New owner of a rescue - Mr Sociable, but Nippy!

[DesignerDani]

Hi all - this is Bluey. Beyond adorable. We got him 3 weeks ago from a reputable rescue - he is 1 and described as handle-able. All we know about his past is that he was housed in an unsuitably small enclosure - but he has a nice rescue-approved one now!

He has been pretty sociable from the word go, not in the least bit shy, but he's nippy. He comes out, sits up on his back feet, front paws up - head up "begging" and will take food happily from fingers and isn't scared to do so at all, but he'll have a nip at the fingers given the opportunity. He'll also take pumpkin seeds and mealworms from a bare or gloved palm but again, multiple nips on the palm and fingers of the glove both before and after acquiring the treat, getting progressively harder each time!

He will sit in a gloved palm - haven't dared a bare one yet (still nipping it) and will tolerate 6 or 7 strokes of his back (not the head) with bare fingers whilst eating something but its how to stop the biting that's the problem!

He's only ever handled by my daughter - for bonding consistency, with clean hands in thick gloves which she also sleeps with so they bear her scent and he also has tissues she's slept with to add to his nests, but still the nipping goes on - even the gloves are a target. Its not enough to break the skin but it is sore, and more so to a child.

Most interaction takes place in his playpen as we're minded that he might be territorial in his enclosure. Makes no difference where he is - inquisitive but nippy in enclosure, carrier and playpen alike. She tried the bath taming too but he bit her feet through her slippers and any part of her he could get to. She's 10 and getting tearful as convinced he hates her and is desperate to touch and hold him with bare hands but not sure this is ever going to happen if the nipping continues. Is he a grumpy middle-aged man who is unlikely to change?

Does anyone have any ideas, reassurance or tips please? New to hamster ownership!

 

[Maz]

Hello. He is gorgeous and I am so sorry he is biting. It must be very hard for your daughter. Did you say he was middle aged? It can be difficult when we don’t know their history and this might have become a habit if he’s had bad experiences with humans in the past. However some dwarf hamsters do this. How long have you had him now?

It must be so disheartening for your daughter and I can imagine as I only had a nippy hamster once before and also began to think he didn’t like me! Even while knowing that wasn’t true logically - and that it was just an instinctive reaction maybe out if fear. He was also a rescue hamster. He was a Syrian though and it’s more unusual for Syrians to nip. I did eventually tame him out if it but it took about 3 to 4 months. He never did like being handled but would accept it without nipping. Not until he was much older and then he would actually sit for a stroke.

So you could maybe give it some time and try a few other things but he may just be a nippy dwarf hamster.

You could maybe try the out of cage taming time with a kind of psychology - have some food in the palm of the gloved hand and when he goes to nip you say “no” firmly but not angrily - in a sort of tone that is a kind but firm no - and at the same time, remove your hand with the food on it. Give it a couple of minutes and try again - if he does the same again - repeat. The idea being he will start to associate having food taken away if he nips and associate it with the word no.

It’s such a shame if your daughter can’t enjoy him. And I really hope it improves. It is one reason why I think a Syrian hamster is often a best first hamster for a child as they are silly and don’t nip - not unless you poke them when they’re asleep anyway! They are generally quite gentle,

If this turns out not to be working out, he may be a “watch only” pet. And then you could possibly think about having a second Syrian hanster as well if you have space? It would help regain confidence about hamsters to avoid being scared of them biting.

He sounds to have a wonderful home and it’s good that he was rescued and found a good home. But I think sometimes, for a first hamster - it can be easier to have them from babyhood so the taming and familiarity starts early.

I don’t think I’ve been much help there!

Other reasons they can bite is if there is some pain or hidden condition or out of fear - but some dwarf hamsters just do this anyway. Some might be just genetic - dwarf hamsters are usually hybrids of two species and all hamsters have different personalities. Not all of them bite - but a combination of their previous history and genetics might be to do with it.

Did the people you got him from say anything about him biting? It could just be a time thing if he has had a familiar home and had a big change and now having to get used to new owners.

However I would suggest having a break from taming for a couple of weeks and just talking to him through the cage or it will keep upsetting your daughter. And then maybe try again. Also try and avoid anything that might stress him - ie don’t clean out too often or mess with his hoards Which I’m sure you don’t anyway! There is a cage cleaning tips article on the home page about that.

 

[DesignerDani]

Hi Maz, thank you so much for your really thoughtful and detailed reply, its so much appreciated. He was described as "handleable" by the rescue which is why we chose him but maybe he's still not settled here yet. It'll be 3 weeks tomorrow.

To be honest, we were wondering about trying to train him by withholding treats if he nips and giving more if he doesn't. At present he just gets showered with treats in his playpen in a pathetically desperate bid to make him like us so has no incentive to change his behaviour! Not sure if I'm imbuing him with a more humanlike intelligence that he's capable of though!

I think we had false expectations of a dwarf's behaviour - my daughter has a friend with an identical looking hamster who's as docile as anything - gets handled by anyone visiting and has never shown any sign of aggression. It was from a pet-shop though - so in her childlike way, she expected Bluey to be the same despite my warnings that they are all little individuals.... Mummy rarely gets listened to though.

Well, we shall soldier on and attempt some training - and hopefully be able to report back in a few weeks with some more positive developments. Thank you so much again for taking the time to write such a useful message

One final thought - my other half thinks that because he's scatter fed (and very food driven when out) could he be hungry? He was apparently a little overweight when we got him, and I was told to scatter feed 1 teaspoon a night (Bunny Dreams Expert) and then supplement with treats and mealworms - but as its scattered we've no idea if he's getting enough and this behaviour is because he's hangry!

 

[Maz]

Three weeks really isn't very long It usually takes them at least two weeks to fully adjust to a new cage. In fact I usually suggest not attempting any taming for at least 2 weeks - maybe even longer. So maybe it is just a time thing So usual thing is - no clean out or changing anything in the cage for the first two weeks and mainly start by talking to them during that time so they get familiar with your voice and presence.

So it may just be a bit of fear and stress at the moment, and protecting himself and his territory. Don't give up yet!

Yes little girls do sometimes want the same as their friends! So - a teaspoonful of food a day is about right for a dwarf hamster and usually recommended. To be honest I used to give a level dessertspoonful. It would all get pouched and hoarded - but obviously it doesn't all get eaten and the hoard just gets bigger! But it keeps them happy. I also didn't scatter feed it (although I know that is current thought) and used to put half in a bowl and scatter the other half. Latterly, rather than a bowl, I had a large ceramic hide with a dip in the top and used to use that as a food dish.

So I would try giving a bit more and half and half it - half in a bowl and scatter feed the other half. Their hoards tend to stay clean and dry for a long time.

My usual thing is - half in a dish, scatter the other half, "hide" a couple of treats daily (in the same place - maybe one on a platform and one somewhere else) - so they know to look for them each day. And a piece of veg daily, no bigger than their ear-ish and I put that on a separate dish on its own as well. They then get into food routines and look forward to things being where they expect (I think!). By treats I mean a couple of pumpkin seeds or a safe hamster treat, or a pine nut or half a walnut - sometimes a fresh treat like a bit of chopped boiled egg. Which helps boost the protein level of the Bunny Dream mix as well They absolutely love any fresh human food.

 

[DesignerDani]

Hi Maz, that is fabulous advice - thank you so much - I'll try all of that! Feeling VERY reassured that 3 weeks is still early days! We will get those cuddles one day!!

 

[Socks' Mum]

Lil Guy's Henry is a dwarfie, and although they have a close relationship, Henry isn't keen on being stroked. Most of their interaction involves Henry going out by taxi to the play pen, but he does hugely enjoy treats, including sour cream all and often gives whiskers kisses. It may be a predatory reflex as hamsters can probably sense the pulse in our fingers and may give them a bite on the off chance they're some sort of edible insect. It's tricky. How to interact with your dwarfie without being nipped. They are intense little animals. Perhaps after he has eaten several treats he might be less reactive. He is very cute and charming and healthy

 

[DesignerDani]

No meaningful improvement here, I'm afraid. We're on week 7 and today, for the first time, he drew blood! Was happily in his playpen, wandering about and taking pumpkin seeds from my fingers when I thought I'd put a seed on the palm of my hand to see if he'd climb on and take it. He ignored the seed but went for the side of my thumb near the nail, bit down on my thumb and then tugged at me, with his teeth quite firmly embedded. He put his whole body weight into yanking backwards from my flesh as if he was doing tug of war. I was quite shocked at the vigour of it. And sore.

Any ideas, anyone? My hands were clean so I've no idea why - he wasn't in his enclosure, and he's definitely not scared of us - we're probably more scared of him! When rearranging things in his playpen he actively follows our hands about - we have to keep a sharp eye out to not get caught out and nipped. Always rearing up on his hind legs to reach upwards. He does allow having his back stroked on occasion, particularly when engrossed with food and has also permitted being given a "lift" from underneath when struggling to get up onto something, but still no holding or picking up yet. We're so sad about this as we're dying to hold him. The foster carer who had him before us said he didn't bite them so we're double perplexed! x

 

[Doodleham]

So sorry to hear he's biting . He may be more of a "watch me pet" rather than a handleable one. I've had a lot of dwarf hamsters and some didn't like handling at all. They preferred their own space and I enjoyed watching them. Maybe your daughter can bond by making different enrichment activities for him. You could still do playpen time by using a mug etc as a hamster taxi to ferry between the playpen and cage. He's been through some pretty big changes and may settle down over time.

 

[Maz]

It's something about thumbs! The same thing happened to me once when feeding from the palm of my hand although not as badly as your nip, if it drew blood. I think they see a thumb sort of sitting there tempting.

It sounds horrible for you. All I can suggest is wear thick gloves for now and then you'll feel more confident and won't yell or jerk if he tries to bite. I've had to do that before and then you can focus on the hamster rather than having a shock. So you could say a calm but firm "no" when he tries to do it. No, naughty. Is what I usually say.

It is early days. One of my previous Syrians, Raffy, was a biter. He was a rescue. It took about 3 months before I could handle him. Gloves at first really helped. I do think it's fear though. The rescue may have said he didn't bite but he had a different lifestyle there and you don't know what kind of history he's had. Raffy had been a child's pet and was scared of hands. Funnily enough, it got a lot easier once he was able to be on the sofa with me - my hands were on the same level as him on the sofa and I was sitting there too. But I couldn't have him on the sofa until he was a bit tamer in the playpen.

I would wear gloves and keep offering food on the palm of your hand. If he bites again, gently move your hand and the food away from him and say no. You need to train him that he only gets the food if he doesn't bite. But be gentle about it as well. So he learns to trust you.

Also how often do you have him out? Sometimes it can be a bit much for them in the early days. I'd suggest two or three times a week max, and let him do his own thing in his cage in between (unless he's pestering to come out of course). It might not feel like it, but you are making progress if he lets you stroke him at all. It means he's accepting touch without pinging.

I wrote this earlier and forgot to send, just seen Doodleham posted above. And agree - it may just be a bit of time. Hard though that is.

 

[Socks' Mum]

It's sad that he doesn't return your affection and kindness. I still think it may be a predatory reflex. He has become very confident and settled, which is great and down to your hard work and skill at taming him and bonding with him, which I think are working really well. He knows where the treats are coming from little scamp but it may be a mixture of territoriality and prey urge. Perhaps he wasn't as confident with the foster carer as he is with you and didn't have such a strong attachment to his lovely home as he has where he is living now. I agree with Maz that hand protection is the way to go. It will be interesting to see if he bites the glove. He may be reacting to fingers as if they are prey, or even another hamster. Being a small and silly rodent, he doesn't realise the unwiseness of biting the hand that feeds him. His hamsterly ego has got the better of him. I would capitalise on his confidence by continuing to interact with him, offering him food but with the safety of a glove or similar hand saver. Entering his territory and gently, using rewards, persuading him that having hands in his cage has advantages. It may be stressful for him, so perhaps just every second days just for a short while, but you can be guided by your own judgment and knowledge of him as you know him best. Getting him out into a busy play pen with lots to do may help too to let him use up some energy and for enrichment. The time of day might make a difference as he maybe calmer at certain times. Let us know I hope he improves.

 

[Maz]

If it helps - think of him as a toddler! Which is what he is - have you ever been bitten by a toddler? I have! Why do they do it - they have no idea! Bare leg - bite it ha ha.

 

[DesignerDani]

Thank you very much all for the super supportive messages - I really appreciate it. He certainly is a weird little guy! I hope to be able to report back with a positive update of being happily held one day. Despite the trauma of an almost total enclosure clean (its been 8 weeks since he arrived and this was the first ever in-depth clean) he seemed totally normal today - came out from a newly dug burrow to investigate us as usual at lunch time, begged for food, took it, let multiple children stroke his back without getting grumpy ... so I hope we may be able to progress to being more affable with hands soon! Thank you all so much again! x

 

[Maz]

Just a tip - in future you don't need to do a full in depth-clean You can do "sections" - eg do a third cage clean. Then a couple of months later do the next third and so on. This helps keep their familiar scent. The more bedding you have in, the less often you need to do a clean also It's only really their pee that is unhygienic and smelly. That can be "spot cleaned" as and when needed and the rest of the cage stays clean and dry.

Also if doing a substrate clean, I tend to leave the wheel for another week and any other items for another week again. It's good he accepted it ok but ongoing he could start to feel antagonistic, if he associates you with removing all his scent each time and messing with his stuff!

 

[DesignerDani]

Haha! Thank you Maz - the last thing we need is more antagonism! I did know about the 1/3rd clean but literally all toileting for 8 weeks has been done "underground" (decidedly unhelpful of him not to use the sandbath like many others!) so I unfortunately had to remove anything that smelled bad from his 2 burrows. It took me 3hrs - I had to sniff each handful and then tossed it in a keep or chuck pile! Good tip on the wheel and other things - I didn't clean those as they were ok and I was exhausted by that point! I reckon it was probably about 50% of the bedding that was thrown - a touch more than I was hoping for but the little blighter has been peeing and pooing all over the place under there. (There still wasn't very much for 8 weeks worth... is that normal!?)

Incidentally, I went through a whole package of tissues does this sniff the bedding test - I don't have allergies other than hayfever but this Chipsy Classic bedding had me streaming. I don't mind for myself but it did make me wonder what it might be doing to poor Bluey. He has some Kaytee paper bedding which he loves, but 95% of the enclosure is Chispy. Is there anything else I could try for next time?

 

[Maz]

Kaytee is probably better Yes I have one who has never learned to use a toilet! But at least he pees in the same place every time now (one room in his multiroom house).

 

[Doodleham]

Haha! Thank you Maz - the last thing we need is more antagonism! I did know about the 1/3rd clean but literally all toileting for 8 weeks has been done "underground" (decidedly unhelpful of him not to use the sandbath like many others!) so I unfortunately had to remove anything that smelled bad from his 2 burrows. It took me 3hrs - I had to sniff each handful and then tossed it in a keep or chuck pile! Good tip on the wheel and other things - I didn't clean those as they were ok and I was exhausted by that point! I reckon it was probably about 50% of the bedding that was thrown - a touch more than I was hoping for but the little blighter has been peeing and pooing all over the place under there. (There still wasn't very much for 8 weeks worth... is that normal!?)

Incidentally, I went through a whole package of tissues does this sniff the bedding test - I don't have allergies other than hayfever but this Chipsy Classic bedding had me streaming. I don't mind for myself but it did make me wonder what it might be doing to poor Bluey. He has some Kaytee paper bedding which he loves, but 95% of the enclosure is Chispy. Is there anything else I could try for next time?

I thought it was just me who did the sniff test with the bedding . Both my hamsters are the same. Pee and poop everywhere.