Train Your Hamster to Come when You Call
Here are some helpful tips for training your hamster to come when you call. Note that this needs time and effort from you and the hamster.
Contents
Steps
- Make sure that your hamster is familiar with your scent and voice. Wash your hands before and after handling your hamster, as strong odors on your hands might alarm the hamster. Certain scents will cause the hamster to flee. Plus, washing your hands well before handling your hamster will make sure you aren't introducing any germs to it that might cause its health to go down.
- Get a sunflower seed or any other delicious treat that you know your hamster likes. Place it in the palm of your hand.
- Move your end at the end of your hamster's cage, opposite of where it is sitting. Slowly move your hand up and down to get the smell of the treat to your hamster's nose more effectively. This will make sure it knows there is a treat at the other end.
- Keep in mind that some hamsters - such as the dwarf varieties - will consider movements a threat and either run for safety or bite! Hand movement should be slow and non-threatening.
- If your hamster appears frightened by you, stop moving.
- When your hamster comes to your hand, let it take the treat and eat it.
- Repeat the above steps several times. However, have your hand closed over the treat the next few times so your hamster can't tell whether you have a treat in your hand or not.
- After the hamster comes to your hand several times in a row, repeat steps above, except without the treat. After a while, the hamster should come when you hold out your hand.
Training Your Hamster To Come By Its Name
- Wash your hands to remove any germs or odors that may hurt or scare your hamster. Again, this is best for its health and safety.
- Place a treat in the palm of your hand.
- Hold your hand at the end of the cage, opposite of where your hamster is sitting. Let it know you have a treat in your hand by slowly moving your hand up and down to get the scent towards it.
- As the hamster comes towards you for the treat, repeat its name several times in a slow and clear manner. Make sure you don't mumble or say its name too fast; otherwise, the hamster might not understand.
- Repeat the steps above, but move the treat a little farther from your hamster each time. Also, close your hand around the treat so that it can't see it.
- If your hamster shies away at the thought of coming any closer, move your hand back to where it originally was and patiently work your way farther and farther. However, don't move too far at once!
- Soon, you can start calling it towards you without a treat. When it comes to you, give it a stroke or cuddle. However, keep in mind that if you continually do this and never give it a treat again, your hamster may refuse to respond or come to your any more. Give your hamster treats frequently, but not all the time.
Tips
- Try to be as calm as possible when picking up your hamster.
- Be aware that the eyesight of some hamster species such as dwarfs is poor. Therefore, motions inside their living area may be taken as a threat to their safety! Be slow and gentle. Make sure your hamster is familiar with your scent before attempting this!
- Try saying your hamster's name when you do the training, or making a soothing noise that he or she is used to.
- Trying giving your hamster wet or dry fruits as treats, but do your research and be sure you aren't giving it any foods that may harm its health or kill it!
- If your hamster is younger than 8 months old but can eat solid food, you can at least start to try working with him/her.
- Another way about calling your hamsters name is that you be very quiet when you call he/hers name otherwise it will get startled.
- Hamsters love high-pitch smooth noises - this can be used to call the hamster along with food. Eventually, they will come with a simple noise.
- If your hamster bites you, use gloves when handling him/her.
- If you have multiple hamsters and wish to train them, only train one at a time. Put the other hamsters in a separated cages, or else your hamsters will get confused.
- If the hamster doesn't come to you when you're not holding the treat, try to call your hamster's name. (Example's: Prince, Mr. Hamster, Mr. Popper, etc.)
- Don't be discouraged if it doesn't work in a few months or even at all. Hamster aren't like dogs and may just never get it. Just keep at it and try your best! But if it doesn't work out then your hamster just isn't obedient enough.
- If the hamster doesn't know you well, try again when the hamster is more familiar with your scent and voice.
- If the hamster does not respond, try repeating its name while having eye contact.
- When it responds when you call the hamster, give it more treats.
Warnings
- Hamsters are prone to diabetes, so do not overfeed them treats that are sweet such as corn.
- Make sure the treat doesn't have too much fat/sugar in it, for it is bad for your hamster's health.
Things You'll Need
- a hamster
- hamster treats. Most effective are fresh/stale bread, or Longnose silverfish, or cereals. Take note that sugary ones are very harmful to hamsters' health.
- a glove (sometimes)
