Bringing home a new dwarf hamster pet is always exciting for new parents. Dwarf hamsters make the best pets, as they are easy to care for, human-friendly, and easy to train. While you would love your new pet to get used to you immediately, you must first learn how to train a dwarf hamster.
Remember, your new dwarf hamster pet is in a new environment, so it will take a lot of training and patience to get used to the new environment and the people around it. So, this is how to train your dwarf hamster.
8 Ways to Train Your Dwarf Hamster
1. Start When They are Young
It’s easier to train pet dwarf hamsters when they are young than trying to train an adult hamster. This way, they will get used to you. Besides, training young hamsters may take less time than training adult hamsters. However, old hamsters are trainable as well.
2. Give Your Hamster Sometime to Adjust to its New Home
When you bring your new pet home, it’s likely to be shy because it’s in a new environment so expect it to hide whenever you are around. Give him a few days to explore and get used to his new home, especially his cage.
Ensure your hamster’s cage is big enough and should have other necessities like toys so it can play or exercise when bored. Furthermore, ensure the cage is not in a noisy place or where it will get distracted by other pets in the house.
The more he gets comfortable in his new environment, the easier it will be to train him.
3. Make the Trip Home Comfortable
When traveling with your new dwarf hamster from the store to its new home, make the trip as smooth as possible. Ensure there is peace in the car, with no loud music or poking fingers. This is to prevent your hamster from getting anxious.
Also, ensure you take a route with no or few potholes. This way, you will ensure your new pet doesn’t get so uncomfortable. If you suspect your route is bumpy, cushion your hamster’s cage with pillows or towels to minimize the impact of bumpy roads.
4. Familiarize Your Hamster With the Sound of Your Voice
Another way to train your dwarf hamster is first to familiarize them with the sound of your voice. Since you cannot start handling them until they are fully comfortable, spend a few minutes each day around their cage, reading or talking to them in a slow and steady voice.
You can also have other people in the house talk to your new hamster so they can get used to them as well. This way, they will start to get comfortable with the people in the house, and you will be ready to start training.
5. Ensure Your Hamster is Relaxed Before You Start theTraining
How do you know your pet is relaxed? A relaxed and comfortable hamster will be eating, drinking, playing, ambling, and grooming. On the other hand, if your hamster is uncomfortable or nervous, it will show signs of growling or showing its teeth.
Another thing to note is never waking your hamster to train them, especially if they just arrived home, as this might stress them. Hamsters are nocturnal animals, meaning they are active at night and sleep during the day, so you should work with their schedule.
6. Wash Your Hands
Wash your hands with unscented soap to remove any kinds of scents like that of food. Some scents may irritate your hamster, or your pet might mistake the scent for food and bite you. Also, when you are free from other scents, your pet will get used to your smell.
7. Give Your Hamster Some Treats
Offer your dwarf hamster pet some favorite treats. You can prepare some treats at home. Use hard-boiled eggs, bread, vegetables, or non-citrus fruits as a treat. Ensure you cut these ingredients into the size of your hamster’s pellets. However, ensure you feed your hamster with sugarless treats.
8. Lower Your Hand in the Hamster’s Cage
Lower your hand with the treat on it and call your pet. Ensure the treat is visible on the hand so your hamster can see it and come to you. Ensure your hamster gets the treat to create a positive association between you. You can repeat this for about a week.
You can also place an empty hand on your hamster’s cage and let it come to you. Do not force it when it refuses. Once it’s in your hand, let it explore it. You can repeat this for some time.
To Wrap Things Up
If you are planning to train your dwarf hamster pet on anything, you must first ensure it’s comfortable around you so to gain your trust.
No matter how cute and friendly they seem, they can sometimes be hard to train. Above is how to train a dwarf hamster. However, you need to be patient when training your hamster.
