How To Train A Hamster

While pets can always add more fun and enjoyment to your life, not all of them can be accommodating right away. Hamsters and other pets may require some training before you can hold them or play with them. Furthermore, female hamsters can also be less docile and more aggressive and may require greater attention. It is important to give your hamster pet some time to adjust to its new surroundings when you bring it to your home. There are also certain ways and methods through which you can train a hamster and ensure that it can follow your commands and likes. Training the hamster not only teaches the pet new tricks but may also provide for better bonding. It is also fruitful for strengthening the relationship and can improve the confidence of your new pet. The hamsters can start to roll over, jump, or climb once they are comfortable and enjoy spending time with you.

TRAINING A HAMSTER WITH THE BASIC COMMANDS

You can train the hamster to certain basic commands including standing, rolling over, jumping, and climbing on the shoulders easily by using the treats.

TRAINING TO STAND: place a sunflower seed over the head of your hamster and say “stand” firmly. If the Hamster stands up and follows the command, give the seed to the pet. Keep saying the command until the hamster starts to follow it and stands up. Later the hamster will follow the command even when the seed is not placed on its head.

TRAINING TO ROLL OVER: you can also place a sunflower seed on the back of the hamster and say the command “rollover” or “turn” firmly. Give the seed to the hamster once it follows the command. Repetitions may be required until the hamster can follow the command in one go.

TRAINING TO JUMP: for this training, you need to hold a small seed in front and a small distance from the hamster. Ensure that the Hamster can see the seed. Now say “jump” firmly so that the hamster jumps forward a little bit towards the seed. However, ensure that the seed is not placed at a great distance from the hamster, as they are only capable of jumping smaller distances. In some time, the hamster will start to follow the command.

TRAINING FOR CLIMBING: you can also teach your hamster to climb your shoulder. However, first, you should set and place the hamster on your shoulder to find out whether the pet is comfortable there or not. If you find that your Hamster is comfortable and likes to sit on your shoulder, you can train it to do that.

To train the Hamster, place your hand on a couch or bed. Now place the hamster close to your wrist. Put a sunflower seed on a shoulder by using the other hand. Now say firmly “climb”. In some repetitions, the hamster will start to climb up your hand and sit on your shoulder.

TRAINING FOR BITING

The hamster should also be trained so that they do not bite you. Remember that hamsters may bite when they smell food or another member of their species. Therefore, you should ensure that you have washed your hands before you interact or play with your hamster.

Place the hamster on a couch or bed and let it roam. Block the hamster’s path occasionally with your hands. The hamster will sniff you and will move on. In some time, it will identify and recognize your smell. You can train the hamster for one or two weeks with this technique to ensure that the pet is comfortable with you and never bites you. Also, ensure that you never hold or stroke the hamster when it is washing, eating, or sleeping as it may bite at these times. Give a gentle blow movement toward the face of the hamster if it tries to bite you.

Sometimes the hamsters may be aggressive. The female Golden/Syrian Hamsters are known to be more aggressive than other breeds. If that is the case, you can let the hamster do other playful activities before you start to interact with it.

TRAINING FOR CHEWING

You would also like the hamster not to chew on anything valuable. A hamster may start to chew or gnaw on anything for grinding its teeth. You can give the command and say “stop” or “no” firmly whenever you find that your hamster is chewing anything that it should not. Move such items away from the hamster and place the things that it can chew without causing any trouble. Hamsters will prefer to chew the honey-coated chew sticks or sticks with carrots rubbed on them.

TRAINING FOR USING A LITTER BOX

You can buy a ready-made and covered litter box for your hamster and place it next to its cage. You can also make your litter box at home. Get a sturdy yet small container that has a lid. Now cut a hole (approximately 6 cm in size) at the side of the container. You should also rub down all the sharp edges using sandpaper. Now place a lid on top of the container. If you are buying a readymade litter box, you should ensure that it is chew-proof.

Now you need to add some litter to your litter box. The litter may include items such as grass, paper, or wood. Paper (pelleted grain) is a viable option. If your cat or sand liter does not contain any silica dust, you can use that as well. The litter must be placed at the bottom of the litter box. However, change the litter if you find that your hamster is eating it.

The litter box should be placed close to the toilet area (of the cage) of the hamster. Add a few droppings of hamster along with soiled bedding to the litter box. The hamster will start to use the litter box at some time, and you should not force it for that.

CONCLUSION

Holding your hamster and talking with it more often will help the hamster recognize your voice and smell. In some time, you can train your Hamster on many different tasks including standing, jumping, or using the litter box. You can use treats including sunflower seeds for training hamsters on any other task and activity you like as well.