Pet Information > ASK Experts > Exotic Pets > Gerbils and Hamsters > my precious hamster wont stop biting me

my precious hamster wont stop biting me

21 13:29:34

Question
i adopted two hamsters two months ago.  one is male, one is female.  they are in seperate houses.  the male will let me hold him, while the female will not let me even pet her.  i devote lots of time and love to taming them, and i have made great progress with her, yet she is still very nervous.  they are both very young, so maybe that is why.  i hope so, as i adore them so much.  Any suggestions as to things that i can do to help her feel more at ease?  she bites everything.  i give her paper towel rolls, in small sections, for her to chew on.  that makes her happy.  
thanks for your support.

Answer
Dear Nora,
thank you for your question.
I think you are doing fine. Some hamsters are just more nervous than others and not so trusting. But they can be tamed, too, so don't give up on her.
Put your hand into the cage without doing anything. Let her explore your hand, maybe offer a treat on your palm. When she is comfortbale with sitting on your hand, move it gently around in the cage until she is no longer scared by that. Then you can form a cave with both hands abd take her out, that way she will feel safe.
If she bites you inside the cage, it might well be that she is perfectly friendly outside. That's often the case with dwarf hamsters. Offer her a toilet paper roll or a box she can crawl into, then take her out with it. At first, let her run around somewhere where she cannot fall off and where she cannot escape from you and offer her your hand there, like I described above.
Give her a piece of clothing from you so that she gets used to your smell, for example a piece of an old t-shirt.
I hope I was of some help to you
Jennifer