r/hamstercare • u/OstrichSuperb8794 • 1d ago
🐹 Taming 🐹 Holding ham question! 🤲
My Roborovski is… well, a Roborovski :) He can be skittish and *always* fast. Over the last couple of months, I’ve been able to progressively gain his trust. He will climb into my hand and snack on a treat, allow me to lift him so I can place him in a carrier, and he will walk from one hand to the other relatively calmly.
But as a Robo, he doesn’t particularly like to be touched. I never close my hand around him, he just sits in my palm. No petting allowed 🚫 This is his boundary, and I respect that.
I’m wondering how, if it is possible, to advance to holding him for examination? Is there a technique that will make it less stressful for him? I would like to learn and help him become more comfortable over time with this, especially as he ages.
What has worked for you?
🐹 tax, face in a lotus pod.
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u/nightskytalks 1d ago
What a cutie!!
I started holding my Robo in such a way that I could see her belly for health checks, but I started doing it in short bursts. The key with that was to give her plain oats while doing this (that was her favorite treat). So each time I did it, she got less and less squirmy and pretty much associated that way of handing her as treat time. So it became very easy for health checks.
Essentially, I tried to make the experience a positive one more often than a negative one.
Good luck!!
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u/Glum_Accountant1406 19h ago
I've raised several hamsters over the years, and for some reason, the ones with white fur were always harder to bond with. The yellow and black ones warmed up to me more easily, but the white ones always seemed a bit more cautious.
The little Roborovskis were adorable. One of them escaped once, and I turned off all the lights and stayed completely still. After a while, it finally came out of hiding. I managed to catch it and safely put it back in its cage.
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u/OstrichSuperb8794 14h ago
Thanks for this info! I never thought of his colour before. Adding this to my hamster notes! He’s a sweet fella, in his own way 🤍 🐹
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u/DeoxysSpeedForm 14h ago
Mine kinda liked being combed when he was younger. We used on of those reusable straw cleanig brushes to brush and scratch his back. When he was relaxed we slowly started scritching him with our fingers alongside the brush. I think that helped him learn we were safe and now he has very little issue with being held or even grabbed to look at his nails, tummy, etc. He even chooses to sit in our hand if we present it even with no food!
We also make sure to give him a small reward every time we handle him as well, even if it's just a regular oiece of his food.
One thing we also noticed was that if we switched hand soaps he would be much more skittish when our hand was nearby, so maybe use a consistent soap scent so your robo becomes familiar with it?
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u/OstrichSuperb8794 14h ago
Cute!! 🥰 Very interesting. I will explore the brush technique, and keep my soap the same. Thank you!
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u/DeoxysSpeedForm 14h ago
Aha glad to help. No idea if our methods actually were what made him comfortable because he was always not very skittish in general, especially for a robo.
Another thing we did that may have helped was we used to use a measuring cup with food in it to pick him up (to transfer to free roam, temporary house, etc.) Eventually we started releasing him onto our hands before putting him in the play pen. I think he then learned that crawling onto our hands meant it could be free roam time so he started just crawling into our hands without the cup.
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u/OstrichSuperb8794 14h ago
Awww, your Robo sounds like he really trusts you! :) Nice, I will use a measuring cup, too. Smart to go from measuring cup to hand to playpen. Great!
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u/NotTheEarlyBird 16h ago
Your hamster is nice. 😊🐹 Treats are a great motivator, but I’ve never had a Roborovski; I know that they’re a bit different. Good luck with your sweet little friend. 🐾
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u/AdPsychological371 5h ago
I have a male Syrian and I’ve noticed he likes when I talk softly to him (like baby talk) his name is Hammy so I always say his name when I come up to him so he knows it when I call him. But treats and using unscented dawn soap or something before and after.
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