How Often Should I Hold my Hamster?

I like getting my Hammie out of her cage and pet her. She seems very comfortable with me now, however that was not always the case. When I first got her, she was scared and didn’t know what to make of me. It helps to hold your hamster often and pet her, but how often should you hold her? Let’s find out.

How often should I hold my hamster? Hold your hamster once or twice a day, as the more you handle your hamster the more you get used to each other. Caution should be taken when you first get your hamster as you will need to give your hamster time to get used to you and his new surroundings. You should also study your hamster’s behavior to see when it’s a good time to pet him and when not. When your hamster is sleeping for example, you should leave him alone.

How often should I hold my hamster?

Table of Contents

How long after getting a hamster can you hold it?

While it will be tempting to hold your hamster straight away, its best to leave him alone for 2-3 days to get used to his new surroundings. Don’t hang over the cage to look at your new pet and only put your hand in the cage when changing water or giving food.

When you first bring your hamster home, he will need time to get used to his new surroundings and this includes getting used to you. It can be quite stressful for a hamster to move, and stress is particularly dangerous for hamsters. So have patience and give your hamster a great start in his new home.

How often should I take my hamster out of the cage?

Preferably let your hamster out of his cage daily, twice a day if you have the time, but at the very least 3 times a week. Your hamster needs stimulation and being in his cage for too long will be detrimental to his health. Letting your hamster out of their cage is also a great way to bond and spend time together. You can give snacks and treats and cuddle or stroke your pet.

Sometimes your hammie will be quite happy to explore and giving him floorspace to do so will be great for him. If you are scared your hamster goes missing somewhere in your room, you can create a hamster pen in which he can safely roam. Try to make it interesting by either joining him in the pen, or by putting things in the pen to climb on, sniff and investigate.

How often should hamsters be handled?

You don’t need to handle your hamster every time you let him out of his cage. Some hamsters are happy to be handled often others are not. Depending on your hamster, you can handle your hammie as often as you like. You do need to look out for signs of distress though. If your hamster is trying to get away or bites you, then you need to put him back in his cage.

Also don’t disturb your hamster during sleep or while feeding. These are not the time for petting and your hamster will get annoyed if you try to.

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Should I hold my hamster every day?

Hold your hamster daily. However, when you first bring your hamster home, it’s very new for your hamster and it can be quite stressful. There are new sounds and smells as well as a new cage to get used to. You will need to give your hamster some time to settle into his new home.

Once you are both used to each other and your hamster is happy to accept snacks from you as well as being picked up by you, you want to hold your hamster at least daily.

If you are sporadic with handling your hamster, your hamster will be less used to it and therefore less receptive to it.

Make sure your hamster is not hold against his will. If your hamster wriggles, maybe try a snack and pet rather than hold. Make sure it’s a nice time for both you and your hamster.

Start with short spells of holding and gradually hold your hamster for longer periods of time. Go with the flow and don’t expect too much too soon.

If your hamster is not settling at all, try to find out why not. The main reason would be that your hamster doesn’t feel safe when handled.

Make sure your hamster knows your scent. You can place a cloth which you have rubbed on your skin in his cage, so your scent is always around.

Also wash your hands before you handle your hamster as it could be that there is an unfamiliar smell on your hands which your hamster doesn’t like.

Should I cover my hamsters cage at night?

If you want to cover your hamster’s cage at night to encourage him to sleep, then don’t bother, as it won’t help. They are used to move around in the dark as that’s what they do in nature.

Some people cover up their hamster’s cage with a blanket at night to keep the noise down especially when the hamster cage is placed in a bedroom. While there is no problem doing this, it’s important to remove the blanket in the morning to ensure ventilation.

Do hamsters love their owners?

Hamsters can certainly get very attached to their owners especially when they interact with each other a lot. Some signs that your hamster loves you are:

Seeming happy to see you by coming to the side of the cage when you walk in the room

Crawling onto your hand as soon as you put it in the cage

Happily eating out of your hand

Happy to be picked up and petted

Making cute noises when you pet her

How do you get your hamster to sleep with you?

There is nothing cuter than a little hamster sleeping in your hand and for some hamster owners, this is the ultimate goal. While it seems like a very hard thing to achieve, it’s actually not that hard to do, once your hamster feels comfortable and safe with you. All you need to do is hold your hamster comfortably and softly stroke her back from her head to her tail. Keep repeating this until she nods off.

It’s unlikely this will work when you first get your hamster as she needs to feel secure in order to relax enough to fall asleep.

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Do hamsters like being out of their cage?

Yes, hamsters do like being out of their cage as they need stimulation. However, they might be frightful at first. As hamsters are easily stressed, you might want to give them a small area to investigate at first. Or you might want to hold your hamster and just sit somewhere if your hammie is used to you and happy to be held. From there your pet can investigate further afield and eventually might explore the whole room.

What do hamsters love the most?

Hamsters love a big clean cage, healthy food, tasty snacks, stimulation and exercise. Hamsters are very active and love to move around. That’s why a hamster wheel is very important for when they are in their cage and being let out of the cage to have a different surrounding to investigate.

As they are solitary animals, they don’t need other animals around them. However, many hamsters like to be petted and stroked or to eat treats out of your hand.

Do hamsters like to be cuddled?

Most hamsters like to be petted but not all hamsters like to be cuddled, especially when held tightly against their will. Hamsters don’t cuddle in nature and would only ‘cuddle up’ as we know it when trying to stay warm. See what your hamster likes and what not and adjust your time together to that.

How much time should I spend handling my hamster?

It’s a good idea to spend time with your hamster every day, twice a day if you can. At first this could just be sitting next to the cage and talking to your hamster. Eventually you want to be able to pick her up and stroke her without her trying to get away. Make sure you handle your hamster at the right time, so you don’t need to wake her up. This might mean handling her at night or early in the morning.

How do you get a hamster to let you hold it?

It takes a while for a hamster to trust you enough to sit on your hand without trying to get away. The most important thing is to be calm and to never make sudden movements. Just keep interacting with your hammie every day until she doesn’t run off or wriggle anymore.

Can I teach my hamster to sleep at night?

At night they are more likely to rummage through the cage and make noise. If your hamster keeps you up at night you are better off moving the cage permanently into another room, rather than to change their sleeping routine, as it’s very stressful for your hamster when you try to change their sleeping routine around.

Many hamsters are actually most active during dusk and dawn and sleep parts of the night and most of the day. When they wake up during the day, it will be for short periods of time, mainly to eat or drink.

How to get a hamster to be quiet at night

You can’t get your hamster to be quiet at night. If your hamster bothers you with their moving around and noisy behavior, then your best bet is to move your hamster into another room. It’s not a good idea to move your hamster every night before you go to bed, as it can be stressful for her to be moved into different surroundings.

Try to find a space in your home where your hamster doesn’t bother anyone at night and where the cage can be positioned around the clock.

Is it hard to sleep with a hamster?

It can be hard to sleep with a hamster, depending on how active your hamster is at night, and how deeply you sleep. You can reduce the noise by installing a hamster wheel which is not too noisy and by giving a water bowl rather than a drinking bottle. But you can’t expect your hamster to be quiet all night, as that’s not going to happen.

Conclusion: How often should I hold my hamster?

Hold your hamster once or twice a day for at least 10 minutes.

The more you handle your hamster the more you get used to each other

Only hold your hamster when she is happy to be handled and don’t wake her or take her away from her food.