Pet Information > ASK Experts > Exotic Pets > Gerbils and Hamsters > PSYCO HAMPSTER!

PSYCO HAMPSTER!

21 11:57:01

Question
ok so... Me and my boyfreind bought this hampster and he's the cutest hampster in the world... but I think he's got like some serious mental hampster issues... during the day he's great, I can pick him up, he falls asleep in my hands he cuddles up to me, I'll open the cage if hes awake and he jus walks into my hands... but after like... 10... he goes INSAINE. usually he's on the wheel thing for like and hour which is normal cuz I know hampsters are night creatures and all... but then if i try to pick him up... he like jumps 40 feet in the air and freaks out and makes this wierd noise like hes grinding his teeth? then its like he's on a mission to escape, he crawls up and down the walls of the cage and like chews at them digs at the bottom of the cage like he's actually gonna get some where... hes all out of breath and, he sits on this slide in his cage and stares at me and my boyfreind and like shakes haha? its kinda creepy... he is seriously crazy...  and to get him to stop biting the metal walls on the side of the cage I had to put lemon juice on it so it would taste bad when he bit it which seemed to work... and then the next morning i get up for work and hes all sweet and nice again, crawlin into my hands and fallin asleep on me. he seriously is like Jeckle and Hyde. Do they make hampster prozac?! haha. PLEASE IS THERE ANYONE WHO CAN HELP?!

Sleepless in Philly,
-Christine

Answer
HA HA! That's really funny! My hamster climbs up his wall too! But he lets me pick him up. Another way to get him to stop chewing the cage is to say "NO!" and blow on his face. If you do that and he dos it again you'll say "NO!" from across the room and he'll make a face, its so cute! I can't really help with the psycho problem, you might need a hamster whisper! Ha ha!