syrian taming

Question
I have a syrian hamster for almost 2 wks. I've gotten her when she was just 3 weeks old. I tried to tame her, but she woke up every nite at 12am. I have difficulty staying awake.How long does it need to tame such young syrian.
She sleeps more than 12 hours daily. this is normal?


Answer
Hi Wing

I think you need to let your hamster know who is boss!!

Hamsters are nocturnal and therefore it is perfectly normal for them to sleep all day and only come out at night.  Females, generally, are more active than males and often wake up on and off during the day to explore any new sounds/smells, but not all of them are like this.

The key thing is to get your hamster into a routine that fits in with you.  Don't wait for her to wake up naturally - it is possible to train her so that she is awake earlier in the evening.  

Don't risk putting your hand in her nest to wake her as you will probably end up getting bitten.  The key thing is to wake her gently - I do this with mine by tapping their cage and calling their name.  If they don't respond I usually open the side door to their cage and rattle this.

As she is a new to you, can you handle her?  What type of cage is she in?  Can you separate the top from the bottom?  If so, firstly try to tame her - I usually do this by opening up the cage completely.  Hamsters are preyed upon in the wild and they get really scared if a hand approaches them as they think it is a bird or wild animal.  Also, their eye sight is very poor and they therefore rely heavily on their sense of smell and hearing so it is always important to approach a hamster carefully so that you don't startle them.  Having opened up the cage, I usually rub a little of the woodchip into my hands.  This puts the hamster's scent on me. Whilst my hands might be clean, to a hamster they will smell strange, but if you put a little of their scent on your hands they seem to be a bit more relaxed.  Then I place a hand each side of the hamster and 'scoop' the hamster up.  I immediately place the hamster on my clothing.  Some hamsters don't like to walk on skin but are much happier on clothing.  At this stage I usually sit down and let the hamster walk on me.  I talk to the hamster all the time so that they recognise my voice.  If they start to wander off I gently slide a hand under them to bring them back, but I never grab them or hold them tightly.  After a few minutes I return them to their cage.  Hamsters are naturally very nosey creatures and having been out of their cage they will want to come out again.  Having returned them to their cage for a minute or two I usually open up the side door and see if they will come out - more often than not they will.  If you do this nightly for a week, I am sure she will start to tame and will get to know you.  

When I return the hamster to their cage I usually give them a treat #such as a raw nut, dried fruit etc.#.  Also every time I see the hamster out and about in their cage I talk to them and give them a treat - this way they start to associate nice things with me.

In terms of trying to get your hamster to rally earlier in the day - when I get home from work I tap the sides of the cage and call them.  I then go and fix my supper, and when I return if they haven't rallied I call them again until they come out.  I don't give in until they have appeared.  All my hamsters come out for a run in their exercise ball in the evening and if one hamster won't rally at the right time, then I don't get them out, otherwise I find myself having to sit up until the early hours waiting for them.  It doesn't take long for them to get into the routine of waking earlier and coming out.  

Your hamster sounds as though she was very young when you got her - usually hamsters aren't re-homed until they are 4-5 weeks old.  It could be that she is afraid and feels safer in her nest and only coming out when the house is quiet.  However, this age is a perfect time to train her.  It will take a lot of perseverance from you but the sooner you can get her into the habit of waking earlier the better.  Please persevere with her as it will be worth it.

I hope this helps you.

Regards
Sheila