GRRRRR! He hates me!!!!

[Flatcoatluver]

oh i am sorry i can't help very much but what if you war gloves? or maybe i am wrong and he might be able to rip thrw that my hamster never would rip the golves.

[Jessika]

How long have you had him?? New hampsters shouldn't be handled for AT LEAST a week after they're brought home so they can adjust to their new environment. That having been said, some hampsters are just "meaner" than others. While working at PetCo I always HATED picking up hampsters for customers who wanted to buy them because I got bit so many times I just started using a cup to scoop them up in when a customer wanted one or to clean out their cages. A glove might work but depending on the thickness they might be able to bite through them too.

[buckner]

I see the problem. You're invading HIS home. What would you do if a giant hand came through your bedroom window? Your instinct is to protect yourself by any means.

I'd suggest teaching him that you = food. Does he get playtime outside of his cage? Say, letting him roam around on an enclosed desk area around his cage - have his cage door open and let him come out when he wants to. Let him get used to you. Don't try to teach him that you're good by sticking your hand in the cage with food.

How long have you had him? He may just be scared because he doesn't know the scents and where he is. Again, think about it as if YOU were in his place. You'd be scared too.

Keep us updated, and share pictures!

[Addie]

I have had him for uhhh, probably 6 months now...He used to be nice until his mate died. He used to let me hold him all the time. He just recently got moved into a new cage... maybe that's why.

[Jessika]

I have had him for uhhh, probably 6 months now...He used to be nice until his mate died. He used to let me hold him all the time. He just recently got moved into a new cage... maybe that's why.

That could be exactly why -- a change of environment. How long ago did you move and/or change cages?? Every time after a "major" change like that you need to give him time to adjust. That's like you packing up all of your belongings and moving to a new house!! It's a little stressful on him.

PS: Please tell me you didn't have two adult hampsters together in the same cage...

[CathyBogart]

PS: Please tell me you didn't have two adult hampsters together in the same cage...

Now that depends entirely on the species. Syrian hamsters shouldn't be kept together, but my guess is that Addie knows this and her hamster is one of the species of dwarf hamsters who are quite happy in groups.

Unfortunately, it's difficult to intorduce an adult to a new cagemate, so your hamster is probably going to be single for the rest of its life.

I agree that its world has been turned topsy turvy by two major changes recently and he's probably FREAKED OUT! Give him some time, bribe him with (Healthy!) food, and maybe use a cup to scoop him out for awhile. When I worked in a pet store I found that to be one of the more effective ways of handling jumpy or stressed hamsters.

[Addie]

actually, yeah, he was in a cage with another adult hamster, i mean, they grew up together...but his cage was changed because the other one was too small, and i did this, maybe a month or two ago, well, a bit before snickers died, but Donovan was a female, and t.o. is a female i think, but i don't know because i can't hold him, so he could be a female...They never fought...but my dad hasn't turned the heat up in my room so i put sheets over his cage so he can sleep without being disturbed by the cold air, and i try to pull the sheets out from the bars and he get sooooo mad ad darts around the cage...hmmmm, maybe he's just mental...I am NEVER getting a dwarf hamster again!