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Karen 20 years, 2 months ago.
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I just got a 2 dwarf hamsters about 1 week ago. one is a sweet heart but the other just started biting like 3 days ago. They are both still babies (only about 4 weeks old) and they are from the same litter. They usualy get along fine but she bites me and everybody else that tries to put there hand near her-she has even drawn blood!! My mom said we will get rid of her if she doesn’t stop but I refuse to, I do not want to seperate her and my other baby-they are sisters,and my cousin has the mom and another cousin has one of the other babies. I read somewhere to lay your hand flat on the bottom of there cage and I do that but she runs up to me and bites me. How can I get her to stop.
Go above and read the responses to your other post on punishing the animals. I covered in a nutshell how to build a bit of trust and TEACH your hamster how to be handled. It is NOT natural for many small rodents to want to be handled – they have to learn to trust and tolerate being handled. This can take weeks or months to achieve. Also, dwarfs are not always the friendliest of hamsters and if you are not experienced with hams, this can be a tough first choice of ham for a pet (I have owned them in the past and would not get one as a pet for a child). Also, most hams come from pet stores as opposed to breeders (and yes, there are hamster clubs, shows and good breeders out there). Pet Store hams are often mass produced and mass shipped and there is no care taken in the temperament of what is being bred, health and being in apet store is very stressing. All this can lead to a ham or any animal not being well socialized to humans or used to being handled. You have only had them a week and you are expecting sweet pets – you need to teach them to trust you in order for them to stop biting you. Do you reach in and try to pull them out or scoop them up? If so, then you are scaring them and breaking any trust. Do this enough and they will fear you. Do you squeal or make loud noises or bringall your firends in to see them? Hams and other pets not used to this can become fearful if humans. Most often humans get bitten by their small pets because of something they did to make the animal feel scared or theatened. You need to learn better animal management and give it TIME. If you are not willing to do this, then please, find the hamsters another home and wait until you are ready and able to do what is needed to properly socialize and understand what a "pocket pet" needs to become a happy pet that accepts handling. And consider a different pocket pet. Honestly, rats are a very good first pet, tend to be a bit more tolerant and easier to handle than dwarf hamsters. I have owned rats, mice, rabbits (used to breed and show them), hamsters (dwarfs and now a generic Teddy that my son and I adopted), gerbils, guinea pigs (used to show them). I have learned one thing since I started in 4-H with Guinea Pigs back in the early 1980’s – if you do not give things time, teach your pet to accept being handled and learn proper management techniques (which includes handling them properly and teaching them trust) then you will get bitten.
when tryin to handle your hamster i suggest wearing gloves. that way when she bites you she wont break the skin or anything. you can’t rush these things i have had my hamsters for a few months now and they still don’t like to be handles it takes time and patience for these things. you have to work with her and be patient. but ya wear gloves next time. it wont hurt as much when she bites you. and explain this to your mother to it takes time.
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