Taming Your Hamster
PATIENCE-PATICENCE-PATIENCE
Taming a hamster means to be able to place your hand inside the cage and have your hamster hop on to it and wait to be air lifted out. A tamed hamster will not bite or bolt when pet.
When you first bring your hamster home, you should leave it alone. Keep the area quiet. Give it a bunch of food and make sure water is available. Give your new hamster a day to get used to the new cage. Then you may try to handle it.
The younger the hamster, the easier it is to tame. With all hamster, patience is the key. Spend time with your hand inside the cage and let your hamster get used to it. Remember that biting is a reflex. Be gentle, don't grab at it, and encourage it with food. Sunflower seeds are a favorite. Let your hamster climb on your hand instead of trying to catch it. Also, if your hamster bites, try to position your hand so that the index finger is toward your hamster. The index finger is harder to bite than the pinky. Also, if your hand smells like food or perfume, the hamster might bite or run away from it. Wash your hand before and after handling it. When first picking up your hamster, don't lift it high above the floor or walk with it in your hands. Your hamster may not be used to being handled yet and may jump. Also, experienced hamster owners can feel their hamster on their hand and know if it's about to jump off.
A pet owner who is unafraid makes taming much more successful. Hamsters are irritated by the persperation from a nervous handler. Also, wearing gloves make taming more difficult. It may acutally make your hamster more aggressive.
