I got my hamster about a month ago and I can't get him to calm down. He is scared to death and I don't know how to calm him down or tame him. I have tried leaving him in a quiet room and only come into feed him to try and let him accumulate. I have tried covering his cage so it doesn't bother him when I am up. I have tried to put my hand in the cage and let him sniff it. All he does is run away. He specifically likes to run into his tunnel hide and sleep there. I got him nice things to play with and run around in but he is too scared to use them. Any suggestions would help on how I can make him feel more comfortable and tame him.

What type of hammie is he?
And do you have him out for play time?

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ive never had one thats been that scared tbh but the only thing i could suggest is give him time. you need to spend time with him every day so he'll get used to you.

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Bonnie 29.01.97 - 21.09.11
Millie 01.02.01
Seamus 09.07.00
Tyler 08.11.00
Kiki 15.10.10
Chico 01.07.11
Riley & Louie 16.02.11
Holly & Ivy - 11.11.11

also how do you put your hand into the cage and from which direction? and what kind of cage does he have?

if youre opening the cage from above (with a roof door) he could be scared that youre a predator looming to catch him from above even if you have no intentions of holding him at that point, same goes for a side door if youre just putting your whole hand through filling the gap. try to flatten your hand as you put it into his cage and leave it palm down flat on the floor with a small treat balanced ontop such as a tiny cube of cheese (maybe watch television while youre doing this as it may take a while) until he feels ready to come out and come near your hand to take it

as for the cage, you say it has tubes. if it is a rotastak cage he may be scared because its very enclosed and outside noises sound louder and more booming (think about noises you hear as people move around the house while your ears are underwater in the bath) and he has lots of bolt holes (tubes) which make taming harder, especially when it comes to cleaning him out due to the amount of noise and force it takes to unclip pieces to clean.

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Hello,

Take heart, I had a very very scared little hamster. We went through a right old time with him. We also had him in rotastak, very very bad idea.

Took him out of it when everyone here pointed out all the flaws to a rotastak and gave him a much bigger cage - hamster heaven metro.

I spent ages just talking to him, I also fed him sunflower seeds through the bar of his cage (be careful they are very fattening to a hamster - so just a couple). He soon learnt to trust the hand that fed him these treats and would come to the bars everytime I was about. He wouldn't, however, come out of his cage.

I never forced him to, what he wanted he got. This helped build his trust.

I would place his exercise ball next to the cage door and if he decided to come out he would go in. We built his time up very slowly in the ball - 5 minutes, to ten minutes and so on. Taking him straight back with no interferring. Carrying out the same routine every night.

Then I let him on my bed - but he really didn't like to be handled at all. So when I wanted to put him back - I place the exercise ball next infront of him, he'd climb in then I carry him back.

I also used to put my fingers up to the bars but not inside, he could just sniff me and get used to my scent that way.

Also played calming music to him, very quietly through my ipod. This seemed to help in the early days when he seemed stressed even in his cage. One night he got sleepy listening to morcheba that he fell asleep rocking on his exercise wheel! hehe.

It was funny really, I can't even remember when the change started to happen. It just seemed to creep up, all of sudden when I entered the room he seemed pleased and would come to the bars for a treat and to sniff my fingers. It's become a routine now, I always place my finger at the bar, and he always sniffs and he always seems so happy now.

Then I'd open the cage door and he'd step out - I never forced him out, I'd place the ball there and he could decide whether he wanted the ball or wanted to go back inside. All of it was on his terms. Other people try different things, and I can't say they don't work - you'll know what's right for him though because you're there and can judge how he's coming along. I just knew with JC forcing him to do something was not the way to win this guys little heart!

We've had him probably coming up to 6 months now and he's awesome, he's still timid, every now and again he'll sort of jump as if something has startled him, but he'll walk straight onto my hands, and has started the bar chewing to say - 'hey let me out'! He will even be stroked just a little and you can tell in him that he's happy and just generally feels safe! Now I can place him back in his cage holding him.

It took a long time but if you persist, and do it on his terms, rather than forcing him out etc but always going every night to give him the option then sooner or later he'll come round. My JC is so spoilt and funny! Now when I'm feeding him and he's playing he will pop his head up, his little paws on the side to watch and be like, Oh what's happening now! Yayyyy Mummy's here! hehe. Now he doesn't even want to go back in his cage - I will be trying to place him down and he'll just sit on my hand like NOOOOOOOO. I'm like come on little guy you've been out for like an hour, I have to go to bed! haha.

Be consistent and patient and respect what he wants, in time it will pay off! I know it feels like forever at the moment but honestly one day you'll just turn round and go - wow I can't believe how far we've come! And you know what? The ones that find it harder to trust, the ones that take a lot more time - they're always the more rewarding in the end, the bond you guys will have will be amazing! I honestly believe they really come to love you because you've proven yourself to be trustworthy.


Stick with it!
xxxx

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Mummy to 4 piggies, Manny, Floyd, Izzy and Eve, 3 hammie's, Jean Claude van Ham (aka JC), Princess & Prince Philip, 3 Gerbils Itsy, Bitsy and Ditsy. Foster piggies China & Alfie.

Thank you for the assistance. To clarify some things, he is a Syrian hamster (golden) and he has two critter trail habitats connected together. He has a one story habitat connected to a smaller traveler habitat. My previous hamster had a 2 story critter trail cage and after I had him 4 years in his old age he fell off one of the platforms even though I only had it a few inches off the bottom (I kept moving it down the old he got), and I decided after his neck was hurt from that and he died that I would never buy a 2 story home again. I decided to connect two one story homes to make it a bigger place for the little guy.

When I got him from the pet store he was really small about the size of ping pong ball (I've had him about a month now). When the guy pulled him out for me leaped out of his hand and landed on the floor which was a good 3 foot drop. He seemed ok, but I suppose that made him more scared.

I have been trying to put him on a schedule where when I come home from work at night I talk to him and put my hand up to the cage for him to smell it. He has finally started taking it through the bars. He is very active in his home he runs for hours on his wheel. His smaller home has a top only opening but his larger one has a top and side door. The cages are open with wire sides and plastic top and bottoms.

Tonight I was able to get him out with out him biting me and I was able to get him in his ball and I let him run around in that for about 30 minutes then I put him back home. He ran around his cage and looked watched me and got some food after his little trip in his ball.

I am going to try the suggestion of using the side door instead and letting him climb in the ball by himself.

Thanks again for the fast comments. I'll keep you updated.

As he is a petshop hamster that explains to me why he is so scared, just give him time and be patient, he will come round.

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