Biting dwarf hamster

[Ratteh]

My little Marshie bites me whenever I go to get him out of the cage. Hes fine after hes out of it. He also bites when I go to pick him up out of any boxes I have him in. I was just wondering if there is some way of preventing this.
Thanks,
Ratteh

[LaGypsyEyes]

they bite when they feel like you're swooping down on them, they dont like that. Its their natural instinct that makes them bite because they think you're a predator. To pick your dwarf hamster up, lay your palm flat out in front of it and wait till it climbs aboard, then close your fingers around it very gently and pick it up. This doesnt scare them as much. To ease them into your palm easily, lay a treat in the middle of your palm so they'll easily climb aboard. Dont move your hand much while doing this for it'll startle them.

I hope this helps.

[Ratteh]

The only problem with that is that instead of climbing abourd my hand he bites. Ive tried with a treat but he ignores the treat and gos striaght for my hand. Oh and I dont pull my hand away when he bites so he wouldnt think that if he bites me Ill go away. Any other ideas?
Ratteh

[Chaos]

This seems to be sorta common in dwarves, they can be very territorial about their cage. I don't know how to stop it, maybe spray your hand with bitter apple spray? I would just use gloves until he's out of the cage.

[sn0wball]

Gloves works, or a cup or toilet paper tube. I wouldn't recommend the bitter apple thing. I mean, the goal is to get the hamster to like you, and if your hand is a giant Mace sponge, I doubt you'll achieve the desired effect. I think it's a territorial issue like Ratteh brought up. Sometimes if you leave your hamster alone for long enough, it will become stir crazy and crawl up against the sides of the cage wanting you to pick it up. I'd say just use a tube or cup or gloves until the hamster is used to you being its elevator, and then move from there.

[Chaos]

Yeah you may be right, I did know of someone else who effectively used bitter apple for her hamster but I never thought of the whole not liking the hand thing... Hmmm ignore the bitter apple and use gloves/tube like suggested

[LuckyBunny888]

What I did was use golves that I could hold the hammie. If he bites the glove DO NOT PUT HIM BACK IN HIS CAGE! Ive learned that this teaches the hammie that every time they bite, they get to go back in the cage. Hope that helps!

[TiaMaria]

I was told by a vet, to gently ping the hammie in the nose, it teaches them not to do it, because it shows u are more dominate then the hammie, and the hammie falls in-line, i know it sounds mean, but i did it to my bitting male dwarf once, and he has never ever bit me again!

[Mighty Hamster]

Another thing to try - Make sure you are washing your hands to rid your hands of any food smells that might cause your dwarf to think your hand is food. Also, make sure your using unscented hand soap or your dwarf will still think you're food! :D

As for bitter apple - it's good to use if you're trying to control cage bar biting but fair warning - not all pets hate the taste. Our current dwarf loves the taste and it makes her bite the bars more :p

[yodelinghamster]

I love my dwarf, Hudson to death!! he is my first hammy (yea I kinda broke the rules with the the whole "first ham should be strian") and he will hop onto my hand!! He has show me dwarves can be very sweet. he told me he hates when people think all dwarves are bad, but sadly some are! he knows this because he has a nik in he ear while here is the short story: I saw the poor little guy alone in the corner unwanted with a bloodly ear. he pointed to a tanish coloured dwarf and told me he did it he also said he was unwanted for almost 2 weeks!! I quickly took him home healed his ear and slowly be came best friends!! (the pet store guy looked happy to have sold me a misfit for full price!!) the end! lol it would be way more detailed if I didn't have a broken arm!!!

[abcgerbils]

I'm very new to dwarf hamsters, but this is what works for mine. I put a climbing structure in one corner and when they climb to the top, that is the signal for them to come out. I don't pick them up from the floor of the tank.

If that doesn't work, maybe you could get them to climb into a tube and then pour them into your hand from that.

[AceVentura]

ABC, that's what I do with my dwarf. I get him to climb into a chube, and then pick up the chube and slide him out of the chube into my hands.

They are territorial about invaders in their homes, so picking them out of the tank can make them get defensive. Once they are out of the tank/cage, they don't react like this.