# Russian Dwarf Hamster - what do I do?



## Woodywoodster (May 15, 2012)

Please can you give me some advice.

Four weeks ago we adopted a 6 month old Russian Dwarf from the 'adoption centre' at our local pet shop chain - they were not able to give me any information on 'Mr Grumpy' (as we have now named him) except to say that he did not get on with his cage mate.

He is the cutest, smallest, most angelic looking pile of fluff you have ever seen - however, he is the grumpiest, nastiest, most cantankerous Hamster I have ever owned (we have owned several).

On advice from the Pet shop we gave him a couple of days of calmto settle in before we went near him, and very gradually tried to get to know him - titbits of food, soft talking, introducing my hand and so on.

Well he is the nastiest little devil, he hisses, leaps to bite us, screeches and growls.

My children are petrified of him and don't want him anymore, my husband thinks he is the devil incarnate and despite being very patient he scares me a little too.

Is 'Mr Grumpy' a lost cause?

please advise.

Thanks, 
Louise


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

What sort of cage is he in, it sounds like hes displaying cage aggression, do you wake him up to interact with him? The hissing etc sound more like fear to me. What part of the country do you live in, just in case someone near you can help.


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## peter0 (Oct 4, 2011)

Due to his bad start in life it's probably why he is like this. He would have came from a rodent mill where the animals would not be handled or have any good human contact at all and then shipped into the pet shop and not handled there either.

I can't offer much advice on taming as my little girl came to as tame as anything who does bite but she's only tasting my fingers and it doesn't hurt.

People have used methods like lying in the bath (obviously no water) and in your clothes and you let him run over you and get used to you.

I've heard of people putting in a bit of clothing they have worn so he gets used to your smell and i'm sure just keeping up the soft talking, introducing your hand and treats will all help.

A 'Russian hamster' from pet shops tend to be Hyrbid hamsters and are prone to diabetes and shouldn't get to much sugary treats even fruits as they have natural sugar. I feed my girl on RatRations dwarf hamster mix which has been researched and is to suit a diabetec prone hamster and they tend to love the food

Dwarf Hamster - Basic - £1.38 : ratRations.com


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## Woodywoodster (May 15, 2012)

thedogsmother said:


> What sort of cage is he in, it sounds like hes displaying cage aggression, do you wake him up to interact with him? The hissing etc sound more like fear to me. What part of the country do you live in, just in case someone near you can help.


Hi,
Mr Grumpy is in a specific Dwarf Hamster cage which has a plastic bottom and wire sides and top - which he climbs like he is scaling everest.

we don't wake him up to play with him (I'm not new to Hamster ownership, just this particular Hamster).

We are in Bedfordshire.
Thanks


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## Woodywoodster (May 15, 2012)

peter0 said:


> Due to his bad start in life it's probably why he is like this. He would have came from a rodent mill where the animals would not be handled or have any good human contact at all and then shipped into the pet shop and not handled there either.
> 
> I can't offer much advice on taming as my little girl came to as tame as anything who does bite but she's only tasting my fingers and it doesn't hurt.
> 
> ...


I'm not sure that he did come from a Rodent Mill actually, he had already been previously owned, (hence why he was in the adoption centre part of the pet store) and returned due to not getting on with his mate.

I'm not going to try and get him into a bath (even without water) as he is a vicious biter and the closest we get to trying to hold him is when he launches himself to bit when filling his food bowl (with proper Dwarf hamster feed).

Thanks anyway


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Ooh it does sound like youre having serious problems with him. If you were nearer I would have tried to help, but Im nowhere near unfortunately. If you really think you cant manage with him and youre wanting to try to rehome him there is a small animal rehoming section on here.


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## suze23 (Jun 3, 2011)

Woodywoodster said:


> my husband thinks he is the devil incarnate


im sorry but this ^^ made me laugh a little!

back on topic......i have an evil hamster called "jaws" (no guesses why")!! he was EVIL.....

i had to wear 2 pairs of gloves to handle him - he drew blood several times and in the end i gave up handling him - i just boxed him up when i wanted to clean his cage out - we had rotastack too so sectioned off bits i wanted to clean

he literally was that evil - he would target me.

no advice except its not worth being bitten!!


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## niki87 (Nov 18, 2009)

Am sorry but no hamster is "evil". If any animal shows such extreme aggression there is a reason for it. Perhaps he has suffered abuse, either by animal or human, or he has a psychological issue. This is more directed at suze23. I get annoyed by animals being labelled as "evil" especially hamsters!


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## suze23 (Jun 3, 2011)

niki87 said:


> Am sorry but no hamster is "evil". If any animal shows such extreme aggression there is a reason for it. Perhaps he has suffered abuse, either by animal or human, or he has a psychological issue. This is more directed at suze23. I get annoyed by animals being labelled as "evil" especially hamsters!


um no,,, i got him as a baby and was warned because of his colour (ginger/white) they were more aggression prone...

change evil for nasty little thing then...............because he was!...

least i kept him in a nice rotastack with god knows how many levels until he passed away 2.5 year later!


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

suze23 said:


> no advice except its not worth being bitten!!


really? you don't think he deserves a little know-how, time and patience to try and fix him? the little guy sounds absolutely petrified from his bad start in life and as i'm trying to fix a minor version of this problem with a college hammie, i really don't agree with you i'm afraid.

i actually got bitten twice today handling this guy (well, getting him out of the cage) but he did settle down and have a wee treat in my hand after he calmed down a little. he bites to get the immediate removal of your hand from his cage- in other words a flinch!- but after he got nothing twice he came to investigate! i was very proud of the wee man as no-one wants to spend any time with him in case they get nipped getting him out


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## suze23 (Jun 3, 2011)

no it isnt........ so i wore gloves...?

i dont see the point of stressing them out if they dont want to be handled let them live happily in a cage with their toys etc....


naturally i dont have hamsters now as the last one put me off for life.


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## Lavenderb (Jan 27, 2009)

suze23 said:


> im sorry but this ^^ made me laugh a little!
> 
> back on topic......i have an evil hamster called "jaws" (no guesses why")!! he was EVIL.....
> 
> ...


An evil hamster targeting a 100 foot monster human coming towards him...thats one brave hamster.  They aren't really evil....they do this when they are scared...something that time and patience can help with.


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## Gertrude (Feb 7, 2010)

We had one too, her name was Ms Veronica Corningstone and she too hissed growled, bit, hissed again and went for ya throat! [well, almost], but I have to say with time and patience she 'came good' and she lived for 2 years.

A year later we bought another, Noél, and he is........ adorable, 
he falls asleep in bed with my daughter and is soooo friendly its unreal, he's just turned 2.


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## niki87 (Nov 18, 2009)

suze23 said:


> um no,,, i got him as a baby and was warned because of his colour (ginger/white) they were more aggression prone...
> 
> change evil for nasty little thing then...............because he was!...
> 
> least i kept him in a nice rotastack with god knows how many levels until he passed away 2.5 year later!


Maybe "unsociable" or "untamable"? 

Rotastak isn't recommended...and certainly wouldn't have helped a timid hamster...just for future use.

For the record to the OP...sometimes you will get an animal who is a "look but don't touch" pet. I would always talk softly to them, keep them in a quiet room and don't try push him to be held. Sorry you probably know this.


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## Lavenderb (Jan 27, 2009)

We never really know what these little pet shop hamsters have gone through before we get them do we. They might look cute and lovely in the shop but we've no idea if they've been thrown around in the back of a truck and mistreated before ending up there. They certainly need patience.


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## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

Lots of my hamsters have bitten (especially those fiery little Russians!), but usually it's when you put your hand in the cage to get them out, their normally fine once actually out and on your hand. Hamsters can't really see that good, and to him your hand reaching for him is like some big buzzard swooping down to catch him and eat him, so he's reacting in the only way something that is only 3 inches long can -by attacking first and asking the questions later! 

My current Russian boy is lovely and calm, partly due to his nature, but also because his cage door opens in such a way he can walk straight out of it and either on to the lid or my hand. By doing so it gives him a chance to adjust to me being there and he knows I'm not a threat to him. Try and approach him from the side, and offer something nice like a rice krispie, a cornflake or a raisin when he's by the door of the cage or at the bars. Also try letting him walk out of the cage on his own rather than actually grabbing him up, scoop him up once he's out of the cage. 

If he really won't stop biting you (and I know it's painful, one of mine bit me twice last night by mistake instead of the shredded wheat I offered her, hamster bites aren't funny, they bloody hurt, so I can understand your reluctance), and your too afraid of trying to pick him up, put a light plastic cup in the cage or the floor, let him walk into it and pick the cup out with hammy inside.

The chances are he's not at all used to being held as most pet stores don't tame their animals or actually hold them a bit to get used to actual human interaction, which is utterly stupid for an animal that is going to be someone's pet and therefore needs to be used to people.


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## suze23 (Jun 3, 2011)

niki87 said:


> Maybe "unsociable" or "untamable"?
> 
> Rotastak isn't recommended...and certainly wouldn't have helped a timid hamster...just for future use.
> 
> For the record to the OP...sometimes you will get an animal who is a "look but don't touch" pet. I would always talk softly to them, keep them in a quiet room and don't try push him to be held. Sorry you probably know this.


No evil. my hamster so i am entitled to refer to him as what i choose 

The rotastack was given to me and i didnt know how nasty the little swine would be........ as much as i disliked him, he had a good life - that was after he murdered and ate his own brother - i still kept/fed and watered him!


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## polishrose (Oct 26, 2011)

suze23 said:


> No evil. my hamster so i am entitled to refer to him as what i choose
> 
> The rotastack was given to me and i didnt know how nasty the little swine would be........ as much as i disliked him, he had a good life - that was after he murdered and ate his own brother - i still kept/fed and watered him!


Perhaps you should have rehomed him if you thought of him as evil.Why keep a pet you hate when someone else might adore him?My chinese hamster murdered her sister...I didn't hate her for it.Figured it was my fault for not realising they should be separated.


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## peter0 (Oct 4, 2011)

Well considering you bought the hamster you should have looked after him even if he murdered his brother. Hamsters are solitary but some have worked together with the right cage and care. The crappy rotastak cage probably didn't help and i wouldn't keep a flea in one

If you had done some research before hand you might have known that and as polish said if you hated it that much then you should have rehomed to someone who would love him.


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Before the thread gets too off topic, can we try to remember that the op asked for help in taming her hamster, regardless of suze23s description of her hamster, and how we feel about the choice of words used, the op had joined to get help, Suze23s hamster is no longer around. 

To the op, if youre too nervous to try the bath method, which is understandable as hamster bites hurt, then you can try popping him in a bath without anyone in there, that way you can get the odd stroke in without him being able to get you, give him something tasty to eat or some nice toys. When Im taming scary beasties  you can build up to picking him up when he and you are more confident. I generally put a hamster ball with a treat in it against the bars of the cage, when the hamster climbs in you can put the little lid on and carry them to wherever you need them, they soon learn that climbing in means a treat and a play out. 
The reason I asked about the cage wasnt to have a go, it was because its really vital to know. Most cages that are marketed for dwarf hamsters are unsuitable for them, almost all cages available in pet shops are unfortunately also unsuitable too . Hamsters get a condition called cage aggression, when they feel scared or unsafe they go on the attack and think that at least they can protect this one small area, the wrong cage makes this cage aggression far more likely. If you are wanting to work on his aggression so that you have a happy hamster that you can handle then it can almost always be done but it takes time and patience.


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## Guest (Dec 7, 2012)

I can only advise on what i do with mine, I've had a few screamers and biters in and managed to turn them around.

If you can I would put their cage into a room that has lots of comings and goings, mine are normally placed beside the sofa in the front room so they get used to listening to voices and noise. I will sit there and read to them  to get them used to my voice.
When they start to come to the door I will give them treats from a spoon (baby food works wonders for me) and I will have a spare toothbrush so that when I can they get a brush with it and they can't bite me, so eventually they realise this stroking business isn't too bad 

I won't use gloves with the hamsters because once the gloves come off then you end up starting from scratch due to the different smells.

He may never be one for being held, being from a petshop there could be many reasons as to why he is this way so all you can do is work with what you have.

Patience, patience and yet more patience  He might surprise you one day 

As to suze23's "evil" hamster  Maybe it's a good thing that you no longer have hamsters if you see them that way :sneaky2:


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

As stated earlier, this thread is someone asking for help to tame their hamster, can we remember this and forget the personal insults please.


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## metame (Sep 25, 2009)

WoodyWoodster, TDM nd bernie have given some good advice, i hope it helps.

i currently have what was described as an evil hamster though she is a syrian.
apparently she would attack anything that went near or in her cage nd she ws handled with gardening gloves...

i upgraded her cage, gve her clean bedding nd food, fed her trets from my hand and just took time with her and ive never had a problem with her - i think the change in cage is what did it for her


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## Lavenderb (Jan 27, 2009)

You lot are pathetic...evil Hamster..you don't know the meaning of evil....this is an evil hamster


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## zany_toon (Jan 30, 2009)

PErhaps you could try putting something of yours in the cage so that your hamster gets used to your smell? I know that is something I've done with bitey mice and it's worked well. I used to put in an old fleecy slipper or sock (even an old chopped up t-shirt) and they would get used to the smell that way and realise that anything that smelled like me wasn't going to attack them  Definitely looking at the type of cage could help - too small a cage, too big a cage, a cage that opens on the roof (so you look like a predator grabbing them from above) are all things that could lead to aggression.


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## imadrainpipe (Dec 12, 2012)

Maybe you tryed to tame him too early.
If he continues like this, ask someone good with animals. A friendily vet would prorrably help you


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