Things You'll Need
- Treats
- Clicker
Instructions
Handle your hamster regularly so that he is comfortable with you and trusts you. If you do not already have a good bond with your hamster, it will be harder to train him.
Choose a trick you want to teach your hamster. Some good choices would be "up," where your hamster stands on his hind legs; "come," where he comes to you from a short distance; and "spin," where your hamster spins in a circle.
Encourage your pet to perform the action you have chosen using a treat, and give a verbal command. For instance, if you want to teach the "up" trick, hold the treat above your hamster's head and say "up." Your hamster should go up on his back legs to try to reach the treat.
Give your hamster the treat and simultaneously click the clicker when your hamster has performed the trick. The sound of the clicker "marks" the trick as what got the hamster his reward.
Repeat Steps 3 and 4 often so that your hamster will learn to associate the verbal command for the trick with the trick itself. Once you have done this, you will not need to encourage your pet using the treat. You should just be able to say the command and have your hamster do the trick you have taught him.