Taming your hamster
Hamsters are solitary animals, but you can get them used to your attention
By Grant Forrest

Taming hamsters can be difficult, especially if you have a 'rogue' hamster that panics persistently or gets aggressive when you try to pick him up. If you find yourself losing patience, remember that by nature hamsters are solitary, nervous animals.

In attempting to tame them, we are effectively 'breaking' thousands of years of evolutionary conditioning. In the wild, the panic and aggression is a defence against predators, of which there are many. It is astonishing that many hamsters can be tamed so quickly with careful, gentle handling.

Evenings are best
The best time of day to handle your hamster is the evening, between 7 and 10pm when he will be most active. My approach is to clear a big space for the hamster, put the cage in this space and either open the door or take the top off.

Rub some of your hamster's bedding on your hands to give them a familiar smell. Don't try to pick your hamster up if you have recently handled food as he may think your fingers are something tasty.

When your hamster's out and about, practise scooping him up with both hands and get him used to being handled this way. He will be very nervous and skittish at first, but with time he should settle down. Be sure to use the floor, so that he doesn't have far to fall when he jumps from your hand, which he will almost certainly do from time to time. Don't try to grab your hamster from above; introduce your hands from floor level.

Aggression can be a problem
A common problem is aggression when you try to pick your hamster up. Sometimes he will half-roll onto his back, put its forepaws up and bare its teeth. If your hamster adopts this position, don't try to pick him up! You might be rewarded with a painful bite. Let him relax and then reintroduce your hands slowly.

If he persists in taking up an aggressive posture, try tempting him with a piece of vegetable or fruit. Gently stroking his back can also help to get him used to being touched — he will learn not to fear this and sometimes the job of picking him up becomes easier.

Some people are put off trying to handle their hamster after they get bitten — hamsters have very sharp teeth and can deliver a painful bite. In general, they tend not to turn around to bite, preferring to bite the object in front of them. This sounds obvious but if you keep your fingers away from their mouths you reduce the chance of being bitten.

Other hamsters
This discussion relates to Syrian hamsters, as they are the only kind of hamster that I have experience with. Dwarf hamsters require slightly different handling as I'm told that they are very territorial and for this reason they tend to bite more frequently. The Argente variety of dwarf Campbell seems to be particularly aggressive and has been described as 'teeth with fur'. I've been advised that using the cardboard cylinder from a toilet roll to scoop the hamster up and placing it an area away from its cage is helpful when handling this variety.

The ideal age to start taming young hamsters is not known, but I try to start as early as possible. The very young ones are like little jumping beans so hold them very close to the floor. They are quite robust and can often survive falls but it's better not to take the chance. Make sure that they can't escape, because from four weeks old they become very difficult to recapture.

What not to do
In summary, don't:

• Try to pick up a hamster that is asleep or has just wakened
• Handle a hamster if your hands smell of food
• Try to grab a hamster from above
• Handle the hamster in area where there is a risk that it could fall and get injured

Handling isn't everything
Despite all these measures some hamsters are, in the end, untameable. This is just nature and you shouldn't think that you are doing something wrong. You can still get enjoyment from your pet by watching him interact with his surroundings.

There has been some research that suggests that hamsters dislike being handled and respond by increasing their heart rate and respiration and can take up to an hour to calm down. This is the normal response for an untamed hamster. However, I believe that with regular handling, this stress response diminishes.