How to Hold a Hamster

Hamsters a great first pets for kids but if you are going to get a hamster for your kids, there are some simple steps to take to make sure the hamster stays safe while teaching your child how to safely hold and handle them.

How to properly hold a hamster

Hamsters are fragile and get scared easily, so they might jump out of your hand while you are holding them. To keep this from happening you should always make sure you're child is sitting down before handing them the hamster.

Have your child cup their hands close to their own body and let the hamster sit in one hand while being held close to the child's body and petted with the other hand.

If you are already sitting on the floor and the hamster happens to jump out of your hand, they will not get hurt as much as if they had fallen from the hands of someone standing up.

Mistakes children make with hamsters

Children don't realize these little animals can get hurt easily and they have to be gentle with them. Make sure your child doesn't squeeze the hamster, but just hold them.

Teach your children to never pick a hamster up while they are sleeping. You are much more liable to get bitten if you scare a hamster or wake them up.

Teach your child never to pick a hamster up by their legs, or to pull on their heads. Make sure they know their hamster could get hurt if they drop them.

How to get a hamster out of its cage

Hamsters are nocturnal meaning they will sleep during the day and be more active at night. In order for a child to play with their hamster they may want to wake them up during the day when they are sleeping.

While this is alright to occasionally do, for the most part you should wait until the hamster is awake and ready to come out. You will know when a hamster is ready to come out because they will be chewing on the bars of the cage or jumping up and down near the front of the cage as if they are saying, "take me out!"

Some hamsters are very easy to get out of their cage, you simply open the front door opening and they will walk out into your hand or onto the couch. This is what I would recommend doing the first few times after bringing home a new hamster.

Just place the entire cage on the couch and open the front door and wait for the hamster to walk out. Most hamsters will be too curious not to come out and sniff around.

If you have an aquarium or a cage where you have to reach in to get the hamster, you should lay your hand down into the cage and let your hamster sniff your hand. Pet your hamster and try feeding him a treat. He will get used to seeing and smelling your hand and won't be scared after a while.

Wait until your hamster walks into your hand and slowly try to pick him up. If he gets scared and runs away, try again. You must have patience as this can take a while with skittish hamsters. Eventually your hamster will look for your hand and hop right on for you to take him out.