How to tame a hamster: building trust, handling safely and stopping bites

TUREFF• •0

A new hamster is usually frightened. It is a small prey animal in an unfamiliar place, and a giant hand coming from above looks a lot like a predator. Taming takes patience, but most hamsters can learn to trust their owners and come to the hand willingly.

Respect the hamster's clock

Hamsters are mostly nocturnal and do their living in the evening and night. Waking a sleeping hamster to handle it is one of the most common reasons for bites. Wait until it is up and about on its own, usually in the evening, before any taming session.

The first few days

Give a new hamster a few days to settle with no handling at all. During this time:

keep the room calm, and do not move things around the enclosure
refill food and water quietly
talk softly near the enclosure so it gets used to your voice and scent

Step-by-step taming

Hand in the enclosure. Rest your hand flat on the bedding during an evening session, without trying to touch the hamster. Let it come and sniff. Wash your hands first so they do not smell of food.
Offer treats from your hand. Hold a small treat on your palm or fingertips so the hamster has to come to you.
Let it climb on. Once it is comfortable taking treats, place a treat on your palm so it has to step onto your hand to reach it.
Lift a little. When it sits calmly on your hand, lift it just a short way above the bedding, then let it go again.
Build up slowly. Short, regular sessions work better than long, occasional ones. End each session before the hamster gets stressed.

Some hamsters take days, others take weeks. Dwarf species, especially Roborovskis, are fast and may never enjoy being held; letting them run over your hands inside the enclosure is fine.

How to pick up a hamster

Scoop it from below with two cupped hands, or let it walk into a cup or tube and lift that.
Do not grab it from above or by the scruff.
Hold it low, close to your lap or a table, and sit on the floor if you can. Hamsters are poor at judging heights and can jump; a fall from a short distance can injure them.
Hamsters do not like being squeezed. Hold gently but securely.

Why hamsters bite

Biting is almost always fear or confusion, not aggression for its own sake. Common causes:

being woken up
a hand that smells of food
being grabbed from above
being handled too long, or being in pain

If you are bitten, try to stay still and calm. Jerking your hand away can drop the hamster. Put it down gently on its bedding, clean the wound, and look at what led up to the bite. Go back a step in the taming process and build trust again. If a previously tame hamster suddenly starts biting, it may be unwell or in pain, and a vet check is sensible.

Signs of a stressed hamster

freezing in place
lying on its back with teeth showing
loud squeaking or hissing
ears folded back

If you see these, stop and try again another evening.

Playtime outside the enclosure

A safe, enclosed play area such as a playpen or an empty bath lined with a towel lets the hamster explore while you sit with it. Check for gaps and hazards, and never leave it unsupervised.

Children and hamsters

Children should handle hamsters sitting on the floor, with an adult present, and should understand that the hamster needs its sleep in the day. Share how long your hamster took to tame, or ask for help with a nervous one, in the comments.