Train Your Hamster

Hamsters are good pets. However, like any pet, they can benefit from being given some things to do so that they stay calm, feel happier in their environment and have things of interest to do. If you have the time and energy to invest in training your hamster, this can be a fun way to bond even closer with your hamster.

Steps

Settling in

1. When you bring your hamster home, leave it alone for a couple of days. This will give your hamster the space needed to get comfortable with its new habitat. The space allowed will teach your hamster that you won't push it into doing something it doesn't want to do.
   • Make sure that your hamster's food dish has food when you put it in the cage.
   • Make sure the hamster's cage is at least 360 square inches (2232.6 square centimeters). If it is any smaller, it can induce aggression and a lot of bar chewing caused by boredom. (Remember: bigger is always better!)
   • Do not leave your hamster in his ball (if you have one) for too long since the balls have a bad air circulation and also the hamster might go to the bathroom in the ball. The urine will leak through the cracks, making a mess, and it will soak into your hamster's fur (which could cause illness or health problems).
2. Get your hamster used to the sound of your voice. You may be able to do this by reading a book or quietly singing a song to it. This will make it feel more comfortable and secure when it hears your voice.
   • Make a sound such as a clucking with your tongue, whenever you interact. Always make this sound when giving food so it will know it's you!
   • Pet your hamster and spend time once or twice a day for 5 minutes or longer with it so your hamster can get used to you, a good idea is to increase the time you spend with them from small amounts to get them used to you and then longer when they get more comfortable with your presence.
   • Let your hamster crawl on you and your clothing so it can start to get used to your scent. A tip is to rub their bedding on you too, as they then will associate your smell with safety.
   • To get it used to your scent, cut an old pair of your cotton underwear -- unlaundered so it has your scent -- into 2" squares. Add a square with their bedding for it to take to its nest.
3. Provide digging opportunities. Get a box a little bigger than the size of a sticky note then fill it with sand. Have the hamster's bedding level with the box so it will be able to climb onto it. Then, the hamster will be able to dig. This isn't a trick but it's a nice way of letting your hamster enrich its own play.

Commencing training

1. Put a sunflower seed or a hamster treat in your hand. Lay it flat in the cage. Wait patiently for your hamster to climb on your hand and take the treat. When the hamster climbs on your palm, slowly lift it out of the cage and stroke its fur. This teaches it that you love the hamster and it can trust you. Eventually it will climb on your hand and will be waiting for you to pick it up.
   • Be prepared to do this for about an hour.
   • Your hamster might grab your finger instead and bite it. Be prepared for this possibility and do not scold the hamster; learn to move your fingers quickly out of the way. A way to avoid it biting you is by taking your hamster to the bathtub and let it crawl around on you so it will get used to your scent. After a while it will be used to you and your scent.
2. Teach your hamster some tricks. This will not only help you both to bond, but it will make your hamster respond to you better.
   • Start simply with "stand". Hold a treat over its head and wait for it to stand on two legs. Say "stand" over and over. It will get on two feet and take the treat. After a while when you say "stand," it will do this standing trick on it's own. Don't forget to reward your hamster!
3. Do the same thing with other tricks like "paw". Instead, put the treat in front, so it will put a paw forward to get the treat.
4. For "turn" or "roll over," put the treat on its backside. He will turn around to get it. Then do the same thing as "stand". Say it and repeat it. Don't use treats until after the trick has been performed and now you have a trained hamster.

More advanced training

1. Train your hamster about what not to do. If it chews on something it's not supposed to, respond with a firm "No". Whenever your hamster does what you ask, give it a reward! Try not to make the reward a treat all the time because too many treats are a bad thing.
   • If your hamster is always angry, trying to bite you or not cooperating, then use a hamster ball or something interesting that it will be attracted to. Let it play until it is happy or excited, then let it on your hand.
   • Never stroke or try to hold your hamster when it is eating, washing itself, sleeping, etc. because sometimes it will get annoyed by the interruption and bite.
2. Teach your hamster how to jump. Put a treat up above the hamster and go up with the treat. When it is standing, say "jump" again and again. Continue until the hamster associates the word with the jumping action.
3. Teach your hamster to climb up your shoulder. Place it on your shoulder to get comfortable. Do that for a few days. Then, place a treat under your shirt and hold your arm out to it. The hamster will go up to your shoulder looking for treats. Eventually you will not have to put treats under your shirt and it will go up voluntarily.
   • Don't put your hamster on your shoulder if it is uncomfortable!
4. Use the "find" trick. Make a maze, out of anything. Ensure that it has no cracks. Put a treat anywhere in the maze (randomly placed). Put your hamster in the maze and say "find". Do this for one hour every day. Fairly soon, the hamster will look when you say "find" without you putting a treat. Reward the hamster after 3 minutes in the maze.
   • Make sure your hamster sees you put the treat in the maze!

Rewarding your hamster for training outcomes

1. Try giving the hamster a carrot as a treat. Most hamsters like carrots. Do not give carrots to your hamster often, but only once in a while. Your hamster will appreciate a new treat. Hamsters also like plain Cheerios, but do not feed your hamster Honey Nut Cheerios. It contains enough sugar that makes your hamster sick.
   • Hamsters love it when you give them sunflower seeds, fresh fruits and vegetables as treats for being good.
   • Vary the treats you give your hamster and how much - to keep it interested!

Tips

• Use your hamster's name when talking to it.
• Give your hamster time to rest after playing and training.
• Use the same commands so your hamster will respond better. Be consistent in your training.
• Avoid allowing others to train the hamster. It should be trained by one person first, to avoid confusion. You can gradually allow others to use the training commands after it knows them from you.
• Try to use your hamster's ball 3 times a week minimum for him to exercise but not more than 30 minutes per day.
• Hamsters base some of their memory and trust on smell. You can put a small article of your used clothing in the cage with them to familiarize them with your scent.
• If you don't have a hide house for your hamster, you can build one with Jenga blocks or something similar and stick them together. Your hamster will love it!
• If you have more than one hamster, separate them when training one then see if the second hamster will catch on when watching the first hamster perform the tricks.
• Don't use too many sunflower seeds and corn because they are fattening. Dwarf hamsters are prone to diabetes so use low sugary treats.
• When you are training a hamster you should get all the other pets around the room out, if you keep them in the room the hamster may get scared.
• Never ever put a cat with a hamster because cats like to play with smaller objects, and the cat will most likely kill the hamster.
• Always reward your hamster either giving them a treat or petting it try to keep doing it either 2 a day or something so your hamster doesn't forget.
• Create a bond with your pet, it helps
• Train your hamster everyday so it doesn't forget you.
• Never leave a hamster in its play ball alone.
• Do not hit or shout at your hamster if it doesn't behave in the way that you wish.
• Never interrupt a hamster while it is exploring or digging. Let it do that for as long as it wants, unless it is eating the sand. Interrupting can cause bites, which hurt.
• Don't let your hamster outdoors.
• Be steady and consistent with your hamster. Don't scold, as that may make your hamster scared. How ever, if you're nice and easy your hamster will find learning enjoyable.
• Never use citrus fruits or citrus fruit peels as treats - they are poisonous to hamsters.

Warnings

• Wash your hands before holding or touching your hamster, especially if you have touched food as the hamster may smell it and it may even bite you!
• Be patient. Hamsters are loving animals and they are trying to listen really hard. Shouting will only make your hamster scared or even hurt them!
• If you have other pets in the house, always supervise your hamster when they are out of their cage. Most cats have the instinct to kill rodents and terriers were bred to hunt rats.
• Never feed it chocolate as it is harmful to your hamster.
• Go easy on green vegetables as treats. If you give it too much, it could get diarrhea.
• On the first couple of days, leave your hamster alone. It will have a hard time adjusting to your house and won't be able to be trained.
• Don't constantly nag your hamster in one day! Hamsters are nocturnal and will bite if you constantly play with it.
• Hamsters can bite very hard. Be prepared to see some blood on your fingers.
• Avoid high fat foods, such as avocado. And if you do give it a little
• Do not let your hamster run around your house. It may get [lost] and chew on wires, cords, books, and other objects that can be fatal.
• Hamsters are sensitive to strong smells. ^{[citation needed]}
• Never shout, turn on music at full blast or put a hamster near a TV since hamsters are sensitive to loud sounds and could even become deaf. ^{[citation needed]}

Things You'll Need

• Food
• Cage
• Drink
• Bedding
• Chew toys
• Litter
• Timothy hay
• Space to walk around
• Ball

Related Articles

• Give Your Hamster a Bath
• Keep a Happy Hamster
• Breed Hamsters
• Handle Unexpected Baby Hamsters
• Supervise Hamsters Outside of the Cage
• Train Your Hamster to Jump Through a Hoop
• Care for a Hamster That Bites
• Pick up a Hamster for the First Time

• Tame Your Winter White Hamster

See also

• Potty Train a Hamster
• Train Your Hamster to Come when You Call
• Teach a Hamster Tricks

What links here

• Care for a Hamster
• Breed Hamsters
• Catch a Runaway Hamster
• Exercise a Hamster