How to accustom a hamster to hands, domestication of Djungarian and Syrian hamsters
What a wonderful moment: you brought a little fluffy lump from the pet store – a cute hamster. You want to take him in your arms, but he protests. This is a completely natural reaction, because first of all you need to learn how to teach a hamster to use your hands, only after that carry the baby on your palm. It is very important not to scare the baby with your obsession, because if he is scared, he can bite painfully.
To achieve the location of the baby, you need to treat him kindly, act systematically and consistently. The easiest option, how to tame a hamster, is to put a treat in your hand and offer the crumbs to climb onto your palm for a treat on their own. After that, you don’t need to quickly grab the hamster and start squeezing it, the baby will get scared and think the next time whether it’s worth going into your arms.
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General Taming Rules
Can you pick up a hamster? Definitely yes, but only if he is tamed and trusts you. Before accustoming a pet, make sure that he is not in a stressful state and has already got used to the cage. For the taming technique to work, consider several factors:
- after you have brought a new friend home, give him a few days to settle in, get used to the new house, your voice and feel confident;
- provide the baby with comfortable living conditions, equip the cage with everything necessary;
- do not isolate the cage from society, put it in a slightly crowded, but not noisy place;
- do not try to tame the jungarik in the morning, when his sleep is the strongest, it is better to transfer the “training” in the late afternoon. Waking up your pet is the easiest way to make him irritable and restless.
Method of domestication of a rodent
Taming a hamster requires patience, attention and consistency. It is important to learn to understand the signals of a pet, to earn his trust. If you hurry, you will get a rodent that bites and runs away because it is afraid of you. While the baby will be afraid of you, you will not be able to make friends with him. Proceed according to the method described below and before moving on to the next step, make sure that the pet has not received stress in the current step.
- Give the baby the opportunity to settle down in a cage, watch how he eats, drinks, plays in your presence.
- Talk to the baby near the cage in a calm voice. Don’t know what to say? Sing a song or tell how your day went.
- Put a seed on your palm (be sure to read which seeds you can give a hamster) or a piece of biscuit, dried fruit. Offer treats through the bars or cage door first. If he shows interest, stick your hand into the cage, but do not touch the hamster. If he runs away, in no case should you catch him so that he smells goodies. Just put them in the palm of your hand and wait.
- Do not stop offering treats to your baby, but petting a hamster is still not worth it. Position your palm so that the baby puts its paws on your hand and reaches for the treat.
- Place the seed so that the baby can take it only after it climbs into your hand. After he is bold enough to do this, try to gently pick up the hamster in your arms. Most likely, the baby will immediately jump off, but you must be persistent and careful. Over time, the baby realizes that your hands do not pose a danger to him.
You already know how to teach a jungar to your hands, but how long will it take? It all depends on the individual characteristics and age of the animal. He can get used to the hands of an adult in a few days, but sometimes it takes about a month.
According to the scheme given above, you can tame a Dzungarian and a Syrian. Just keep in mind that the Djungarian hamster loves to bite. Representatives of the Syrian breed are more calm.
You already know how to tame a Djungarian hamster to make it easier and faster, keep a few things in mind. Before taking a baby, you need to wash your hands with soap and water, because the sense of smell in animals is better developed than vision. If the palms smell like food, the hamster may bite.
How to take on the hands of a rodent?
To make friends faster, learn how to properly pick up a hamster. A hamster should always clearly understand that he is being picked up, and no matter what breed he is – Syrian or Dzungarian. In order not to frighten the animal, do not lift it from behind or from above – the baby must see you. If the baby does not notice you, it can take you for a predator, instinctively bite.
It is important to know how to keep hamsters in such a way that it gives pleasure not only to you, but also to your pet. The hand must be folded so that a cup is formed or clasp the baby with two palms. Support the baby with your fingers – it is nimble, mobile and can jump out. To exclude the possibility of injury, lift the crumbs above the sofa for the first time. Let the baby climb on your hands.
Hamster in the hands should feel safe. To do this, provide him with a little shelter: put the crumbs on one hand, and cover with the other, but do not press. In such a “house” he will sit quietly for some time, even if, as a rule, he is not given in his hands.
If an untamed hamster is afraid, and you need to take it to, for example, clean the cage, put the treat in a jar or box and put it in the cage. Due to natural curiosity, he will climb right into the trap, even if he does not walk in his arms.
Problems faced by rodent owners:
- it is difficult to accustom a hamster to hands if he bites, so you need to get rid of this problem along the way;
- if the baby is shy, do not play with him until you tame him;
- a wild hamster will make contact faster if you don’t make noise, don’t make sudden movements, moreover can’t pat on the head – the animal is unpleasant.
How to deal with a hamster?
All rodents are trainable. Everyone who prefers this breed should know how to tame a Syrian hamster. Dzhungariki and Syrian are equally friendly, they can be tamed at home. The difference is that dzhungars are more inclined to bite, some owners take their pets with gloves at first.
If you have brought a rodent for the first time, you are probably interested in the question of whether it is possible to take a hamster by the collar. Without the need to do this is not worth it, it does not give the baby pleasure. Such manipulations cause negative associations associated with your hands. But in some situations, for example when examining incisors, this is a necessary measure.
It is difficult to tame a hamster if it bites, so at the beginning of training, if the baby takes a treat from your hand, try to lightly stroke him, but make sure that he does not bite. You need to stroke with one finger and only on the back, babies perceive touching the head painfully.
It’s hard to tell if hamsters like to be stroked. More likely no than yes. Only a tamed hamster will allow the owner to pat his head, and then not always. You need to stroke the hamster in such a way that he is pleased – lightly on the back when he is in a good mood. If the baby does not allow himself to be stroked, do not argue, over time you will be able to make friends with the hamster, and he will let you in.
Remember: the younger the hamster, the easier it is to tame it.
But this does not mean at all that it is impossible to tame an adult homa, it just takes more time. To make a hamster tame, you need to deal with him every evening and the result will not be long in coming.
How to tame a hamster
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