INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Handling your hamster is a great way to bond with your hamster, but he will need some time to adjust to his new home. Give him about 12 to 24 hours to explore his cage and become comfortable with his surroundings. During this time, you can gently talk to him or interact with him, but do not put your hand in his cage. Your hamster will need a large cage so that he has plenty of space to run and play. The minimum size cage is 59 cm x 36 cm X 25 cm (approximately 23 in x 14 in x 10 in). Ideally, his cage should also have some tubing and ladders. Hamsters do not see very well and typically use their nose to pick up on cues from their environment. For example, if you have just eaten something and then go to handle your hamster, he will smell the food on your hands and may try to bite you. If you have more than one hamster, one hamster could pick up on the scent of the one that you just handled, which could be perceived as being attacked by the other hamster.  Use unscented soap to wash your hands If you are handling multiple hamsters, wash your hands before and after handling each hamster. Before your hamster will be comfortable with you handling him, he will first need to get used to your hand. Place your hand in his cage and leave it there for him to sniff and explore. If he tries to bite or nibble your hand, pull your hand away slowly and gently blow on his face to discourage that behavior.  Hamsters are prey animals, so putting your hand in his cage could resemble a bird reaching down to swoop him up. The more comfortable he becomes with your hand, the less afraid he will be of you picking him up. It may take anywhere from a few hours to a few days before he is used to your hand. Feeding him treats can also help him get used to your hand being in his cage. When your hamster no longer sees your hand as a threat, you can start picking him up. Slowly reach into the cage and let him see and sniff your hand first. Then, place one hand under his chest and one hand on his bottom and gently lift him up towards you. Talk to him in a gentle voice and make sure not to squeeze him too tightly.  Sitting on the ground or standing over a tabletop are the best places to hold him. Your hamster may want to jump, which could cause injury, so you want to make sure that you are as close to a solid surface as possible. After you pick him up, you can also try lying back on the floor and allowing him to walk around on your chest.  If you are having trouble picking him up in your hands, you could also lift him outside of his cage by gently nudging him into a cup or small bowl. Keep in mind that hamsters generally do not enjoy being handled for long periods of time. Begin by holding him for a few seconds and gradually increase the amount of time that you hold him. If he gets squirmy, place him back in his cage as gently and slowly as you picked him up. Because they are prey animals, hamsters are wary of sudden changes in their environment. Slowly reaching in and picking up your hamster will help reduce his fear that he is being scooped up by a predator. Hamsters generally do not respond to punishment because they cannot make a clear association between the behavior and the consequences. Rather than yelling or hitting your hamster, you can gently blow on his face and say “no” in a firm voice. The air on his face will probably cause him to rear back and squint. That should be enough to discourage him from biting you again.

SUMMARY: Let your hamster adjust to his new environment. Wash your hands. Place your hand inside the cage. Pick him up. Do not punish your hamster if he bites.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Make sure that the disk is inserted before you go looking for it on your computer. Ensure that the disk is inserted rightside-up.  Make sure that the disk lock is not engaged before inserting the disk. When formatting a disk, all the information contained on it will be erased, so make sure you've backed up anything you need to save. The label for this window will be different depending on the version of Windows you are running. In Windows XP, it is called My Computer and can be accessed from the Start menu. In Windows Vista and 7, it is called Computer and can be accessed from the Start menu. In Windows 8 it is called This PC and can be accessed from the taskbar. All Windows users can open this window by pressing ⊞ Win+E. You should see the disk in your list of drives. It should have a floppy disk icon, though not all Windows versions show the same thing. Floppy drives are usually B: or A:. This will open the Format window. You can use this window to choose your format settings before beginning.  Capacity - This should be set to 3.5", 1.44 MB. Most users can leave this as is. File system - This should be set to FAT. Most users can leave this as is, unless you are formatting the disk for use with a specific file system. FAT is supported on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Allocation unit size - This should be set to Default allocation size. Most users can leave this at default. Volume label - Choose a name for the disk that will appear when it is inserted. Try to keep it to 16 characters or less. Format options. You can select "Quick Format" to format the disk quicker, but the data will not be securely deleted. The speed gains for quick formatting a floppy disk are negligible, so you're probably best leaving this unchecked. You can also choose to create an MS-DOS startup disk, which is useful if you're troubleshooting an older machine, but you won't be able to use the disk for storage. Once you've selected your options, click Start to begin the format process. Click OK to confirm. You monitor the progress by looking at the bar at the bottom of the window.

SUMMARY:
Insert the floppy disk. Open up your Computer/My Computer/This PC window. Right-click on the disk. Select "Format" and choose your settings. Start the format.