Hamster is very skiddish help!

My new Syrian hamster cries when I pet him and trys to bite me when I pick him up. I started wearing gloves but he just pees on me. The last hamster I got was super friendly so I never had to tame one. How do I get this hamster to trust me?:(

Just time. Sit by his cage and talk to him, let him get used to you, your scent and your presence for a few days. Then try, wearing gloves if you are afraid, just having your hand on his cage and petting him, but not picking him up. Do that for several days, then you can try gently picking him up. Eventually, he will learn to trust you, and you will learn to trust him, and won't need the gloves.

To a wild hamster, being picked up means someone is about to eat you, so it is a natural instinct you need to overcome.

I agree with Karen. How old is he? A very young hammy would probably need more time.. like I have a new hammy (had him about 3 days) and what I am doing is putting my hand in (letting him sniff me), no sudden movements and speaking softly to him. I will carry on doing that for a few days because he is still getting used to his surroundings and still kind of nervous.

If you want a tamer hammy next time, and don't want to go through taming them, I would advise getting to know the hammies at the pet shop before buying, and working out which ones are the confident ones who are happy around people.

Just keep trying with him, I am sure he will come round if you take things slowly and don't pick him up straight away. Also hand feeding them is quite good.

He is probably 2 or 3 months old. He was still with his mama and siblings when I got him. I named him Twilight because of his gray and white fur. Thanks for the advice. I found out his weakness is treats. He will sit on my hand if I give him a cracker or a pumpkin seed. If he associates my hand with treats that will help. He is still very skiddish so I just have to let him get used to me.

First off I love the name Twilight - I had a gerbil by that name. :)

With regards to easing his fear, some cases are easier than others. As Karen and Ellie have said, it takes quite a bit of time and patience. Talking softly is always good - rodents use their ears and noses much more than their eyes. When you clean him out, rub your hands along the cage and any toys he has in there. He will then associate your smell with home, and safety.

In my experience with scared small animals at the shelter, I find stroking the animal with the back of your hand works wonders. You cannot, intentionally or not, make any grabbing movements this way and it puts the animal at ease.

Feeding him a treat is a great way to associate positivity with you trying to handle him, but make sure your fingertips don't smell too much like those treats or he might have a go at eating them! ;)

It might also be worth checking him for any injuries - the crying is an unusual reaction that I would associate more with pain than fear. If he appears healthy in other respects then this shouldn't be the case, but it is still worth having a look for.

Best of luck!