Hi From the Crazy Boys!

The boys have been up for a long time tonight. Usually they get up in the early evening for a bit and then settle in until late night, 2 or 3am. Tonight they are outta control so I let them each write a little letter for the blog.

Kai

Hi Guys!

Mom thinks I'm getting fat. I'm not though, I'm just a little chubby. Anyways, tonight I got to spend a lot of time in the playpen. I don't mind it too much as long as mom keeps giving me seeds and some time to rest. She makes me run over the teeter totter over and over. The seeds stopped at one point so I just ran around trying everything. Eventually I tried walking over the teeter totter on my own and she started giving me seeds again. Yay! I think I'm starting to get the hang of this. It's so much fun. I'll do anything for a seed.

- Kai

Dillan

Hey Everyone!

Dillan here! I got to play in the playpen twice tonight. Mom says I was acting very crazy, but I just wanted to get outta my house so bad. I couldn't help but try to climb the walls. Mom gave me a bunch or seeds tonight. She doesn't make me work as hard as Kai. He's so stupid. All you have to do is act scared and Mom will basically give them to you for free! But some nights I like to let Mom think I'm getting less skittish so I walked onto her hand on my own about 5 times. Gotta keep her guessing.

- Dillan

Robo Hamsters Fighting

Dillan running on the flying saucer

A few weeks or so after I got my two Robovorski boys they started fighting. Since I had never had a pair or hamsters I wasn't sure what I was hearing and contacted the breeder immediately. She said that it might be play, but keep an eye out for any kind of possessiveness or bullying. At first it was only 2 scuffles a night, but within 2 days they were up to 4 or 5 scuffles within just 2 hours and I decided to give them a short break from each other.

After a night of separation I put them back together. This time I diligently watched. Kai seemed to be following Dillan around and bullying him. Dillan wasn't allowed to do anything, not even go in his burrow and rest. I kept trying to stop the fights, but I wasn't sure if that was helping or hurting the situation. Eventually I couldn't take it anymore and decided to permanently separate them until I could think of something that might help. I just couldn't have a hurt hamster on my hands.

Kai marking the log

So, now it's over a month later and they are still in their own habitats (aka bins.) I've been wracking my brain to see if I can come up with something to help them stop fighting. It's a shame for them to have to be separated for the rest of their lives. They were so cute together. Plus, I'm a dog trainer and would love to figure out a way to train these two boys to co-exist. Obviously not to the extent of either one getting hurt though.

Maybe I can come up with a way to teach Kai to stop being a bully or a way to teach Dillan to stop running away. Either way, at some point I plan on trying to reintroduce them. But gonna make sure it's in the best way possible. Until then, I will continue to train Kai tricks and work with Dillan on his shyness and easy tricks.

How-To: Making a Training Arena

Herbert on his Flying Saucer

When training with a hamster it is important to have a place to train them outside of their cage. I'd like to call this a training arena, but most people will call it a playpen so I'll stick with that. I currently have two places to train with Herbert, a bin and a homemade playpen. You can use also use a store bought playpen or your bathtub. Here are some pros and cons of each.

A new store bought playpen will cost you somewhere around $15 though you might be able to find a cheaper used one at a garage sale, in the local classifieds, or on a website. I originally searched  for one of these, but they are hard to come by in my area and I don't want to buy a new one. I searched Craigslist which is great because you can search your local area and Ebay which is great because if you can't find it local many people will ship it to you. Store bought playpens are nice because they are chew proof. However, there's no bottom so you will probably want a cloth or tarp to go underneath in case your hamster has an accident. Also, I've heard that some hamsters learn how to climb over the walls.

A bin is an alternative playpen that's relatively cheap, about $10. You can pick one up at Target or Walmart or anywhere that sells storage bins. I'd go for something 60qt or larger. What I like about bins is that you can use them to store you hamster toys in once you are done playing. A playpen and storage unit in one! Also, you don't need a tarp because everything is enclosed and you can add bedding so your hamster can burrow while he plays. Downside, if you have a really strong chewer or you put something tall near the edges you can end up with a hamster escapee.

Herbert playing in his new playpen

A homemade playpen is basically free. I love that with homemade playpens you can make them as big and tall as you want. I made my playpen 1ft tall. Most homemade playpens are made from cardboard so you will need to be diligent about watching your hamster as it is possible that they can chew through or possibly squeeze under walls if place on certain surfaces. Also, you will probably want a cloth or tarp underneath in case your hamster has an accident just like a store bought playpen. However, if you want to sit inside the playpen to tame your hamster, not a problem, just add more walls of cardboard!

Here's a video on how to make a homemade playpen.


Video by ChocolateColors26.

Your bathtub can also be used as a great playpen and it's also free. When using your bathtub make sure it is hamster safe. Is it clean? Did you plug the drain? Are all chemicals and products safely out of your hamster's reach? You can also use a cloth to help your hamster get traction as he climbs around and a pillow if you are planning to practice taming so he has something soft to land on in case he falls or jumps from your hands.

Well, that's it for training arena ideas. Hope you can use, make, or find some of these in your area and give your hamster play time and training time outside of his cage.

How-To: Taming Your Hamster

The first part of training your hamster is taming him. You can't teach your hamster anything if he's too scared of you to come get a treat from you. So to start you should be just working on gaining your hamster's trust. Every hamster becomes comfortable in it's own time span. Some take days, some take weeks, some take months. The taming process usually goes faster with younger hamsters rather than older hamsters that have never been handled before. Just remember let your hamster control the pace and don't be surprised if it takes a little longer than expected. I once had a baby hamster that took about a month to be completely comfortable with me and have heard of owners that have had it take even longer.

Herbert's original home

Now we have to remember that Herbert is a 2 year old hamster, he already trusts humans and knows that we are not going to hurt him from his previous owners, and when Herbert came to live with me, his previous owner actually gave me his current cage. So to start I left him alone for a little over 24 hours. After that, since he was eager to come out and play, I used his ball to move him from his cage to his playpen only if he decided to get into the ball on his own. If he wanted to stay in his cage, I left him alone. Usually a few hours later he would decide he wanted to come out and play.

On day 4 I cleaned Herbert's cage and by day 5 he seemed right at home. He was grooming, stretching, and not acting stressed at all. Currently I pick up Herbert for short time spans. Usually to move him from one place to another. I still try to let Herbert decide when he wants to come out of his cage and if he does I'll hold him a little while he's in his playpen or before he goes to run in his ball for a bit. I believe having Herbert stay in his original cage that he has lived in most of his life drastically reduced the amount of time it took him to start to feel comfortable in his new home.

So, how do you tame your hamster? Here's a break down for you that will take about 2 weeks.

First, you want to give your hamster time to get used to his new environment. Smells, noises, it's all new to him. So start by putting things in his cage that smells like you. Take some toilet paper or bedding and get your scent on it (maybe put it in your shirt for a little bit). Then put it in the cage. Do this for a few days (3-4). Don't try to touch him, don't try to pet him, don't try to pick him up. Just let him smell you by putting things in the cage that have your scent on him and let him get used to the new sounds of the house, your room, and your voice and family's voices from a distance.

Next, sit by the cage and talk to him softly so that he can get used to your voice up close. Don't scare him. Don't make sudden movements. Go slow. Watch and speak softly and continue with the scent stuff above. I would do this for another few days (3-4).

If you think your hamster seems settled you can move onto the next step. Make sure to wash your hands before you do this step. You don't want your hamster to mistake you for the food. Also make sure you move slowly and are quiet. You can talk softly, but remember we do not want to frighten your hamster.

Next, take a treat your hamster really likes and slowly put your hand into the cage. Pick one spot on the bottom of the cage and stay there. I would recommend a spot on the opposite side of the cage than he is. Do not try to follow him around the cage with your hand and the food. Let him approach you. If he doesn't the first few times you try this that's fine. He's still getting used to you. Just having your hand in the cage is a plus. If he does approach you don't make any sudden movements. He should go for the treat and not your hand, unless he is not hungry. Let him climb on you, walk around, and don't move your hand. Just let him explore and get treats. If he does go to bite your hand slowly pull it away without saying anything. I would do this for a few days (3-4).

Last, start to move your hand when your hamster is on it. Remember, go slowly and if he wants to jump off just let him (unless of course he is too high and will get hurt from the fall). I would start by slowly lifting my hand an inch off the ground and moving it from side to side. Then I would proceed to higher lifts as he feels comfortable. I might slowly bring my other hand in with a treat as well. So he will be getting treats as he sits on your hand and your other hand slowly comes closer to him. By the time you are finished with this step, you should be able to pick up your hamster without any problems. Remember to hold him securely, like he's in a little cup. Also, remember that we do not want to chase the hamster around the cage when we pick him up. We are waiting for him to approach us.

Herbert asking to come out and play

Take things slowly and if there are any problems at any point you can always take a step back to the previous step. There's nothing wrong with taking a little extra time to get your hamster accustomed to you. We want to teach our hamster to trust us. We want them to be comfortable with us holding them, but some need more time than others.

FYI -You will most likely need to clean your hamster's cage during the taming process. I would recommend using a plastic cup or something to help you pick up your hamster and placing him into a safe enclosed area. Also, never reprimand your hamster for trying to bite or biting you. Doing this will likely scare your hamster and harm your relationship with him.

So there you have it. Good Luck Taming!