Sitemaps

Why does my hamster keep biting me2007-11-24 22:19:24

I am always trying to pick her up .I tried the technique where you put food in your hand and it smells you or sometimes it will eat the food and then go and bite my hand.It hurts really badly. I got it from Petco so its not tame.I had her for a week now.What should I do?

Answers:

Here is what I did.

*Make sure to wash hands with unscented soap - they are sensitive to smell AND you don't want to smell like food.

*Just lay hand in bottom of cage, palm side up. Allow him to come up and sniff you.

*No quick movements, it will startle him and he will bite.

*Hold a large treat out between two fingers. Something salty, like a pretzel works. This will allow him to associate your hand being in the cage as a good thing.

*Be patient!

These tips really work. Each of our past hamsters would sit in my hand and lick my palm and allow me to carry them around. They bit everyone else.

---

leave her alone for three days. on the forth day pet her and feed her food from your hand. then the next day pick her up. this strategy will help her ajust. oh yeah, the next day let her out of her cage for a wihle. each day make the time out of the cage longer. after she adapts to that spend time with her till there is a bond. hope this helps!

---

it's smelling food

---

KH's answer is very good. I would only like to add that most people pick up hampsters wrong and this causes them to bite. They should never be picked up from above, as this scares them. Always place your palm or palms underneath your pet and gently lift it out of the cage. Cup your hands together to make a little rounded "house," and be quiet and patient. This helps them feel really secure. As you are entering the cage, softly call your pets name, too. They need to get used to your voice, but whisper at first until they are tamed. You can also spray your hands with Bitter Apple, bought at any petstore. When they bite, they don't like the taste and it trains them to stop biting.

---

wear a glove and pick her up. let it be used to you

---

he/she dosent feel safe with u make him/her feel safe like while your holding it hand feed it on your hand

---

Well if she is pretty fat look at her stomach and see if her nipples are swollen. And if they are then the reason she is bitting you is because your hamster is pregnant.

---

What kind of hamster do you have? If it is a dwarf hamster it may be cage territorial. They feel threatened by the giant hand reaching into their space and react the only way they can. Use a cup or toilet paper tube to transfer the dwarf from the cage to your hand.

Talk to her as you approach the cage and try not to use gloves unless you have to. Gloves will hide your smell and that's what you want her to get used to. Give a gentle puff of breath in her face when she goes to bite. This works well in teaching them to not bite. They don't like the puff of air but it doesn't hurt them.