Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Teach simple commands
• Method 2 of 2: Create an obstacle course
• Warnings

Training a hamster and learning tricks can be a lot of fun. Once you have a good relationship with your hamster, you can easily teach him to follow a few commands, such as how to stand, jump and turn around. Hamsters also have a natural love for running, so running an obstacle course is a perfect trick to teach your hamster.

To step

Method 1 of 2: Teach simple commands

1. Lift your hamster to bond with him. The first step to learning tricks is to develop a good relationship with your hamster. Spend a lot of time with your hamster when you get it so that it gets used to your smell and voice. Lift your hamster out of its cage and let it climb over your arms while talking softly to it.
   • Stroke your hamster gently, with 1 or 2 fingers, on its back while talking to it.
   • If your hamster bites or doesn't seem to like being handled, let him sit in his cage while you spend time with him. Feed him treats through the bars of the cage while you talk to him. After you have done this for a few days, you can try to pick up the hamster again. It may take a while for your hamster to get used to you.
2. Buy treats that your hamster likes. Most hamsters are highly motivated by food. Sunflower seeds are often one of the favorites, but they can make your hamster fat, so don't use them much. Experiment with different rewards to find out your hamster's favorites, do this by offering the treats while you talk to him.
   • If your hamster really likes a treat, he will quickly eat it and seek more of it. If he doesn't like something, he probably won't eat it all the way.
   • Some hamsters prefer grains as a reward, such as Cheerios, others like small pieces of vegetables, such as a piece of raw carrot. Try these treats as a tasty treat for your hamster.
3. Hold a treat over your hamster's head to teach him to stand up. “Stand” is one of the easiest commands to start with. Hold the treat over your hamster's head so that it is out of reach, and say “stand” while doing this. Your hamster will likely get up on its hind legs to try and reach for the treat.
   • While you are teaching the hamster this trick, it is good to take it slowly to give it time to properly learn each step. Start by encouraging your hamster to slightly stand on its hind legs. When he's gotten used to standing like this, you can add the command. Give your hamster a reward every time for performing the trick!
4. Give the reward as soon as your hamster is standing. Also give him a verbal reward by saying "good!" to say. If the hamster doesn't get up on its hind legs, don't give it a treat until it does.
   • If your hamster does not stand at all and you have been waiting for a while and are giving the command “stand”, he may not be hungry at that point. Put the reward away and try again later.
   • If you've already tried it several times during the day and your hamster is still not responding, try a different treat to motivate it.
5. Work on 1 command at a time and repeat the training 2-3 times a day for 1-2 weeks. It usually takes a week or two of continuous training to master most tricks. Continue the “standing” workout 2-3 times a day until your hamster seems to have mastered it.
   • Test how well your hamster knows the tricks by holding your fingers over his head with no reward. Say “stand”. If your hamster responds, he really knows the trick. Then give him a reward after all.
6. Hold the treat slightly higher and move it up to teach the hamster to jump. Once your hamster has mastered "stand", you can move on to learning how to jump. For this trick, hold the reward slightly higher until your hamster stands up, then move the reward up and forward in a quick motion saying “jump”.
   • If your hamster jumps right after the treat to get it, give it to him right away and say "good!"
   • If your hamster is not jumping, go back to "stand" by lowering the treat and saying "stand". Then try “jump” again. If your hamster doesn't jump the second time either, put the treat away and try again later.
7. Use a hoop to teach him to jump through a hoop. Some hamsters learn this trick faster than normal jumping because there is an object they can see and have to jump through. Make a hoop from a thin plastic circle, a metal or plastic bracelet, or a spiral bracelet. Hold the hoop in front of the hamster and hold the reward on the opposite side and slightly higher.
   • Say "through the hoop" or just "jump" while holding the reward and the hoop. When your hamster goes through the hoop, you say "good!" and immediately give him the treat.
   • Make sure you don't hold the hoop too high in the beginning. Keep it low and in front of your hamster. If that seems easy, you can hold it a little higher.
   • Use a hoop that is wide enough for the hamster to pass through easily.
   • If your hamster doesn't jump through the hoop at first, go back to the "stand" trick and give him the reward for standing. Then try the hoop again. If he doesn't jump, put the treat away and try again later.
8. Hold a treat above your hamster's head and make large circles to teach the hamster to turn in circles. A somewhat more advanced trick than “stand” is the “spin circles” trick. Hold the treat over your hamster's head. He will probably stand first, but then move the reward in circles to teach your hamster to run for a round. Say “spin circles” while doing this.
   • When your hamster goes for a spin, give him the reward right away and say "good!"
   • If your hamster is not walking around, pull the treat away for a moment and do the “stand” trick, then give it the treat. Then try again to spin it in circles. If your hamster still doesn't do anything, put the treat away and try again later.

Method 2 of 2: Create an obstacle course

1. Make obstacles with blocks or pots. Create some obstacles to jump over with LEGO or wooden building blocks. You can also use round food containers, such as applesauce or pasta sauce jars, that your hamster will have to scramble over. Start building obstacles on the floor, where you will build the obstacle course.
   • Make sure the obstacles are not too high or your hamster will want to go around them instead of over them. If he has trouble climbing the obstacles, try to lower them a bit. If you are using jars, you can use smaller jars, such as an olive jar, to start with.
2. Make tunnels from toilet rolls or other cylinders. Hamster love to run through tunnels. You can use toilet rolls, paper towels, ready-made hamster tunnels, or a plastic stair runner to make tunnels. Place the tunnels between the obstacles you have already created.
   • Most hamsters can retract their body to pass through a tunnel that seems too narrow for them at first. They like to do this. Tunnels that are the width of toilet rolls are perfect to start with.
3. Make a seesaw with a plank and a wooden triangle. Your hamster will also enjoy running back and forth on a seesaw. Use a thin, wooden board about 15-20 cm long and enough width for your hamster's body. Place the board on a triangular wooden block so that the side facing down is facing the side your hamster is coming from.
   • Use a triangular block about the same width as, or wider than, the plank for best results. A block that is too thin can cause the seesaw to tip over.
4. Place the obstacles in a certain order and stick to it. Once you collect all the obstacles, put them in an order that you think your hamster will like. Follow that sequence for a while until the hamster has gotten used to the obstacle course and can complete it on its own.
5. Build walls around the track to keep your hamster going through it in the correct order. Use cardboard or building blocks to place walls about 15 cm high around the obstacles. Place them close enough to the obstacles so that your hamster cannot run around them.
   • Large building blocks should make a fairly solid wall. Try large LEGO blocks for best results. If you are using cardboard, you may need to fold the cardboard a bit to make it stand upright, you can also glue supports (other pieces of cardboard) to it
6. Hold a treat for your hamster in front of his nose as he travels through the obstacles. Once all the obstacles and walls are in place, take the hamster to the start and place it there. Take out the reward and move it with the hamster until it clears the first obstacle. Continue to urge your hamster throughout the obstacle course until it reaches the finish line.
   • Each time your hamster gets to a tunnel, you can hold the treat on the other side of the tunnel so that your hamster has to run through it to get the treat.
   • If your hamster gets confused and refuses to go over an obstacle, keep moving the treat back and forth in the direction of the obstacle until it clears the obstacle.
   • If your hamster gives up before clearing all the obstacles, place it at the start to see if it is willing to do the obstacles it already knows. If he does, give him the reward and put him back in his cage, try again later to complete the track.
7. Place the treat at the end of the track once your hamster has learned how to navigate the track. Once your hamster can walk the entire track on its own while the treat follows, try to place the treat at the finish. Then stop holding treats and only use your fingers to guide your hamster over the obstacles if he needs to.
   • Sometimes a hamster will remember exactly how to run the track and will quickly do so without any help from your fingers, because it will also remember that there is a treat at the end. If so, have the hamster do this a few times before changing the lane order.

Warnings

• Teach a hamster that doesn't want to be held and doesn't bite you regularly. You need to develop a good relationship with your hamster before you start teaching him tricks.