How to Train a Dwarf Hamster to Recognize Its Name

Last Updated: March 29, 2019 References Approved

Dwarf hamsters make great pets because they’re friendly, easy to tame, and simple to care for. They love to play, exercise and explore once they’ve gotten used to you, as well as their new home. Your dwarf hamster is even smart enough to recognize and respond to its own name – once you’ve trained it to do so.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Building Trust

1
Give your hamster a few days to adjust to its new environment. Your dwarf hamster is likely to be shy once it’s left the pet store, so don’t be surprised if it spends the first few days hiding when you are around. Perform your daily activities normally, even when you’re near its cage, until your hamster begins to come out on its own. You should try to tame it only when it does not try to hide in its cage when you’re in the room.^{[1]
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- Make the trip from the store to your home smooth to lessen your hamster's anxiety. Take the route home with the fewest potholes, and if you anticipate the ride may be bumpy, cushion the cage with towels or pillows to minimize the impact your hamster may feel.
- Place your hamster cage in a relatively quiet part of your home. Putting the cage near the washing machine is not going to help the adjustment process go quickly or smoothly.
2
Set your hamster cage up properly. Doing so will help it adjust well to its new home. Buy plant-based materials that your hamster can use to build its nest, as well as wooden toys that it can play with and gnaw on. Don’t forget to set up a water dispenser and provide your hamster with pellet-based food at regular intervals.^{[2]
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- Make sure your hamster cage is big enough so that it can run around and get enough exercise. Buy a cage at least 24 in (61 cm) long by 12 in (30 cm) wide. Increase the size by 50 percent for each additional hamster you’ll put in the cage.
- Also, make sure to buy a plastic hamster wheel. The wheel will help your hamster work off extra energy it has, and its plastic composition will help your hamster avoid injury if it falls.^{[3]
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3
Familiarize your hamster with the sound of your voice. While you should not try to handle your hamster during its first few days in your home, spend a few minutes each day at the cage talking to your hamster in a slow and steady voice. This way, it'll get used to you, and be more comfortable around you when you are ready to pick it up!^{[4]
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- You can say your hamster’s name while speaking to it, though you'll focus on teaching it its name later on.
- Have the other people living in your household also talk to your hamster occasionally so that it can get used to the sounds of their voices as well.
4
Wait until your hamster is relaxed before starting to train it. A hamster that is playing, grooming itself, or ambling about is a calm hamster – and one ready to be trained. If, on the other hand, your hamster is showing its teeth or growling, these are signs that it’s nervous, anxious, or frightened. This is not a good time to handle it.^{[5]
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- Never wake your hamster up to handle it, especially shortly after you have brought it from the pet store. Not only will this distress your hamster, but it will also make your pet less likely to trust you.^{[6]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Teaching Your Hamster Its Name

1
Wash your hands thoroughly using unscented soap. Make sure that your hands are free of any scents that may disturb or irritate your hamster or it may become very anxious and prone to bite. Washing your hands will also help clear your hands and nails of any small objects your hamster may accidentally ingest.^{[7]
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- If your hands are bandaged, wear gloves before handling your hamster. This will prevent the hamster from nibbling on the bandage or being irritated by its texture.
2
Prepare a treat to reinforce the lesson. You’ll want to cut up a bit of a vegetable or a non-citrus fruit to use. You can also use a bit of bread or hard-boiled egg as a treat. Either way, make sure you cut the fruit or vegetable into a few pieces roughly the size of your hamster pellets.^{[8]
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- If possible, opt for vegetables and bread more often than fruit, since fruit contains a lot of sugar.^{[9]
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3
Release your hamster into an enclosed space with you. The space might be an empty bathtub or a corner of a room sectioned off with hamster fencing. You’ll want to have at least a few feet between you and your hamster. Then sit down in the space opposite your hamster.^{[10]
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- When placing your hamster on the floor, make sure there are no gaps in the fencing you use to keep it penned in. Dwarf hamsters are extremely fast and agile, and they can get loose if you’re not careful.
4
Hold out your hand with a treat in it, then call your hamster’s name. Say its name slowly and clearly. If your hamster does not immediately come over, call its name again and reposition your hand so that the treat is more visible. Then, as your hamster approaches, repeat its name using the same inflection.^{[11]
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- Make sure you give your hamster the treat to help reinforce the positive association between its name and the treat.
- Do not say anything other than your hamster’s name, or else you might confuse it.
- If your hamster scurries away from your hand as soon as you hold it out, don’t worry about it. Try again the next day.
5
Repeat once or twice a day for a week. Continue saying your hamster's name and offering it a treat until your hamster is crawling into your hand without hesitation. Since you are trying to associate its name with the treat, make sure you call its name first before letting it take the treat.^{[12]
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- Don't do this more than a few times a day, since you might accidentally overfeed your hamster. Remember, these things take time!
- Consider keeping toys around when you’re training your hamster to recognize your name. You want to make its association with its name as positive as possible. Let it take a playtime break after you call its name the first couple of times.
- Building an association in your hamster’s mind between you, its name, and food may take a couple of days or a couple of weeks. Be patient and keep at it for as long as it takes. Make sure not to undermine your own efforts by offering your hamster treats during other parts of the day.^{[13]
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6
Hold an empty hand out and call your hamster's name after a week. Your hamster may crawl into your hand immediately, but if not, try calling its name two or three more times. If your hamster still does not come, gather it up, place it in its cage, and try again the next day with a treat in hand. Repeat this process with a treat for another day or two, then try again without one. When your hamster crawls into your hand without the treat, you’ll know it knows its name.^{[14]
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- Vary the training. Your hamster may slow to respond simply because it’s bored. Try varying the types of treats you offer or training your hamster in different parts of your home. Sometimes trying to teach it something entirely different may do the trick!^{[15]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Reinforcing the Lesson

1
Call your hamster’s name frequently. Say your hamster’s name when you enter the room where you keep its hamster cage. Call its name when you are replenishing its food tray, or when you need to clean its cage. Use every opportunity you have to say its name to strengthen its association with its name.^{[16]
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- Avoid calling your hamster by any other name. You don’t want to confuse your hamster by calling it by more than one name during the training period. While you may be tempted to call it by a shortened version of its name, don’t do it.
- Have other people in your household reinforce your training by calling your hamster’s name. While they won’t need to go through the steps above to help you teach your hamster its name, they will need to do so if they want your hamster to come to them when they call.
2
Click a clicker and reward your hamster for recognizing its name. Any time your hamster responds to its name, click a clicker and give it a treat as a reward. Repeat this each time your hamster responds to its name. This will help your hamster to associate recognizing its name with getting a reward.^{[17]
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- Once your hamster is used to the clicker, you can also use it to teach your hamster other types of behaviors.
- You can purchase a training clicker in a pet supply store or online.
3
Use your hamster’s name to train it to do tricks. Once you’ve gotten your hamster to respond to its name, you can train it to perform certain tasks on command. Try training it to complete a simple task first, using its name paired with a command.^{[18]
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- For example, after washing your hands with unscented soap and preparing a treat, place a small wooden block in its cage and a treat on top of the block.
- Call your hamster’s name and say “Climb.” This may prompt it to climb atop the block to get the treat. Repeat for several days, then place the block inside the cage without the treat.
- When your hamster climbs atop the bare block, then it’s associated its name and the word climb with that task. Teaching it tricks by paring its name with commands strengthens your hamster’s association with its own name.
4
Train your hamster to perform more complicated tricks over time. Teach your hamster to run, stand on its hind legs, or even jump through hoops by paring its name with a command and training it with the promise of a treat. Not only will your hamster identify its own name to a greater extent, it will appreciate the stimulation – and the treat, of course!^{[19]
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- For example, you could teach your hamster to come to you when you call it. Try enticing the hamster with a treat and saying “come” at the same time. Then, click a clicker and offer the treat when the hamster comes over to you. Repeat this often so that your hamster will start to associate the word “come” with being rewarded.