New dwarf hammie from Petco...she nips a lot, but is easily handled.

[Pepperland]

I got a new dwarf hamster (her color is kind of unidentifiable, like a reddish brown with tiny lighter brown spots all over), and she's sooo cute.

The drawback is, she likes to bite (keep in mind I just got her yesterday). When I first held her at Petco, she didn't bite me at first, but she was I guess "tasting" me or something, because she just pinched my hand, and that was it.

When I got home, I tried to hold her, but she bit me so hard I started to bleed a lot.

She's very easy to handle (as long as I wear gloves! Lol), and she likes to crawl into my hand when I put it in her tank. But, she always bites the glove a few times at first, and then crawls and sits in my hand. I'm too afraid to let her touch my skin, because I don't want her to bite me again.

She loves coming out of her cage to play though, and is friendly (besides the biting!). She rarely bites when I'm holding or carrying her, but bites when I put my hands in the aquarium. Is this normal? I hear dwarfs are very territorial.

Is this aggression, or can I fix this by taming her? I plan on handling her every day with gloves until she's practically tame.

[PetLuver21257]

When getting a new hamster, you REALLY need to let them get used to their surroundings for at at least 2 days.

Just leave her alone for 2-3 days and then try to pick her up again, but instead of putting your hand in there, get a toilet paper tube and let her crawl into there and then put the tube on your hands so she can crawl out if it. Also, make sure you wash your hands with soap before you pick her up! Pictures? :)

[Pepperland]

Thanks!

Well, she's already made a nest and probably marked her territory all over the place, but I want to get the albino female she was taking a nap with at the petstore (they were buddies, and they played while I was watching them!). Will she attack this female if I were to get her?

I'll leave my hammie in her tank then for a day or so then.

I'll post pictures pretty soon after I find my camera.

[PetLuver21257]

Well, it would have been a TON easier if you had gotten them both at the same time... :/

Since they were okay with eachother, you can *try* to re-introduce them. Just try it on neutral territory. You need an extra cage just in case it doesn't work out, but it probably will, like 90% it will work.

Good Luck! :)

[Pepperland]

I hope it works.

Though, I really, really want baby hamsters instead, because I think it would be a lot easier to tame them, partly because their bites aren't as strong... :rolleyes:

I might go to a shelter soon and adopt a few dwarf hamsters, as long as they're babies or very tame and friendly.

[PetLuver21257]

Well, baby hamsters aren't necessarily easier to tame. And once you get to tame your dwarf now, it won't bite you (unless you wake it up a lot, or hurt it, or scare it).

Baby hamsters are so cute! Rescuing baby hamsters from a shelter is a great idea! Make sure that they are the same sex though, you don't want any babies! :)

[TiaMaria]

I know from experience it takes a lot of work with baby hams, no matter what breed etc. I'm just starting to tame my little syrians, they like to nibble but there is this peach one, the biggest one so far, he is such a sweetie..but good luck with re-introducing them!

[bubblz]

baby hamsters are not easier to tame. Besides the hamster at the pet store is probabbly as close to a baby as you're going to find.
I know around here once a week the pet stores get deliveries of hamsters from breeders (and they bring them pretty much as soon as they're old enough)
and by the next week there are like 2 syrians left and none of any other breeds.

[Pepperland]

Oh, they aren't?

I usually use gloves to handle any rodent (besides my sweet Syrian hamster who I gave to my sister), and I would probably tame a baby hamster with gloves, or bare hands. I read that you have to put your fist in the cage and that they may attack it, but after a few days of doing this they get used to you, and then you give them a treat and gently stroke their back.

Oh, and at the mall near my dad's house, this pet store sells superly tamed pets. Every pet there I've seen is interacted with people (open top displays), and the hamsters are sooo sweet. All the rodents there are babies, even the mice, guinea pigs, etc. And *all* hamsters cost $2! I'm thinking about getting one of those dwarf hammies instead, because they may already be a bit tamed.

[TiaMaria]

all hams no matter what age are a challenge, you need patience!

[PetLuver21257]

Wow, $2!! I would TOTALLY go there! :)

And, they are already partially tamed. But stick with your dwarf now for awhile... Then you can see if you want another one.

[Pepperland]

Eek. I feel dumb, but my mom is going to make me return my current hammie. She wants me to buy cheapers hamsters instead, because after I looked at my receipt after Petco... ($52!!!).

That's why I'm returning a little playhouse for my hamster, and the hamster herself. My sister is giving me all her extra hamster supplies, and some unnecessary things, like a hamster littlerbox, and even Timothy hay! (She blackmailed me into buying her guinea pig supplies, so then felt bad that she made me spend $30 on her yesterday, so now she's trying to pay me back).

Plus, I think it would be a better idea. I also don't want her to get depressed all by herself, and I don't plan on buying another $13 hamster that's never been tamed. >_< I'd rather buy the $2 little guys, *and* they've already bonded in their cage, so I have no trouble buying 2 or 3 of them, because they are so cheap and tame.

Plus, I want a lot of hamsters, because I need someone to fill up my 8 gigantic cages...

[PetLuver21257]

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!! :mad:

Please, do NOT return your hamster! I did that once (because he had a snaggle tooth AND the vet told me to), and I felt AWFUL!

Just because she cost a lot ($13 is how much my hamsters cost!), doesn't mean that it is okay for you to go out and buy a new hamster for cheap! Hamsters are not like toys you know?

Once you buy one and you found out that you can get some for cheaper, you don't just return it! That's what you do with toys, not living creatures! :( Once this hamster passes, then you can get a cheap hamster, but not return the one you have now!

YOU HAVE 8 CAGES?! Then what are you waiting for!? Go and buy a cheap $2 hamster and try to bond her with the one you have now, that way, she won't be lonely, and if it doesn't work out, you have 8 extra cages! So please, DO NOT return your hamster! :sorry: That's just really cruel, especially since NOTHING is wrong with her!

NOW, you CAN return the items FOR the hamster that you don't need, that you can do, but not the actual hamster!

[PetLuver21257]

Seriously, there's nothing wrong with getting a $2 hamster, but you CAN'T return the current one just because it cost more!

Really, as you have said, you want a bonded pair and you want your current hamster to be happy, so get 2 FEMALE dwarves for $2 and try to bond them with your current hamster. And if your current hamster doesn't like them, hey, you got 8 extra cages, AND the two already bonded ones will be happy together in a different cage!

Viola, see? It works out. But really, tell your mom that it is unfair to the hamster and tell her that she is showing you that only money matters, not the actual animal.

[bubblz]

I know for $2 the price can't be beat but you may want to be a little more leary. I find when things seem too good to be true they usually are (btw around here Campbell's dwafs go for from $16-$22 each at a pet store)
These cheaper hammies may have some serious genetic issues. Like major inbreeding. People whi breed for pet stores do it for the money the pet store pays them then increases the amount to sell to the public. $2 just sounds so sketchy to me (I may be over reacting)

[TiaMaria]

Yea he they range from 18-25 $ at a petstore, 13 is cheap for a dwarf. 2 dollar dwarfs? I doubt it..more likely 2$ syrians.

[TiaMaria]

Don't return her, that's cruel :(

[PetLuver21257]

Yeah, that $2 thing seems suspicious.... Like really, that's too cheap for a dwarf! :/ So, you may want to re-think getting it there.

And please don't return your current one, you say that she's really cute, you just have to work with her on the nipping part. That's it!

[bubblz]

I just keep thinking "you get what you pay for"
$2 seems like some sketchy things like a hamster missing a leg or with 3 eye

[TiaMaria]

I agree, they are probably hybrids or have some genetic disorder if they are that cheap.