BONDING WITH MY AGGRESSIVE DWARF HAMSTER 🐹// Laverne the Rescue Hamster’s Story 🤩

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Hi Hamster Friends!
This week's video is all about Laverne, the rescue, dwarf hamster.
Lavern is full of energy and personality, but can be nippy and aggressive. I have seen a lot of people say that aggressive hamsters are "watch only," or that if your hamster is aggressive, it's simply because their cage isn't large enough or your hands smell like food, etc.
Of course, cage size and clean hands matter, but some hamsters are just aggressive, and it's not necessarily something that you have done incorrectly. Instead of finding where to place the blame, I instead wanted to do a video focused on how I'm working with my aggressive dwarf hamster, Laverne, to further my bond with her so that she can live a full and happy life.
I'm not an expert, I'm just doing my best to learn from her and give her what she needs :).
I hope this video is helpful to you! If you have any additional tips to share or would like to share how you are bonding with your aggressive dwarf hamster, please leave me a comment below!
Thanks for joining me on my hamster care journey!
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Products Featured in this Video (as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases):
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**************
About:
I’m Rachel and I got two Roborovski hamsters in July and September of 2020. Sofia and Steven currently live in separate, 200 qt bin cages and couldn’t be more different in personality!
Steven came from Petco, Sofia was part of an accidental little at a local hamster rescue.
In December, 2020 I also became a foster mom to Laverne and Shirley, two rescue dwarf hamsters needing a place to stay.
I am often on the Hamster Hideout Forum late into the night, cramming information about proper diet, cage set ups and so on! I found that knowing the info is one thing, and putting it Into effect is another! I started this video series to document my learning and growth in my hamster 🐹 caretaking.
Please leave me a comment and let me know what hamster products you love ❤️ or how you make sure your little ham is happy!
www.rachelgotha...
Instagram: / stevenandsofiahamster
Pinterest: / rachelgothamsters
#dwarfhamsters #dwarfhamstercare #hamstercarejourney

Опубликовано:

14 окт 2024

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Комментарии : 41

@rosemarieurwin2578 3 года назад

this is a heartwarming tale of adoption and perseverance on your part to get to know and bond with laverne .the gloves are a good idea to help protect you while interacting with laverne .

@RachelGotHamsters 3 года назад

Thank you! I realized I have so much more to say about Laverne, it was hard to put it into one short video! I often see posts about people being frustrated with biting hamsters and it mades me so sad- I think some hammies just bite due to past traumas or breeding, but they still can be loved 🥰

@ShempBob Месяц назад

Brought home a young dwarf from a pet store. 8 days later she gave birth! Never knew she was even pregnant, ungh. So i had to quickly study up on this situation. Finding one dwarf to buy is often hard. Suddenly here i am with 7! Long story short, i saw to it that her brood went to good homes. But i decided to keep one son. And for one reason: he was striking little guy with thick dense mocha brown fur standing out from all his dishwater gray siblings. Little guy grew into a brawny, young buck...although rather nervous and bitey. Fast forward to now, dude falls asleep in my hand. How did we get to that point? I'd bite him! For real. I'd hold him, he'd chomp down on my finger, and instead of me recoiling, i sucked it up...let him stay clamped. I'd sternly warn him to cut it out...he'd stay on my finger but i'd feel the pressure lessen up. I'd further kind of grab his ear or neck sruff between my lips, and if he squeezed harder so did i. Became a kind of stand off. Lol. He'd slowly loosen the grip and then let go and simply stare at me, either like "how dare you!" Or "Hey, ur alright." But then he'd just totally chill, brux vibrate, and peep. What i've learned is the biting is their way of testing you...often communicating something like "i'm bonding with you here." So weird. It's the opposite of what you'd think if you didn't understand the language. Just my 2 cents. Hope this notion might help bitey dwarf owners out there.

@sukosuko1 8 месяцев назад

We adopted our first hamster a few weeks ago. When we feed him, after his snacks of the day run out, he'll chase my hand around and then climb up to find a weak spot to sink his teeth in! If I try to "train" him or play with him, he'll really go into manic gear, running and standing up on two legs, and then will really bite HARD. Wish we could someday hold him in our hands for more than a second or two before he bites. This was good to watch to know we can still have fun with him without expecting a gentle guinea pig to pet on the sofa. He is super intelligent, and wakes up to look at us when we come home, and likes to come out to play. I"m going to buy some gardening gloves today.

@RachelGotHamsters 8 месяцев назад

Hehe that sounds like Laverne! She did definitely improve over time as she relaxed (by the end she would hardly bite at all!) but it was slow. And, I think the same part of her that chased our hands also made her curious and energetic. She was SUCH a fun hamster, even if she was difficult to cuddle with. I hope your little ham comes around, just be patient! You'd be surprised what a difference a large cage, lots of enrichment and some gentle time with you will do over a few months. But yes! Gardening gloves do help (although that pinch still hurts! hehe) Let me know how it goes!

@sukosuko1 8 месяцев назад

@@RachelGotHamsters Discovered if I feed our aggressive hamster millet seed clusters, he'll lay in my hand and eat them peacefully until he's finished (and then I put him down quickly) Also he LOVES toilet paper, and will sit in my hand and try to grab it out of my fingers, until I let him go and he takes it back to his nest. A good way to get our scent into his environment too. He still bites when bored but at least we get a few minutes of time to hold him.

@RachelGotHamsters 8 месяцев назад

@@sukosuko1 that is the sweetest thing!! Sometimes I think they are just “nibblers “ and they nibble to communicate, it’s just a part of who they are. I love that you found a way to enjoy your sweet hamster!

@Allthingshamster 3 года назад

In the beginning Laverne's eyes looked so wide and innocent!!😍 My hamster, Elfie, used to be very aggressive when I first got him. He would bite most every time I put my hand in the cage, and he would hold on, too. But I just had him climb onto my gloved hands and when he seemed overly aggressive there would be periods of time I would leave him without socializing. This seemed to help him, after a couple days he would actually want to come out and play. After I finally built up the courage to hold him with bare hands, we developed a bond. Everytime my hamster wakes up and sees me he gets excited. This process took maybe about a year or so! Sorry this comment is long, but I just wanted to say I can relate!

@RachelGotHamsters 3 года назад

Wow, that’s so great to hear! We are making progress with Laverne but i wasn’t sure what I could look forward to! I usually encourage her to socialize (and often she seems motivated to, if anything by knowing we bring food) but maybe I should let her take the first step a bit more often and see where it leads us. Thanks for the comment and hope for the future! Haha I know her little pleading, wide eyes are so well practiced on us. 🥰!

@csaunders1015 Месяц назад

I love the pink substrate you have in there, is that homemade or do you buy it? It looks like paper but i cant tell

@RachelGotHamsters Месяц назад

@@csaunders1015 thank you! The bedding was given to me, so I’m not sure 🤔 where it came from… but here are some pink options I found (Bucatstate, Niteangel & Tafit pet now have colored paper bedding!) Niteangel (pellets, a little different from typical paper bedding) amzn.to/4g4I6Yi Bucatstate: amzn.to/3yLoeZo Tafit pet: amzn.to/3Xgjqoo Hope this helps!

@csaunders1015 Месяц назад

@RachelGotHamsters yes thank you! My boyfriend just surprised me with a russian dwarf I am so excited. I have much to learn on the best brands to use and all that stuff so ty 😊 🙏

@RachelGotHamsters Месяц назад

@@csaunders1015 oh, congrats!! 🎈🎊🎉 welcome to hamstering! It is a lot to learn, but you’ll get there and it’s so fun and rewarding to see their little personalities shine ✨ 💕 🐹

@GG-kn2se 10 месяцев назад

6:00 Just thought I’d comment on this. The hamster that does the territorial bullying is under a lot of stress also, the hamster that comes across more subdued would be a bully also if the other hamster was weaker. I think reading into it that she was upset to be alone is human anthropomorphising. Perhaps she just no longer felt the pressure to claim territory. Her aggression was probably caused by the initial tiny enclosure and being paired up. There’s so much misinformation about dwarfs out there which is a shame, in captivity they should never be kept together. The groups in the wild have specific purposes (raising babies) and will eventually leave to make their own burrow, same-sex pairs in tiny enclosures (vs the miles they get in the wild) is not a natural state for them.

@RachelGotHamsters 10 месяцев назад

Thanks for your feedback! It’s definitely a hot topic and I appreciate the open dialogue! I think you are right- possibly I was anthropomorphising Shirley 🤷‍♀️ ! Either way- both hamsters in this video went on to live long lives with me and they were so loved! ❤️ I feel like there is much we don’t know about dwarf hamsters- when I read the studies for either side I think both are lacking in a lot of evidence. As you said- comparing the wild to small set ups is not the same. A lot of research has gone into how to cohabitate gerbils correctly (and even they have falling outs), yet we don’t really have much about hamsters. Studies discussing hamster fallouts in captivity don’t discuss set up or cage size (two wheels or one? Do larger cages create territories and not promote bonding? Etc). The California hamster association currently has an article discussing dwarf hamster socialization- not specifically promoting it or saying how to do it, just pointing out that in the wild, dwarf hamsters do live in colonies, and there are definitely some (rare) instances of bonded hamsters living in captivity. I think it’s a question that warrants further research for sure!

@hibiscuspetal1026 3 года назад

This is so sweet. I love Laverne! She is so cute! I use some cloth gloves to hold my hamster, S’mores, because she likes to nibble on my hands. She is not too aggressive anymore, but I still use the gloves. I still love S’mores even though she is a bit aggressive! She has a big personality and is adorable. The leather gloves you have would probably work much better than the cloth gloves I use though!

@RachelGotHamsters 3 года назад

Wow I am impressed you use cloth! Haha I still flinch when Laverne bites me with my leather gloves on, she’s got strong little jaws! I’m so happy to hear you have a little nibbler too whom you love and adore. :) Lucky girl, S’mores!

@동물의하루 3 года назад

So cute cute

@RachelGotHamsters 3 года назад

:) thank you! 🙏

@Urgurlari1 3 года назад

I have 2 Syrians and have been wanting to make cute videos like this! I love your channel and your hamsters are so fun to watch

@RachelGotHamsters 3 года назад

Thank you! I can’t wait to see your videos! 💕

@felicitysmith2213 2 года назад

Just like my hamster, constantly kicking the sand out and making a mess lol

@RachelGotHamsters 2 года назад

Heheh I love the little kicks! 🦵

@Rayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy 2 года назад

Heres a tip don’t use your flat wheel i forgot the name but the green one a lot of the time it’s hard for them to stop a they slide of really fast and they can hurt themselves alot

@winterswan7893 Год назад

There are some psycho with a channel called killler insects something... The title was brave white mouse but I soon realised it was a winter white dvarf Hamster 😑 It was quite disgusting how that big green insect attacked and ate on the little hamster. I wish people had more respect for life, but the world is full of war and torture.. So I guess that is just a dark part of human nature. I am happy that I have empathy but sometimes I wish I had less. Very cute hamster by the way ❤

@danielbj76 3 года назад

Very interesting video!

@RachelGotHamsters 3 года назад

Thank you!

@Jstras77 3 года назад

Thank you I’m going try those tips with my aggressive Campbells Dwarf Sapphire. She was ok at first letting me hand feed her and she’d sit in my hand but then she started biting me. I will still pet her while she’s having a snack but I’d like to be a bit more interactive with her.💖💙💖

@RachelGotHamsters 3 года назад

Aww I hope you’re able to make progress with her! I forgot to mention in this video, but I also offer the back of my hand for smelling so she gets used to my scent bringing her treats and food... it’s also harder to bite back there (but not impossible!). Today I was practicing handling Laverne with gloves and petting her and she actually licked the glove! She then still bit my bare hand... but that is still huge progress for us! I hope you’re able to see some good progress too! 🤞 💕

@secondaccount1688 3 года назад

We have a robo who is really skittish and almost always hides, even though we have been very patiently training it every day since we first got him a month ago. He will let us pet him a little when he is in his training box, but that’s it. Any tips?

@RachelGotHamsters 3 года назад

Aww, yes I hear you! I have two robos, they are sensitive little creatures. A few tips- 1- time. Steven just started letting us pet him without a food bribe and we’ve had him for 8 months now! I do think robos take longer to get comfortable. Just keep doing what you’re doing it will improve! 2- consistency- make sure their home space doesn’t change too much. I definitely made this mistake as I was trying to figure out the perfect arrangement of hamster items, but every time I moved something we would take two steps back. You don’t really need to clean that much, and if their space is big enough they won’t be bored of it. just clean where it’s obviously dirty and otherwise try to let them trust that they are in a safe space by not changing it too much. 3- practice time outside his cage as much as possible and make sure that time is consistent- make sure the space and layout is familiar to them so they enjoy it and don’t get frantic or nervous. It sounds like you are doing this right if he’s letting you pet him! You could also try a larger playpen for more intellectual stimulation. For him, I have found the playpen time really goes a long ways in getting my hamsters to become more confident. 4- you can try using other items to interact with him- like a cup or a large spoon. I used to practice having Steven get in the cup and then into my hand (he wasn’t as into the hand part!) or just back and forth between two cups that you’re holding. I figure, at least they are getting used to interacting with you and your hands, but it’s less direct and feels safer to them. Honestly- it seems like you’re doing everything right! Hamsters personalities are pretty all over the place, so hard to say where you’ll be able to go exactly, but just be patient and keep working! 💕

@secondaccount1688 3 года назад

@@RachelGotHamsters thank you so much for the great ideas!

@alexiscr2753 2 года назад

I had 2 hamsters from the pet shop and they both bite... They had babies and NONE OF THE BABIES BITE ME... It's best to buy from someone els who has hand tamed hamsters.. Hamsters in petshops are almost always traumatized.

@RachelGotHamsters 2 года назад

Mmm yes, this is a great reason to adopt-don’t-shop! Rescues work to try to reduce stress for the small animals by giving them a safe, spacious and engaging living situation in addition to frequent, positive, human interaction. Rescue hamsters are often much more tame than those from a pet store (although of course there are some pet store hams who are calm and seem to be able deal with the stress). Rescue hamsters might also be from accidental litters, like in your experience :) I will say- now that I’ve had Laverne for 1 1/2 years, she hasnt even tried to bite me in at least 3-4 months! It’s almost like she’s a different hamster. There is probably no replacement for time and making an effort to build trust with your hamster. The more you invest in getting to know them, the more they will begin to trust you and not bite you!

@em9zz 3 года назад

0:50 is that maze homemade or can you buy it somewhere? 🥰

@RachelGotHamsters 3 года назад

It’s homemade! It’s from a box wine was shipped in- we have a monthly wine shipment so I get three of these boxes with narrow chambers a month. We just cut holes in them and voila! I’m sure you could do something similar with other boxes pretty easily. I find a small box with three holes provides a surprising amount of entertainment! I suggest using an interior box though- I’ve heard exterior boxes may have been sprayed to disinfect and will be toxic for hamsters.

@bobrob6629 2 года назад

I just found my dwarf is food aggressive , attacked my hand when i was checking how much food she got left ...lucky for me she didn't penetrate my skin , after all love and home upgrade i gave her ..this nasty ungrateful little rodent lol ..., she is grounded now for that attitude ..

@RachelGotHamsters 2 года назад

Aww, yes I understand the feeling! I give my heart and soul to Laverne and she gives me sassy looks back, but I still love her ❤️. Have you tried interacting with her outside of her cage, away from food?? I will say, Laverne also improved a lot with time and regular interaction. She is still a grumpy, sassy girl, but she doesn’t really bite or swat anymore!

@bobrob6629 2 года назад

@@RachelGotHamsters :) yes i was interacting with my hamster pretty often for about a year now , she was very skittish for very long time but through constant interaction i managed to finally grab her from the sides and now can even put her on her back in my hand ..while giving her a mealworm ...but i noticed once she get back to her home she very quickly gets back to being half wild and like she doesn't recognize me or remember much of interactions i had with her ..:) i guess that can be their nature ..but she never directly attacked my hand before like she did today, so that got me pissed off a bit (after all the progress) ..anyway she is very funny sometimes and i wouldn't give her up , i used to have a cat that was very bitey and scratchy so i guess i am prepared .

@winstonsimms6521 3 месяца назад

Why have a deep cage if your not going to use it put more bedding in there alot more i just got mine and i know better than that you have the space use it

@RachelGotHamsters 3 месяца назад

Hi, thanks for the feedback, this video is quite old, when I first got hamsters. Some of my initial set ups aren’t as good as I would have liked, but it takes time to get good! If you watch some of my other videos you’ll see my care improve over time- this is intentional that I share my progress, as we all have to start somewhere! I don’t believe in shaming anyone for where they are in their journey, I just try to encourage everyone to try to make improvements everyday, every week, and so on. Learning is a journey, not a static achievement. May we all be better hamster owners, everyday!