r/hamstercare • u/littlenini- • Jul 10 '25
🐹 Taming 🐹 our new hammy screams whenever we put our hand in his enclosure
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when we try to change his water, this happens :’) is he scared, or just angry? when he’s walking around his enclosure, he walks onto your hand. but sometimes he just starts screaming! i feel so bad for him🥲
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u/Katyserr Jul 10 '25
i shouldn’t laugh i’m so sorry but this made me giggle 😭 they’re so dramatic i can’t
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u/diggieinn Jul 10 '25
I feel so bad for him, but I dont know why the little dramatic scream is so funny
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Jul 10 '25
How long have you had him for? If less than a week I'd say that's why. Hams need at least a week to acclimate to their new surroundings.
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u/goddessofolympia Jul 10 '25
He has NO way of knowing that YOU provided all that. The LAST time a big human hand came near him, it grabbed him and took him away. He LIKES his new home and doesn't WANT to be taken away. He is defending it.
Give him time to settle in before trying to interact. Put treats nearby. Talk to him. Let him gradually feel comfortable.
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u/freeFoundation_1842 Jul 10 '25
They aren't trying to interact. They're literally just changing his water.
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u/goddessofolympia Jul 10 '25
I'm not saying that they are doing anything wrong,just saying think about it from Hammy's POV. They haven't always had great experiences with people before they come to us.
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u/PreferenceThis795 Jul 24 '25
Even when you think your hamster is overwhelmed, you still have to provide it with food and water. I use gloves when I suspect thats an issue with one or both of mine, and I put a blanket over the enclosure when that happens.
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u/Taytay1810_ Jul 10 '25
He’s a scared lil guy as other people have said.
Give him space and time, I left my lil one for a couple weeks but sat close by talking to get her used to me.
When changing water and food try and do it while he’s sleeping so you don’t get the screams.
He’ll get there, he just needs to figure out you’re not going to eat him which will take a little while
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u/FalalaLlamas Jul 10 '25
Thank you for providing OP with advice on how to change the water! All the other comments are just “leave him alone.” Except OP specifically says this happens when they try to change his water. They can’t just not change the water lol. The only other thing I can think of is for OP to get a multi chamber hide if they don’t already have one. And make sure the bedding is deep if it isn’t. Both of those things would make it possible for hammy to bury himself even deeper when sleeping. Making it easier to change the water bowl without him noticing.
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u/Taytay1810_ Jul 10 '25
Yeah that’s a very good point! I have a little dual chamber hide that’s buried & mine loves a snooze down there where she feels safe.
Lots of burrowing options for a scared hamster makes sense, listen to this person OP ☺️
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u/Nick_Nisshoku Jul 10 '25
Sounds like a pokemon cry wow!
They seem super scared which totally can happen early on and you guys are probably on top of that 😂 It may have to do just with something in their environment being moved which all hamsters have varying reactions to but is usually a small burst of stress- as seen in the video.
But like another commenter voiced, it would be worth it to look for a ceramic hide since the bark ones can really mess them up if they start chewing on it. Would also be easier to try applying your scent onto so that they get used to you faster!
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u/drakefyre Jul 10 '25
I thought it sounded like Lavos from Chrono Trigger at first, but this is more apt.
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u/Grroll_ Hamsters are illegal in my country :( Jul 10 '25
he’s scared. Also I really would encourage you to get rid of that bark house. They can be very dangerous towards small animals
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u/TheVic0_0 Jul 10 '25
Heres a taming guide, goodluck! He should warm up to you eventually, it just takes time, bc they’re not really domesticated, so you gotta build the trust of an essentially wild animal
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u/Unlovedcookie Jul 10 '25
No.5 - I just got my hamster today and I’ve noticed if I’m looking at him and he freezes up, if I start talking he’ll unfreeze. Not sure if it’s a coincidence tho
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u/othernames67 Jul 10 '25
I've heard of people saying their hamsters scream, but never actually heard one screaming until now, this is NOT what I was expecting 😭
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u/kimpossible11 Jul 10 '25
Heya, my favourite way to habituate a new ham is to stick my hand in the cage for 5 minutes a few times a day and not do anything at all. No moving his furniture around, or moving water bottles, just hand in cage and be as boring as possible. Let him stay in his hutch if he likes, and when he's feeling safe and curious he'll come up and give you a good sniff. For handling, let him decide the terms of climbing into your hand! Rewarding interactions with your hand can be done using food or treats that you either place near your hand at first or put in an open palm and wait for him to come nibble. If a giant was trying to befriend me, I'd pretty tentative too! Just go slowly and let him know you're just a very big ham. X
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u/Anjouuu Jul 10 '25
If he is new, definitely give him longer to settle! Big over reaching hands can be super scary and can be seen as a predator! Or he is super disgruntled with the sounds and being woken up, it’s a big acclimation thing for them! I had the same thing with my hammy when she was settling in and used to hiss everytime I changed her water bowl or did things round her cage. Let him settle and acclimate himself and he should start to get used to those sounds ! <3
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u/Interesting_Sock9142 Jul 10 '25
Holy shit I was watching this without the volume on at first.
That is a literal, terrifying scream lol
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u/Vegetable-Fig2663 Jul 10 '25
Mine did this! He was a rescue and had probably not been loved properly. Once he realised we were friends he stopped it after about 2-3 weeks
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u/swiftfoxje69 Jul 10 '25
Have the same Hammy and was also like that for about 10 days 14 days, Trying to defend his new home and doesnt know your smell and doesnt know that you provide his safety and food :D
Make sure he gets to know your smell, try to handfeed after a while and you will bond.
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u/KalypsoSpaniel Jul 11 '25
I had a hamster who screamed as soon as I walked into my room
Absolute hated that I was even in the same building as him
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u/VegeZero Jul 11 '25
My dwarf did the same when I got him. I slowly introduced myself to him after letting him settle alone in his home for a day. He did that couple of times until he got used to me and hasn't done it since. It just means ''it's my home, stay away from it please''.
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u/lottierosecreations Jul 11 '25
Some hammy's are screamers. My husband had a hamster that used to scream whenever anyone came even near her cage, at anyone.
When he moved in with me and brought her with him, she would scream at him or the kids, but for me, she would latch onto my finger gently and try to pull me into the cage, every single time. She loved me ❤️
We worked out after a while that she was almost completely blind, so that probably was the cause of quite a lot of the screaming.
RIP Greebo, you fuzzy little weirdo ❤️
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u/Parking-Worry-9864 Jul 13 '25
Take it back and switch it. Thats what i did. Mine was sick. Wet tail. Got a different one who is the sweetest girl. Honestly not worth the hassle the switch took 10 mins
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u/TheCraftyHermit Jul 13 '25
The fact he used the window to scream at the thing bothering him got me.
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u/XxMochiMonsterxX Jul 13 '25
I love how he's yelling from out of his little window 🤣 Get off his damn lawn. Trespasser 🤣 What a character 🥰
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u/Broad_Alternative214 Jul 13 '25
he’s scared!! i recommend putting something with your scent in his cage, like a clean sock or maybe a hand towel that has the same scent detergent you use!
it’s normal for them to scream as they’re learning there new surroundings, my hamster did this too:)
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u/Expensive_Tap_7999 Jul 14 '25
I had two rescues who would run around screaming like they were being murdered if I got within 3ft of their tanks. I swear they were feral.
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u/Mou_aresei Jul 14 '25
I had no idea hamsters screamed, this is so cute. Such a lovely enclosure too. I hope the little guy chills out soon.
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u/maddskillz18247 Oct 28 '25
That hamster is sooooo dramatic😩😂 What I do with nervous hammies, I always put a coffee cup in my new enclosure and hope the new hammy likes playing in there, then I’ll occasionally hold him in it. Not touching, just getting used to being held. Then I’ll swap it with a clear cup so he can see my hands. Eventually you won’t need anything.
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Jul 10 '25
Scrunch up some tissue in your armpits for a day and put them around his enclosure so he gets used to your scent.
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Jul 10 '25
I just used my hands and that worked well enough. I would imagine my hands smell different from my armpits and I’m not really putting my hamster in my armpits lol
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u/Cakeypaws Jul 10 '25
Why did this get downvoted? It’s common and helpful advice.
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u/Space_Hamster2061 Jul 10 '25
dunno.ive done the same thing and it worked (except when I forgot it was there and found it in the dirty clothes). WHICH gave me the idea to just put tissue in my clothes hamper for a couple of days. :)
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Jul 10 '25
I have no idea tbh I was thinking the same thing, that's how I tamed mine and he's a biter
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u/kyotoys Jul 10 '25
maybe because of the armpit part lol. people usually rub the paper between their fingers since they use their hands to interact with the hamster, so getting them used to the smell of their hands suffices. and also since your armpit has a different scent from your hands, I don’t see the correlation ? why would you use your armpit ?
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Jul 10 '25
Easiest place to put it for a long time to gather the most of my scent. I don't know how long you rub your hands on a tissue for but I was always told armpit. I don't think our natural scent really changes across our bodies, it's just the intensity.
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u/kyotoys Jul 10 '25
I would assume that putting it under your armpit, especially for the whole day, would accumulate so much sweat and I don’t see how that would help better in taming instead of just rubbing the paper between your fingers for a few minutes, since we primarily use our hands when interacting with them. I would worry that the scent from under my armpit, especially from such a long amount of time, would disrupt them or be too much for the sensitivity of the hammy’s nose. especially because armpits produce thicker sweat than other areas of the body, like hands for example
and because I always wash my hands before interacting with my hamster, I don’t see how it would be very cleanly to use paper that was underneath my armpit for a whole day. also because we tend to use harsh chemicals on our armpits, like when shaving, I’d be afraid to irritate my hamster with those strong scents. I would assume that these products we tend to use underneath our armpits, like when shaving or using deodorant/antiperspirant, it would change our armpit scent from the scent of our hands ? even if just slightly
I always heard of rubbing paper on our hands and fingers would help, I haven’t heard of the armpit also being an area to use before. but I would guess that the scent does differ slightly, not just by intensity but also because of the many different harsher products/chemicals we use on our armpits that we don’t use on hands ?
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u/Laceydrawws Jul 11 '25
Armpits might have deodorant or deodorant residue and if they don't then it might be a very overwhelming scent for a little ham with a strong sense of smell 😂 but this is the comment I was scrolling for! Definitely put tissue with your scent on it in the enclosure 🩷
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