Friday 14 September 2012

How to stop a hamster Nipping

As I was saying in earlier posts, I have been having a small problem with Willow nipping (though she has stopped now), so I deiced to do a post on a few of the best ways to stop nipping.
I will also add some website addresses to the bottom of this if anyone wants a few more tips, though I do not know how accurate all tips are.

Here are my tips, in order of how important I think they are from 1 to 6:

1. Wash your hands thoroughly before handling your hamster. If you eat food then handle your hamster without washing your hands then your hamster could mistake your hand/finger for food.

2. Try not to disturb your hamster while he/she is sleeping, as your hamster is more likely to bite when he/she is tired and wants to go back to bed. If you have to wake your hamster up, leave a little time him/her to wake up properly in her cage.

3. When approaching your hamster, hold your whole hand out- not just one finger. If you only hold out one finger they often mistake it for food. They will probably sniff your whole hand, but they are less likely to bite.

4. Even if your hamster bites, be patient and try to show that you are not going to hurt him/her. You can do this by stroking her even while she is biting you. If the bites really hurt you could resort to gloves, though personally I don't recommend this as I think it is better for your hamster to get used to your scent.

5. Handle your hamster very gently at all times, and try not to enclose him/her in your hands too tightly or she could bite.

6: Feed your hamster before you handle him/her. (it can be in the morning and handle your hamster in the evening, you don't have to feed your hamster right before... you get the jist) Your hamster may nip just because he/she is hungry!

Picture from here
Hope this wasn't too much information!

But if you want more information, visit the site below that I used for some of my tips:

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