880 replies to this topic

[dusty]

this morning i found out tat he's sleeping with the tissue..
is tat a gd sign?

that's good hamsters love to sleep with tissue they shredded coz it's very soft and comfortable. if the tissue has your scent on it, it will help your hamster get familiar with your scent.

[monkeysmom]

You are definitely on the right track! Just keep following the guide and you will have a tame hammie in no time! Keep up the good work and don't hesitate to contact me if you have any quesitons!

~ Monkeysmom

Edited by monkeysmom, 13 February 2007 - 12:47 PM.

[killingb]

tdy went to carry my hammy..he din bite me..instead he lick my fingers..
so sweet~!
guess the methods work realli well..
thanks for all the help~!

[monkeysmom]

You are so welcome! I love hearing success stories! Keep up the great work!

~ Monkeysmom

[killingb]

but i still kinda scared of carrying my hamster.
cos whenever i call it..he'll run towards my direction..and start to bite the cage..
was wondering if tats a gd sign??

[monkeysmom]

maybe your hammie is saying, "oh good, there's my owner....open up so we can play" LOL

Don't worry so much, you will be fine!

~ monkeysmom

[janicekoh]

why does my hammies eat the tissue???
does it mean that they will eat my finger too??

[mystivacat]

I dun tink ur hammies eat the tissue janice. They are probably stuffing the tissue in their cheek pouches and "spit" them out at their nesting grounds

[monkeysmom]

mystiva is correct. they are not actually eating the tissue but storing it to move it elsewhere. this is very normal behaviour for hammies. don't worry......

um, about your fingers....just make sure to wash well before handling your hammie to get off all food smells and you should be just fine!

~ mm

[janicekoh]

thanks. i was so worried that they eat the tissue. but 2 days after the tissue incident, one of the 3 hammies robo caged together developed wet tail and he died in 24 hours.. so so sad..i couldnt send him to the vet in time. so so upset....

[radioboy_77th]

hmm okok i have a few questions..

although i have the experience of having hamsters but they werent really tamed until i read up ways about taming a hamster.

3 days ago I just bought a pair of winter whites hamster male n female and they are both residing in the same tank. I have been trying to spend 10 minutes or so on each of them by transfering them from a small container to a box where I will play with them and eventually try to carry them.

So here's what I did... I carryed BeaNs into a box and i tried to let him smell the scent of my finger and stroke BeaNs but he ran away quickly. I am pretty afraid of being biten by hamsters as i got biten once and it was a painful experience. I then tried to feed BeaNs with a sunflower seed by placing it on the centre of my palm. BeaNs eventually walked into my palms and spent some time eating the seeds on my hands but after that, it immediately tried to walk out from my palm.

I then placed it back into the box and when i tried to place my hand as what was pictured in the post, BeaNs tried to bite me so what should i do? Is it because my hand has the smell of sunflower seed?

And everytime when i put my hands into BeaNs and Nutmeg's tank, both of them will try to hold onto my finger.. n try to bite.. so what should i do?

And lastly, if I am playing with another hamster in another tank, must i wash my hands before playing with another hamster?

I really want to carry my hamster and play with them but I am having the fears of getting biten by them.. help!

Edited by radioboy_77th, 14 September 2004 - 01:49 AM.

[Trustinangels]

I love this guide and am so happy you put it together for us. Luckily for me, Nibbles isn't really shy at all. He's very outgoing, not very scared, he's just still stubborn about coming to me sometimes, and he runs very fast across my hands when I have him out.

I use the tissue method, which I love!! I change the tissues everyday, sometimes two times a day. The only problem I've encountered is that when I keep the tissues in my bra overnight, which is after my shower, it smells flowery in the morning. But I suppose then he'll know my aftershower smell and afterday smell, if there is such a difference. He sleeps with the tissue and gets offended when I take it out to replace it. So cute.

Nibbles is living up to his name, too. Even if I wash my hands beforehand he nibbles me a bit. It's rather charming.

He's only ever bitten me angrily once. It was because he pees on his wheel and I wanted to take it out to wash it, but I needed to take the lid off the cage. I went to take Nibbles out and he just wouldn't come to me, so I brought my hand over him, he turned, and bit me pretty hard. It didn't hurt nearly as bad as I thought it would from stories, but I was disappointed that he would do that, so I knew it was my fault. So afterwards I introduced my hand slowly, like in this guide, and he came to me pretty quick.

I hope you don't mind me putting these stories here, since they have to do with this guide. (It would be nice to have a Hamster diaries forum or something, to post progress and stories... unless there already is one that I overlooked.)

Edited by Trustinangels, 14 September 2004 - 05:32 AM.

[monkeysmom]

You are progressing quite well Trustinangels! The guide really does work, of course, all hamsters are different so they progress on different timelines.

Don't worry about the tissue...whether the shower makes you smell flowery or not...your "scent" is also being imprinted, and they do have a keen smell...so no worries!

Like you, I was only bitten once...but it was my fault! You can't blame an animal for defending themselves when they think they are in trouble....so I am happy to see you take responsibility and know that it was not your hamster's fault!

Keep up the good work! I can't wait to hear the progress on Nibbles. BTW! You can start your own diary of progress if you would like over at Hamster Hideout Cafe if you would like, or you can just post your progress here if you like...either way is okay!

Radioboy~ I understand your fear...I had it too! I think we are all afraid of being bitten at first. You just need to have patience..offer your fist....not your fingers! You made great progress whether you realize it or not when your hammie climbed up on your palm! I think that is wonderful! Remember all the hamster progress at a different pace so it may just take yours a little longer.

I always recommend that you wash between playing with hamsters...because they do get a bit territorial and may not like the smell of the other hamster.

Also, another tip: rub your hands with your hamsters bedding prior to picking him up...it will help to make you smell more like him! Also, keep using that tissue method...it is very important!

Good luck to you both.... please keep us posted!

~ monkeysmom

[metal480]

That method seems genious, I just have a question about it. Wouldn't the hamster get stressed out and frightened once you bring it into the playpen the first time?

[monkeysmom]

What I did the very first time in the playpen....and several times thereafter......is I joined two playpens together. I then sat in the playpen and let my hamster out of her runabout ball. I didn't try and interact with her...i just let her run around and explore....and I was actually her favorite toy! She sniffed my shoes....attacked them really and played with my shoe-strings. After the first few times she started to crawl on me....up my legs...over my arms....using me as a jumping off point to the floor....the whole purpose is to let your hamster explore without interference. When you are done...just put the ball back into the playpen and wait for them to crawl into it and then return them to their cage.

It really helped me and my hammie to bond and made everything so much easier!

Oh, BTW, true story here..... ..... don't wear flared jeans.....well after my hammie was tamed (luckily) ..... she decided to do a bit of exploring when I wasn't paying much attention.....that is until I realized she was in my pants! ROTFL! Yep! I had a hammie in my pants! hehehe I carefully had to get up and let her out so she wouldn't get hurt.....after that, I was very careful to be sure that I tucked my jeans into my socks!

~ monkeysmom