Hamster Scared and Jumpy, Makes Noises, Wont let us pick her up.

Question
Thank you Jennifer - I'm concerned about putting my hand in the cage because she runs away, but if she gets too frightened sometimes growls and comes at the hand, and I also have a 6 year old daughter whose hamster this really is, who wants to play with her, and I don't want her putting her hand in and getting bitten.  Any suggestions?  Your initial response was great, thank you so much.

Carol

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Followup To
Question -
My hamster is very jumpy and seems to be always shaking, as if she were scared.  We aren't doing anything to hurt her, but we are trying to get her out of the cage a bit to socialize/domesticate her. She often makes a noise at us like a scream and shows her teeth, which is quite frightening.  Also, she poops alot (like non-stop) when we're holding her, is that because she is scared?  We are really trying to be patient but the hamster doesn't seem to be "coming around"  - she runs into her "tube" whenever she thinks we're near the cage or thinks we may open it.  She's very smart in this respect, I must say.  This is I believe a Syrian hamster with long hair - about 8 weeks old.  Please provide any information or advice possible. Thank you, Carol
Answer -
Dear Carol,
thank you for your question.
It might be that your hamster was treated badly in the pet shop. You need patience to tame her, she is definitely scared. Don't take her out but place your hand in the cage, with a treat placed on your palm. She will come eventually to get the treat. At first she will hide with the treat, but after some time she should have learned that she can eat on your hand.

If you want to do this without the treat, it might take more time. Put some old clothes in her cage to make her get used to your smell (clothes made from cotton are best because those won't dissolve into threads which might hurt the hamster). After some time, she should stay out or come out of her tube after a while to explore and then she will explore your hand, to. When she's sitting on your hand, you can move your hand gently around in the cage. When she does not jump from your hand, form a cave with both hands and then you can take her out.

How big is your cage? A good cage for a Syrian hamster should be at least 3 ft long, 2 ft high and 1 ft deep. A cage that's too small can make the hamster aggressive because he wants to defend his territory.
The pooping might be normal, I had several hamsters who did this, either directly after taking them out or after holding them for some time. I think if she did this because she is scared, she would urinate, too.

I hope I was of some help to you
Jennifer

Answer
Dear Carol,
I'm sorry I took so long to answer, but I couldn't load the AllExperts website for two days because of server problems.

Put your hand in the cage on the far side, not near the hamster, so that she can choose whether she wants to come to you. I don't think you will be bitten if you don't touch the hamster or come too close, but on the other hand it's hard to tell without seeing the hamster. I recommend taming the hamster yourself because if your daughter should get bitten she will probably be afraid of the hamster.

Another method you can try is to open the cage door and hold your hand in fromt of it. Most hamsters I knew were very eager to explore outside their cage and that way she will learn that your hand is the way into "freedom".
Or set up a sort of play pen for her where she cannot escape, put the cage into the pen with the door open and seat yourself next to it. That way she doesn't come into contact with your hands but will probably climb around on you and get used to your smell. This is something your daughter can do, too. To get the hamster back into the cage, hold a can or box with a treat in fromt of her and put her into the cage as soon as she climbed into the box.
I'm sorry you have such problems with your hamster. Don't give up on her, they can be great pets and can be very tame. I'm sure she will learn that you mean no harm.
Jennifer