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About Sheila Adby
Expertise
Syrian hamsters are my specialty, however, I have kept Campbells,Winter Whites and gerbils in the past. I can advise on most subjects associated with hamsters, including housing, bedding, feeding, handling, new borns and catching escapees. I have had some experience of various health problems with hamsters and can offer my opinion and advice on basic health issues, however I am not a qualified vet and therefore cannot recommend drugs etc. My website is www.thehamstersite.com

Experience
I have been keeping hamsters and other small animals for more than 12 years. My favourites are Syrian hamsters and I foster litters and 'difficult' hamsters for a rescue centre. My job is to tame hamsters ready for re-homing, which is extremely rewarding. I also enjoy looking after new litters and raising the pups. I have co-written a book on hamsters with my local vet and have a website: www.thehamstersite.com

Publications
Hamsters in Sickness and in Health - Sheila Adby and Dan O'Neill ISBN186163218-5 (Capall Bann Publishing)

Education/Credentials
Educated to A Level standard in the UK.

You are here: Experts > Animals/Pets > Exotic Pets > Gerbils & Hamsters > Syrian Hamster taming

Gerbils & Hamsters - Syrian Hamster taming

Expert: Sheila Adby - 11/5/2009

Question
Hello Sheila,

I just got my female syrian hamster, Yogurt, almost 2 weeks ago. I take her out nearly every night and she's used to me now. I wasn't sure how much she trusted me because sometimes it takes quite awhile for her to come out of her cage (my old hamster always came out of his own accord as soon as I opened the door!). I try to be patient but usually end up putting my hands in and waiting for her to crawl onto me or I take the top of the cage off and let her climb out.
Tonight when I took her out at one point I was petting her and then she basically laid her head down and snuggled in my hand. Is this normal? It was adorable and it looked like she was relaxed and almost falling asleep, but I was afraid that it was a sign that I'd totally tired her out or scared her or something. She had only been out of the cage for about 5 - 10 minutes, running around on my bed.
Another question I have is if its alright to reach inside the cage and take her out, I don't want to scare her too much. Would it make her trust me less? I just try to think if I was a hamster I'd probably rather walk out of the cage on my own than have someone reach into my home and take me out.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions,
Caitlin

Answer
Hi Caitlin

Hamsters' are preyed upon in the wild a lot from birds and other animals. Therefore, when picking them up it is better to let them come to you or open up the cage and 'scoop' them up rather than picking them up from above as this can scare them. Also, as their eyesight is very poor they can easily think that a hand is a threat or food. I train all mine to come out of the side door to their cage - I usually tap it and it doesn't take long for them to learn the routine.

There are times when hamsters are more energetic than others. Although you had only had her out for a short time before she settled down, it could be that she hadn't slept much beforehand and was tired. Females do tend to wake up on and off all day whereas males usually sleep right through. She wouldn't have settled down if she was scared. What is her general behaviour like now? Is she bright and energetic most of the time? If so, then I think that she just felt comfortable with you and wanted to sleep - I used to have a male like this - if I woke him up too early in the evening he would come out and fall asleep again on me. If her general behaviour is quite lethargic and she doesn't have any energy at all then this needs to be investigated as, due to her young age, this would be unusual behaviour for her.

I hope this helps

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