Pet your hamster gently with 1 or 2 fingers on its back while talking to it. If your hamster bites or appears not to like being held, leave it in its cage while you spend more time with it. Give it treats through the cage while talking to it. After a few days of doing this, try reaching in to pet your hamster again. It can take time for your hamster to become used to you.
If your hamster prefers a treat, it will eat it quickly and look for more. If your hamster doesn’t like a certain treat, it will often not finish it. Some hamsters prefer grain treats like Cheerios, others like a small chopped vegetable like a piece of raw carrot. Try these treats for a tasty option for your hamster.
While you’re teaching your hamster this trick, go slowly to give it time to learn each step. Start by just getting your hamster to rise on its back legs. When it gets used to standing, add your command. Give your hamster lots of praise for doing its trick!
If your hamster doesn’t stand at all and you’ve been waiting and repeating “stand,” it may not be hungry right then. Put the treat away and try again later. If you try several times in a day and your hamster still doesn’t respond, try a different treat for motivation.
Test how well your hamster knows the trick by holding just your fingers above its head without a treat. Say “stand. ” If you do this and your hamster stands, it really knows the stand trick. Still give it a treat for standing.
If your hamster tries to jump after the treat when you move it, give the treat immediately and say, “good!” If your hamster doesn’t jump, go back to “stand” by placing the treat closer and saying “stand” then give the treat. Then try “jump” again. If your hamster doesn’t jump the second time, put the treat away and try again later.
Say “jump through the hoop” or simply “jump” while holding the hoop and the treat. If your hamster goes through the hoop, give it the treat immediately and say, “good!” Be careful not to hold the hoop too high at first. Hold it low in front of your hamster, then if that seems easy you can move it up a little. Be sure to use a hoop that’s wide enough for the hamster to easily get through. If your hamster won’t jump through the hoop at first, go back to the “stand” trick and give it a treat for standing. Then try the hoop trick again. If it doesn’t jump, put the treat away and try again later.
If your hamster does a circle, give it the treat immediately and say “good!” If your hamster doesn’t do a circle, pull the treat back for a few seconds and then do the “stand” trick and give the treat. Then try “do circles” again. If it doesn’t do any circles again, put the treat away and try again later. [6] X Research source
Make sure the jumps aren’t too high, otherwise, your hamster will be tempted to run around them instead of over them. If it struggles to get over your jumps, try lowering the blocks. Or if you’re using jars, try narrower jars like olive jars to start with.
Most hamsters will narrow their bodies and squeeze through a tunnel that appears to narrow for them. They like to do this. Tunnels that are the width of toilet paper rolls are perfect to start with.
Use a triangular block that’s about the same width as your plank or wider for the best results. Using one that’s too thin could cause the plank to tip off the edge of the triangle sideways.
Large building blocks should create a pretty sturdy wall. Try using large Legos for the best results. If you’re using cardboard, you may have to bend the cardboard to get it to stand up, or glue supports onto the outside using other pieces of leaning cardboard.
Each time your hamster reaches a tunnel, hold the treat on the far side of the tunnel so the hamster has to run through the tunnel to get to it. If your hamster becomes confused and refuses to complete an obstacle, continue moving the treat in front of it in the direction of completing the obstacle until it’s able to complete the obstacle. If your hamster gives up before completing all the obstacles, place it at the beginning to see if it will complete the ones it knows. If it does, give it the treat and then return your hamster to its cage and try the whole course again later.
Sometimes a hamster will just remember how to do the course and run it fast without needing any guidance from your fingers because it remembers there’s a treat at the end. If it does, let your hamster do this several times before changing the order of the obstacle course around.
