Tips for Training a Hamster

If you think hamsters are boring, think again. Your hamster can actually be trained, just like a dog, to obey your commands and come when you call.

Since these pets are nocturnal, you can't expect your pet to be into playing during the day. Find a time when you are either awake, like early in the morning or late at night. This is the ideal time to play with your hamster and try training exercises.

A very young hamster is easiest to train, so it is a good idea to buy one that is around 6 weeks old. Don't attempt to start training right away. Moving is traumatic for a hamster and especially if it is being separated from its mother and siblings for the first time. Let your new pet have a couple of days to rest and accustom itself to the new surroundings.

Start off your training with trust. That means you need to be very careful with your hamster. Never let it fall off a table or out of your hands. In fact, such a small animal should never be more than 8 inches or so off the ground, unless it is securely in its cage. Treat your pet with gentleness and respect and it will learn to trust you.

For biters, try wearing rubber gloves for handling your hamster. IT will learn that biting has no effect and will come to realize that it can't hurt you. You will have a better relationship with your pet after this!

To get your pet used to handling, try putting some food in the cage and rest your hand next to it. Let the creature eat the food near your hand every day, gradually moving closer and closer until you have the food in your hand. Now you can start to pet your hamster very gently and hopefully he will react in a good way and accept your caresses.

Making sure that you handle your pet at least 2-4 times a day, every single day will help it get used to you. Play games to make this time fun. You can hide food in your shirt pocket or in folds of clothing and let your hamster run all over you looking for it. Avoid frightening it with loud words or shouting.

To teach your pet to come when you call, you need to be consistent. Use its name every time you have something nice for it, like food. Eventually, it will learn that its name is a good thing and will come running, thinking you have food. You must be very consistent with this or it will forget!

Having a hamster as a pet is a big responsibility, but it can be very rewarding as long as you train your new pet. Without training, you will only end up with an animal that is frightened and runs away from you. It might even tend to bite! Far better is to teach the animal to trust you and come when you call, then you can truly enjoy life with your pet?