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What are the best winter work gloves?

SHOULD I HAVE A SYRIAN HAMSTER FOR A PET IF I WILL ONLY HANDLE THEM WEARING GLOVES ALL THE TIME?

  • As since i got bitten by a syrian hamster many years back i wont ever handle a hamster now-whatever the species without wearing thick stout gardening gloves because i am afraid of getting bitten as hamsters can & do often bite-even winter whites & Roborovskis. I have been keeping hamsters for years now even though i'm almost in my sixties.People have said you shouldnt wear gloves as it makes them nervous & stressed by doing this. I have noticed that ALL the hamsters we've ever had do seem to change in their personality after having them for about three weeks-could this be due to stress due to us all wearing gloves to handle them and perhaps stress due to the fact that the whole family are at home all the time due to been out of work-therefore we're talking in our living room all day,playing computer games or watching tv,& sometimes the tv or stereo can be on quite loud-do you think the Living Room is too noisy an area in which to keep the hamsters cage-where in the house do you keep your hamsters? We could put the hamsters cage in the quiet of my bedroom by day 7 then move the cage into the Living Room when we go to bed-but wouldnt continuosly moving the cage from room to room also cause stress? Do you leave your pet hamster in the Living Room all the time regardless of how noisy it gets in there?Shouldnt hamsters be kept where the family are & get used to household noise rather than put them in the bedroom-do your hamsters manage to sleep regardless of things like the radio or tv been on during their daytime sleep. We havent had a hamster now for a year since our ''Hammie'' passed away-so should i really be having hamsters as theres no way will i handle them without gloves as i'm terrified of getting bitten again as hamsters bites are so painful and i've got such a very low pain threshold.I know the hamster will never get to know your scent by wearing gloves all the time-so various hamster websites tell me-but cant they still smell your scent whilst sitting on your shoulder or walking up your sleeved arm-does it really stress a hamster if you always wear gloves to handle it-would you have a pet hamster if you were too afraid to handle it without gloves on-should i consider having another one or call it a day now?

  • Answer:

    If you cant handle them without gloves then dont have one. They hate it, it freaks them out because they cant smell you or make proper contact with you. Hamsters adapt to the amount of noise in a household though it can be terrifying for them the first few days if its noisy. You could try a chinese hamster, I've had 3 and they all lived for at least 3 years and not one of them EVER bit me. Seriously they are so shy they never bite. They prefer to run and hide if they are scared but gloves are not an option with them as they are so easily scared. If you wont ditch the gloves, dont have any more hamsters. I really find that if you are gentle with hamsters and handle them a lot you dont get more than two or three bites and thats usually in the first few weeks when they are still babies. After that, once they are used to the smell of you and no its not the same, sitting on your shoulder. They dont bond with you as well. It could well be the gloves that make them bite more as the gloves are not YOU so they dont see the need to be gentle. My recently deceased chinese hamster harry would quite happily sit on me and chew items of clothing, zips, buttons, my hair etc but would never nip or nibble my hand. He just knew not to because I always used bare hands to handle him. I keep mine all in the living room, they could sleep through an air raid lol.

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Please don't get another hamster if You are afraid of it biting you! It sounds like you love them but the stress will be down to you handling it with hard gloves. Being in a noisy room won't stress it as hamsters sleep through nearly everything so they won't be taking a great deal of notice to the noise that is going on in the background! Not all hamsters bite and if you do decide to get a new hamster, try just handling it with wooly gloves for the first week or so and then Rub your hands in its sawdust and handle it gently with your bare hands. Hamsters are more likly to bite somebody with cold, uncomfy big gloves on than comforting warm hands. With no gloves on it can get used to your smell and be much more friendly and have a much more welcoming and laid back personality!! Don't get one if you won't handle it with bare hands, it's not fair on the small animal Hope I helped! Hannah :) xoxo

Hannah

I wouldnt get one unless you were willing to work on your fear. And even then, you should start witha friends hamster first.

K9-LOVER

Don't get a hamster if your that bothered about one bite, all hamsters at some point wiil bite, they love attention and a giant glow would scare them too much, don't get a hamster!

Sasha

Are you that scared about a hamster bite it only feels like a tiny pin prick?

Mmm

Hamsters are really very sensitive and pick up on nervousness. also they rely heavily on scent,and as you know, if you wear gloves when handling, they cant smell you properly. For me, if a hamster bites, then its more the shock than the pain. but ive not had many hamsters that have bitten me. if you buy a pet shop hammie from pets at home or similar, they havent really been handled much. if you want a tame hamster with a good temperament then i think you should look for a breeder. they are handled alot from an earlier age, and tend to have better tempers as breeders dont just pair up any old hamsters together. i think that should be just first step. get a hammie from a breeder and i think you will notice a big difference. are you in the UK? If so,update where you live, and i will let you know your nearerst hamster club/breeder. they do shows as well, so you could always go and get advice on handling if you are still worried.

♥Paddy 4 ever ♥

I've never heard about gloves stressing out a hamster and the personality changes you see are probably them just settling down and getting into a routine. Taming a hamster is easy enough though, let it get used to its new home and leave it completely alone for 24 hours then slowly introduce yourself by sitting near the cage and talking to it when it's awake so it'll get used to your voice and scent then when you're ready put your hand in the cage or at the door with a glove on and offer treats. Be patient and let the hamster come to you in its own time and when it takes the treat from your hand speak softly to it or if you're lucky enough to have it climb right onto your hand slowly pull it out the cage and with your other (ungloved) hand stroke it's fur so it can get used to your touch. Do this every day for a few days then do it with no gloves. Be confident, they'll pick up on your nerves and that makes them nervous and when you've conquered this stage do it without treats so it won't expect some everytime you hold it. Always wash your hands before handling especially if you've recently eaten or it'll mistake your hand for food. Once a Syrian is tamed it's tamed for life and males are more laid back or so I've heard. If you're up for it you can get dwarf hamsters but they're smaller, harder to handle and if you get two be prepared to buy 2 of everything including a second cage which may never be used. Dwarfs are a little more nippy but don't hurt when they bite it only tickles slightly, the worst you'll ever feel is the same as if an ant bit you. From experience I've found they only really bite inside their cage as they're territorial. Putting the cage in the bedroom during daytime and living room at nighttime is a good idea and won't stress it at all but if it's ill leave the cage in the same room until it's better. Be honest with yourself do you think you can handle a hamster properly or not? The answer to that is the answer to your question. Good luck with deciding!

Silver charm

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