Getting your first Hamster

Hamsters are more then often bought out of the fact that a child's parents didn't agree on getting them a dog or a cat because of the high maintenance. Although, hamster may not always be low maintenance pets,  they also need a lot of love, care and attention.
Not providing your hammie with the right needs, may cause fatal illnesses as hamsters are quite prone to life threatening diseases.

Before bringing a hamster into your home it is always advised that you spend a fair amount of time researching what you can afford and what you choose to sacrifice for your little friend.
Now lets get on with the simple steps to follow when you decide you're ready for a hamster.

• Letting your furry friend settle

Let's face it when it comes to any kind of animal, the first thing we'd want to do when we get home with them is take them out of their little boxes and play with them. However, this is not a good idea when it comes to little hammies. Being small creatures, it can be quite unsettling for them to be in a new environment surrounded by different people as well as being separated from their siblings for the first time.
To make it easier for your new family member to get used to things, carefully place it into its already set cage, making sure ofcourse that it has all the necessities such as a water bottle, food, hamster wheel, a place to hide and ofcourse something to chew on and toys.
Allow them atleast 3-5 days of settling before trying to tame or hold them, during this time you could sit by their cage and speak in a soft voice to let them get used to your sound.

• Start the taming process

Remember all hamsters are different and have varying personalities, meaning not every hamster is tameable. But for those that are, it's advisable to do the taming process in a separate enclosed yet large enough space outside it's cage. First of all you want to get your hamster to trust you, this can be done with the help of some hamster treats, a lot of time and patience.

Keep in mind that your hamster isn't used to you yet,  so don't try to pick it up on the first go, when taking it to the taming area try carrying in a small transport box with some treats inside so that it wont completely freak out over the sudden movement. Instead of holding it and placing it into the box let the hamster climb in by itself.

I personally felt the best way to connect with my hammie was to feed her Sunflower seeds; her favourite treats. I usually place a few seeds in my hand and allow my hamster to slowly make her way to me, ofcourse this may not happen immediately on the first day. But with time you'll find your hammie has no issues with taking food from ur hand just like mine does.

Trying to pick up your little buddy can be a difficult task, but you have to imagine it from their point of view, imagine being less then a few inches tall and having a creature as tall as skyscrapers try to lift you off the ground. Terrifying, isn't it?

Therefore, you need to show your hamster that you are a safe and peaceful creature that wont harm them in any way, you can do this by again allowing it a few treats before trying to carry it just to calm its nerves and then slowly cup your hands around it, DO NOT grab it from above in a claw-like motion because you'll just scare it. Try picking it up only a few inches off the ground at the beginning in order to make sure your hamster doesn't hurt itself if it tries to jump out of your hands

Also try to do these trust gaining sessions everyday for atleast 15-20 minutes until you feel like your hammie is well adapted to you, that is when you can start playing with it safely. You'll find that once your hamster trusts and recognises you it will love to run up and over your legs and have no problems being picked up with you.

Happy hamstering :p , special thanks to Bailey for putting up my attempts at taking videos of her, if she looks like she's walking away from me too much its because she was restless that day and wanted to go and play.