New to being a hammie mommie... and I have a few questions...

[CarLuvinGirly]

I recently bought my first two hammies. Two female dwarfs... they're great, get along together... sleep curled up together, play fight etc etc...

Anyway... I've had em for about 2 weeks and I had a few questions... any help would be greatly appreciated.

1. Taming them... I want them to get familiar with both me and my boyfriend. I want to be able to hold them and play with them. When I take them out of the cage, they don't bite, or try to run away or anything like that. But as soon as I sit on the couch, or the floor with them... all they wanna do is run away... :ashamed:

I've tried "bribing" them with treats, letting them rum free in my "hamster proofed" apartment... and still all they wanna do is run and hide. Any suggestions??

2. Hamster Potty??? I have one, yet they refuse to use it. They like the little sleep bubble they have instead. I've tried putting the soiled bedding in the potty but still not working. Any suggestions here either???

3. Taking them places... I have a lil travel cage. Do they really enjoy going places?? I took em to Petco they other day and they seemed to enjoy it...

4. Exercise balls?? Why do they wanna chew on it and escape??


Lol... sorry bout all the questions.. I'm a new mommie and I need all the advice I can get. I really want to make my hammies have a very happy and comfy life.

I would really appreciate any advice and suggestions....

Thank you in advance :cool:

[o0sapphirerat0o]

even if you got your hammies FROM the pet store, DO NOT take them there! There could be all kinds of colds and diseases floating around.

don't take them travelling, they are nocturnal and sleep during the day.


don't give them to many treats, as dwarfs are REALLY prone to diabetes.

if you are taking them out during the day, you are disturbing their sleep.

a good hamster place to go is www.hamsterific.com

[jennawing]

I have hamsters that travel. It's a matter of reading their disposition. Foster goes to town in a shirt pocket all the time. Everyone knows Foster! And they are all pretty much used to going away for the weekend.

Try taking out the thing they pee in until they pick a new corner to pee in and then put the potty there. It's not good to let them sleep where they pee, it will lead to pneumonia.

You're just going to have to handle them a lot to tame them. Dwarves need constant reminder that there are people around- especialy when they have another hamster to bond with and don't really need human affection.

Did you buy the small dwarf-size balls? 5inch I think they are? They are safer for little feet, easier to navigate and harder to get their mouths on to chew. Still some hamsters don't like balls, especially if it means they are seperated from their cage mate. Try a big open tub or a playpen for playtime.

[CarLuvinGirly]

Funny you say playpen... as I was reading that... one got out of the playpen I purchased for them today LOL

[FuzzyLuvr]

Regarding the running away part..... My hamster, that's all she does is want to be somewhere -- ANYwhere-- other than where she is at that moment in time. She's usually always moving and ALWAYS wanting a way DOWN. My experience with hamsters is that hamsters like to go DOWN. Heheh. They are escape artists, after all, so i figure once they "escape" their cage, the next step is escaping the room, then the house, etc. Of course, i've never let it go that far :P