my hamster

Question
okay so i was carrying my hamster in my hands and cupped and he keeps trying to run away! how can i gain his confidence?!?!! help me! and also my hamster was like having theses food type things come out of his mouth like vomiting. is there something wrong with him? he is an asian dwarf hamster and the things he "throws up" are like food and they are tanned color and also when i was holding him he stated scratching his nose threw ALOT up. help!

Answer
Hi Camila

thanks for your question.

Hamsters have cheek pouches that extend almost down their waist.  In the wild a hamster will travel up to 5 miles a night in search of food and bedding. They pack anything find into their cheeks to be able to carry it.  Most hamsters in captivity keep food there, although many will pouch food from their bowl then empty their cheeks when they are in their nest.

What you saw happening was your hamster emptying his cheeks - this is normal.  If you tried to handle him while his cheeks were full would have been uncomfortable for him, hence the reason why he emptied them.  I get my hamsters out for a run in an exercise ball in the evenings and one or two of them always pack food and bedding in their cheeks before they come out and when they are running in their balls they suddenly stop and empty their cheeks so when I go to put them back in their cage, the ball is full of all sorts of things.

In terms of handling him, you have to win his confidence.  Remember that this is a big world for such a small creature and in the wild they are preyed upon by birds and other animals.  Also, their eyesight is terrible, therefore they rely heavily on their sense of smell and hearing.  Therefore it is always worth getting a hamster to recognise your voice.  Speak to him, call his name, and whenever you see him out of his nest talk to him and feed him a treat of a nut or small piece of apple etc. through the bars.  This way he will start to recognise you and associate you with nice things.

Never put your hand straight in the nest or you will get nipped.  Rub some of his bedding onto your hands so that his scent is on you.  Place a hand each side of him (you will have to remove the top of the cage to do this) and quickly 'scoop' him up and immediately place him on your clothing.  A lot of hamsters don't like walking on skin.  I usually sit down at this point in case the hamster jumps.  let your hamster walk over you, if he start walking off too far, gently slide a hand under him - don't grab him or hold him tightly or he will be scared and think he is being attacked.  After just a few minutes return him to his cage.  Chances are he will want to come straight out again.  Hamsters are very nosey creatures and once they get to experience life outside the cage they often want to come out.

Try to increase your handling time each evening.  Some hamsters tame quickly, but if your hamster has never been handled before then it will take time. Don't give up on him - it might you a few weeks or even longer, but it is worth persevering with him and taking this slowly as your friendship with him will be much better if he feels comfortable with you.

Good luck with this. I hope you get on OK.

Regards
Sheila