already unhesitatingly climbing onto your palm, you can try gently stroking it while it eats its favorite snack. Although some hamsters don’t mind from the beginning, it’s best to start with “a light touch.” Gradually let them get used to being touched.
Understanding Individual Differences
The steps introduced are examples of establishing a good relationship with a hamster. Hamsters have different personalities and individual differences due to their innate nature and the environment they grow up in.
In terms of adaptation, there are some that don’t need any steps to naturally interact, while others are quite cautious and may take a lot of time to adapt.
Even if it takes a long time to adapt, it’s the hamster’s personality. Be patient when interacting with them.
About Biting Habits
Some hamsters bite, and there are many possible reasons for this.
Biting Out of Fear
When a hamster bites, it’s easy to think they are “aggressive,” but generally, hamsters rarely bite out of aggression. Most biting is due to fear and anxiety. They really want to escape but can’t, so they resist desperately to protect themselves. Please spend time getting along with them and gradually eliminate their fear.
Biting Due to Illness
When in pain or feeling unwell, hamsters don’t like to be disturbed. In the wild, if they show signs of weakness, they may attract predators, so hamsters always try to pretend nothing is wrong. If you tease them when they are in this state, they are likely to bite.
Pregnancy/Caring for Offspring
During pregnancy or when caring for young, female hamsters become very protective of their offspring. If you casually reach out, the hamster may bite to try to drive you away. Hamsters are only raised by their mothers, so during this period, females become very cautious and remember to let them live quietly and peacefully.
About Campbell’s Hamsters
Many people say that Campbell’s hamsters bite “out of aggression,” but that is not aggression; it is a desperate act to defend their territory.
Handling the Hamster
Getting the Hamster Used to Human Hands
It’s better for the hamster to get used to being held in human hands. If necessary, you can learn how to handle them at a vet clinic.
To manage the hamster’s health and ensure they live a stress-free life, it’s best to train them to be comfortable with being held in your palm.
However, if you can’t achieve this goal no matter how hard you try, don’t force the hamster. One way to move the hamster without using your hands is to guide it into a plastic box or a hamster-specific tube and then pick it up.
In vet clinics, a technique called “cradling” is used to pick up the hamster from the large skin at the back of the neck. As long as you hold it like this, the hamster won’t panic and you can perform various treatments. This may look a bit pitiful, but if it’s just a short period of moderate cradling, it won’t burden the hamster.
When treating at home, if you feel nervous and anxious, the hamster will also become alert. Remember to relax your shoulders when picking up!
- Approach the hamster from the side facing you to avoid startling them.
- Use both hands to scoop up the hamster from the sides.
- Gently cover the hamster’s back with one hand.
- If the hamster is comfortable, you can stroke it.
- If it’s not yet accustomed, stop interacting before the hamster shows signs of distress. To avoid the hamster falling from a height, keep your hand close to the floor of the cage or table, then release it.
Handling Precautions
The following are handling methods that must be careful about, as well as handling methods that should be avoided.
When picking up a hamster, avoid pinching from above. In the wild, predators also approach in this way, which can make the hamster feel afraid.
Please avoid dropping the hamster or gripping it too tightly, as this can be terrifying for them.
Do not lift the hamster only from a part of its body, as there is a risk of it running away and falling, or even biting your hand (when cradling, the neck skin is held firmly, so it is not dangerous).
Before the hamster is accustomed, pick it up close to the floor, hold it at a lower position, and avoid walking around with the hamster in your hands. Hamsters have poor eyesight and cannot understand being high up, nor do they have the ability to safely land from a height. If they fall, it can cause serious injury.
Playing with Your Hamster
Increasing “Things to Do”
In the wild, hamsters are busy just trying to survive and don’t have time for play; on the other hand, hamsters raised at home seem to have plenty of leisure time for play. However, their “exercise” of running around looking for food is not enough, and they also lack the opportunity to “use their brains” to find ways to sustain life. Although they seem like pampered pets, a monotonous life is not good.
Hamsters raised by humans also need to engage in various activities. Please increase the “things to do” for your hamster and consider them as “entertainment.”
Increasing Exercise Opportunities
When it comes to hamster exercise, the wheel is an indispensable tool. In addition, there are various types of hamster-specific play equipment available on the market that can be used.
Choosing a spacious cage is also a good idea. If you divide the inside into two levels, the base area will increase, and the hamster will have more space to roam. Please be sure to pay attention to prevent the hamster from falling down the stairs to the second floor or from falling off the second floor.
Increasing Brain-Stimulating Opportunities
In the breeding process, letting the hamster find food is a convenient method. Stuffing the hamster’s favorite snacks into the gaps of straw balls or burying them under the bedding, the hamster will find them by smell.
You can also create simple mazes with hamster-specific tubes and place tasty snacks inside.
Creating Interaction Opportunities
Interacting with the owner is an entertainment item that hamsters can only have when raised by humans. Remember to consider each hamster’s temperament and adopt appropriate interaction methods.
Feeding your hamster with your hands is one of the most basic forms of interaction. Being able to eat delicious food is something that hamsters will be very happy about. Let the hamster realize that “good things happen when you are with people.”
Toys for Hamsters to Play With
Wheel
This is an essential toy for hamsters. Please refer to related content to choose a wheel size suitable for the hamster’s body size and a type that is less likely to cause injury.
When raising multiple hamsters in their youth, if several want to use the wheel at the same time, it may be dangerous, so it’s better to take it down (remove it) first.
Tube Tunnel
A tubular toy that can connect many different shapes of tubes together. Hamsters like to create tunnel-like nests in these types of toys, so walking around inside them is actually one of the things they love to do.
However, hamsters sometimes defecate inside, so please clean them regularly.
Exercise Equipment
This type allows climbing up and down and playing hide and seek. Hamsters don’t climb trees, so there’s no need to create high places, but having heights that are not dangerous if they fall can make the activity more varied and interesting.
Using branches or wooden boxes that are safe to gnaw on to create hamster exercise equipment can also be very interesting.
Gnawing Wood
Hamsters’ teeth wear down from eating and rubbing their upper and lower teeth together, so there is no need for “gnawing sticks” specifically for this purpose. However, they like to gnaw on things, so setting up gnawing wood is a good choice.
There are various products available on the market, including types that can be hung on wire and natural branches.
Interaction Tips
It’s difficult to “play together”!
Raising hamsters, even if you let them play alone in the cage, is not a problem. Considering the difference in size between them and humans, playing “together” actually has its difficulties.
However, since hamsters are going to live with their owners, it’s necessary for them to get used to humans. You can interact inside the cage or create interaction opportunities outside the cage.
Playing in a Pet Playpen
Hamster-specific playpens or pet playpens with fine mesh on the wire can create a certain space for the hamster to play in. The owner can sit inside, and interaction methods include offering the hamster its favorite snack when it gets close or placing it on your lap for interaction. You can also place wheels, tunnels, and other toys inside the playpen.
Waiting for the Hamster to Come Over
Be sure to sit still in the playpen and not move around casually to avoid accidentally stepping on the hamster. Also, when the hamster is not yet accustomed, wait for it to come over before actively approaching it. Give the hamster time to observe you.
Interaction Varies by Hamster Breed
Some breeds, such as Syrian and Roborovski hamsters, may interact more smoothly; Dzungarian hamsters, which are agile and quick, may not be as suitable.
Not Advised to Let Them Roam Indoors
I does not recommend letting hamsters roam indoors. As long as you keep the hamster in a cage of appropriate size, there won’t be a problem with extreme lack of exercise.
Indoor roaming hides many dangers. If the hamster chews on electrical wires, it could get electrocuted, and electrical leakage could cause a fire. Hamsters may also crawl into narrow gaps between furniture or underneath, or come into contact with dangerous items (medicines, cockroach traps, etc.). In addition, they may chew on candy, cigarettes, etc., and sometimes mistakenly stuff small items (paper clips, etc.) into their cheek pouches.
If these items can all be properly stored away, that’s good, but the most dangerous is still humans. Being stepped on, kicked, or caught in a door are all possible accidents. If doors and windows are left open, the hamster could escape.
Please let the hamster play in a spacious cage or create a safe play area with a hamster-specific pet playpen.