Do Hamsters Love Their Owners?
Contents
- 8 Ways To Get Your Hamster’s Trust And Like You
- Buy The Right Cage
- Make Your Hamster Comfortable With Its Surroundings
- Let Your Hamster Come To You
- Do Not Punish Your Hamster
- Show Affection
- Talk To Your Hamster
- Introduce Your Family To Your Hamster
- Give Your Hamster Food And Water
- Best Ways To Keep Your Hamster Happy
- Get The Right Enclosure
- Add A Hamster Wheel
- Give Your Hamster Toys
- Be Consistent
- Do Hamsters Enjoy Attention?
- Do Hamsters Love Other Hamsters?
- Conclusion
- Sources
Most of us want a pet that loves us back. Dogs and cats are known for it, but what about hamsters?
Do hamsters love their owners? Hamsters don't show affection the way dogs do, but they can learn to recognize and trust their owners. A tame hamster will come to you, take treats from your hand and relax when held. That trust comes from patient, gentle handling.
Hamsters rely heavily on smell. With regular contact, they learn your scent and connect it with safety and food.
8 Ways To Get Your Hamster’s Trust And Like You
Hamsters can be good pets, but they are not as low-maintenance as people think. They are mostly active at night, can bite when scared, and need gentle handling. Young children should be supervised by an adult.
Buy The Right Cage
Get the biggest enclosure you can, with plenty of floor space. Floor space matters more than extra levels, and falls from upper levels can injure a hamster.
The Merck Veterinary Manual recommends enclosure sides at least 6 inches high, with 8 inches or more preferred so you can add deep bedding. Use paper bedding and avoid cedar and pine, which can be harmful.
Plan on one hamster per enclosure. Merck notes that hamsters are usually best housed alone.
Make Your Hamster Comfortable With Its Surroundings
A new hamster faces unfamiliar smells, sounds and people. It needs a quiet place where it feels safe.
Give it a few days to settle in before you start handling it. During this time it will build a nest, explore and get used to the household.
Let Your Hamster Come To You
Constantly picking up a new hamster stresses it. Let it come to you instead.
Put a treat in your open hand inside the enclosure. Your hamster may sniff your fingers or nibble them to check what you are.
Some hamsters climb on right away. Shy ones may sniff and run off. Be patient and keep sessions short.
Avoid:
- Grabbing your hamster
- Sudden movements
- Loud noises
- Chasing it around the enclosure
- Waking it up to handle it
Once your hamster readily climbs onto your hand, try gently stroking it. To lift it, slide one hand under its whole body and cup your other hand over it so it feels secure. Sit on the floor at first in case it jumps.
Do Not Punish Your Hamster
Hamsters don't understand punishment. Biting usually means fear, not bad behavior.
Never hit your hamster. If it bites, calmly put it back and give it more space. Gentle handling from a young age makes hamsters easier to hold and less likely to bite.
Show Affection
Once your hamster trusts you, gentle stroking and regular handling help strengthen your bond. Some tame hamsters will happily explore your lap or arms.
To fight boredom, give your hamster daily out-of-cage time in a safe, enclosed area. Don't add another hamster for company; adult Syrian hamsters fight.
Talk To Your Hamster
Talk softly and calmly when you are near the enclosure. Your hamster will get used to your voice. Never shout near it.
Introduce Your Family To Your Hamster
Your hamster may trust you but not others yet. Let family members use the same slow method: an open hand with a treat inside the enclosure.
Give Your Hamster Food And Water
Keep fresh water and food available at all times. Offering treats from your hand is one of the easiest ways to build trust.
Never force your hamster to take food from you. Let it decide.
Best Ways To Keep Your Hamster Happy
Get The Right Enclosure
Your hamster spends most of its life in its enclosure, so make it roomy, with deep bedding for burrowing, hides and chew items.
Add A Hamster Wheel
Hamsters are very active at night, and a wheel gives them a way to run. Choose one with a solid running surface, not wire, as Merck recommends, and big enough that your hamster's back stays straight.
Give Your Hamster Toys
Chew toys, tunnels, cardboard tubes and hides keep hamsters busy. Make sure toys are safe, with no small parts or toxic materials.
Be Consistent
Feed at the same time each day and handle your hamster regularly. Hamsters are not a good fit if you can't commit to daily care.
Do Hamsters Enjoy Attention?
Many tame hamsters enjoy calm interaction, but they don't crave attention like dogs. Short daily sessions, when your hamster is awake, are best.
Do Hamsters Love Other Hamsters?
Not usually. Hamsters are territorial, and Merck advises against group housing, even for hamsters raised together. Adult females in particular may fight.
Dwarf hamsters are sometimes kept in pairs, but they can fight too, sometimes seriously. One hamster per enclosure is the safest choice.
Conclusion
Hamsters can bond with and trust their owners, even if they show it differently from dogs and cats. Be patient, handle them gently when they are awake, house them alone, and give them a roomy, enriched home.
A hamster that suddenly stops eating, becomes inactive or has eye or nose discharge may be sick, so see a vet who treats small pets.
Source: fluffyplanet.com, animals.mom.com
Sources
- Providing a Home for a Hamster, Merck Veterinary Manual
- Disorders and Diseases of Hamsters, Merck Veterinary Manual
