How do I get my russian dwarwish hamster to stop biting me?

Question

i read somewhere that i had to talk to him while i picked him up, but it didnt help, i've had him for 3 days now and he's bitten me atleast 10 times, and made me bleed 3 or 4 times. :( how do i make him stop.

Answer 1

Hamsters bite when they are scared. He isn't used to you yet but when he is he will stop. Wear gloves so if he does bite it won't hurt. Another thing that may work is hand feeding him. He will then learn to trust you more. When you have him out try not to pet him near his face.

I hope i helped.

Answer 2

I don't know, but I'd be interested in reading your answers, too. I have had 3 of them for about 6 wks and 1 keeps biting and nipping a lot. She's aggressive towards the other ones, too.

She did end up having babies this morning, but I'm not believing everyone using the fact that she was pregnant as an excuse. She was a witch LOOOONG before she even got pregnant to begin with! LOL! Maybe she just was restless and wanted to be bred? Who knows!

Answer 3

Your hamster is very new in your house. He is still new to his surroundings and scared. This behavior is very normal in hamsters who are new to their surroundings and hence get very jittery.

Taming can be a long process, don't expect your hamster to suddenly like be handled over night. It can take weeks or even months depending on the hamster. Here the the steps to handling a hamster -

STEP 1 - When you first get your hamster leave it alone for the first 2 - 3 days to let it get used to it's new cage and surroundings. If you pick him up on the first day itself, he will definitely bite you since you are a stranger to him.

STEP 2 - Once the hammy seems comfortable in his new cage, start talking to him softly and hang around his cage enough for him to get used to your voice and smell. After this time feed your hamster some treats from your hand so he get used to seeing your hand. This might take a few days to happen but be patient. If you feel that the hamster still bites you, you can use gloves initially.

PRECAUTION - always interact with the hamster only when he is active. If you touch him or disturb him when he is sleeping, he can get angry and bite viciously.

STEP 3 - Once your hamster seems confident with taking treats out of your hand you can try to start handling your hamster. Before you handle your hamster make sure you have washed your hands well. Hamsters have a strong sense of smell. If they smell something on your hand they may mistake it for food and decide to bite!

Get a cup or something similar and place it into the hamster's cage. He should come to investigate and crawl inside. Take the hamster and cup out of the cage and let him walk out onto your hand. While you do this make sure you're sat down or sat close to the floor incase your hamster decides to jump. Let him walk from hand to hand. Be careful you don't grab or wrap your hands around your hamster until he is fully tame as this may scare him and he will jump out of your hand.

STEP 4 - Once your hamster is more confident with you, you can start to pick up your hamster straight from it's cage. Just make sure your hamster is aware that you are there, if not you may suddenly scare the hamster and it may turn around and bite you.

Best way to hold hamsters is to make them climb into one hand and cupping the other hand softly over the body so that his head pokes out from the gap between your two hands. Remember, do not apply any pressure on his body, he will get scared and snap at you.

I am sure your hammy will get used to you in a few weeks and would be more than happy to let you handle him. All the best!

Answer 4

3 days is a very short time :)  usually it takes months, but it is worth the patience since after 4 months it will be very tame and will come at you when you call her name.  In order to have your hamster to trust you, you should occasionly give hime treats and avoid handling him until he will gain trust in you and will come on your hands on his own. This usually takes days or even months! Patience is an important factor. Also, to avoid any bites from your hamster, make sure that you wash your hands well after handling any food or else the hamster could bite you, (as the hamster would think that your hand is food!).

You can always drop me a line anytime on [e-mail]

Kind Regards

Nadia Vella

http://www.hamster-club.com

Answer 5

Little guys do need time.  They are terrified!  I have found that you can train them not to bite you.  I had gerbils who nipped (moreso because they wanted to taste me).  Each time I held them and they nipped me, I would gently blow air on their faces - they hate that.  Soon your little guy will associate biting you with that wretched air in his face.  Also, give him a treat when you handle him so he associates you with treats.  Good luck and be patient!

Answer 6

Give him time and let him seattle down!!!

Answer 7

I have a hamster that used to bite me alot! what i did to make her stop biting was... i put on leather gloves, and got her used to me picking her up and then when i took the gloves off she was used to it.