If you decide to live with hamsters, it is important to learn how to hold a hamster without hurting it. And without hurting ourselves, that is, without doing us bite. To the extent possible, that is. To do this it is important to have a well socialized individual who has been gradually accustomed to human contact. If a hamster has not been socialized in this sense and suddenly sees himself grabbed by a giant hand, perhaps even in the wrong way, it is quite physiological that he will then bite us.
So: before you rush to cuddle a hamstermake sure he is used to human presence and that you know how to handle him.
How to hold a hamster without getting bitten?
Before you dive into picking up a hamster, we hope you have one got used to it little by little in your presence. You will have to first of all let him be in his own accommodationby walking up to him and talking to him or standing where he can see you.
When you notice that it is calm (it could take a few days), you can try put a hand in the cage. Don’t grab him, but wait for him to smell you and study the situation. As time passes, try to gradually open your hand with the palm facing upwards, so that the hamster, intrigued, begins to climb onto it. You can also try to lure him to your hand using small ones prizes. (READ also: Hamster: everything you absolutely need to know before adopting one)
Obviously it can happen that the hamster bites. They are rodents, after all, so it’s natural for them to study their environment by nibbling. If this happens, avoid howling in despair and remove your hand slowly, so as not to scare him. We know, it hurts, but it’s not a Rottweiler, it’s still a hamster.
Once we have socialized with him, after having washed our hands well (especially if we have previously touched dogs and cats, his predatory animals), we must:
Things NOT to do when picking up a hamster
Below are some important things to never do when picking up a hamster:
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