Young hamster bites me for no reason?

Question

Hi, I just got two hamsters yesterday, they are in different cages, just so you know. I tried petting my hamster, he is rather small, kind of young. I normally can pick him up without a problem, besides him trying to run away, but today, he actually nipped me. I had my hand flat on the floor of the cage, he walked up to it and starting sniffing it for 2 seconds, then bit my finger. Was there a reason he bit me?

P.S. This hamster is really small. His bite didn't puncture, but it did pinch. I am really scared to pick him up again!

Answer 1

He has more than one reason for biting.  Hamsters have terrible eyesight and a, very, sensitive nose.  Washing your hands before and after you handle any pet is the wise thing to do and, when you want to pick up your hamster, it's important to speak softly to him and move slowly.  He will become accustomed to your voice and associate it with being petted.  Be sure to stroke his back with your fingertips from top of head to base of spine as, because they are so small, being petted with the weight, and size, of a human hand is scary as I'm sure your hand is much larger than your hamster!  With all animals, The Rule is the same - soft talking and moving, slowly.

Answer 2

Hi! First of try not to be too fearful. I know it can be scary getting bit for the first time, but usually it's because they are more scared of you than you are of him.  I have found that my hamster are very sensitive to smell (since they don't see well they rely of their sense of smell).

You figure the little guy is getting to know you, just like you're trying to get to know him - so think of it as a bonding opportunity.  What you don't want to do withdraw from holding and playing, because this is an important bonding time.

Here is some information on handling your hamsters with various strategies:

http://www.thehamstersite.com/handling.h...

I would just approach the little guy cautiously and slowly with your hand and remember to avoid quick movements and be sure to wash your hands with a gentle soap before handling the little guy.

Wishing you the best of luck with your new little friend. =)

Answer 3

Probably it is the smell of your hands. They are sensitive. Try to wash your hands.

Answer 4

Don't be scared to pick him up, bites don't hurt that much believe me I've had quite a few. The most painful was due to me smelling like chicken, which my hamster happened to love and he bit so hard without warning, I cried out of shock, I was 10 at the time. If a 10 year old girl can take a hamster bite I'm sure you can lol. He bit me on my thumb and took a chunk out (it grew back and didn't scar). A hamster will never seriously bite you unless he thinks you are food or unless he feels really, really threatened. When a hamster bites its usually out of curiousity or fear, or because it thinks your food.

My tip is don;t handle after you've eaten, because hamsters will eat anything, they will usually sniff your hand and they will have this look on their face and you can just tell that they are gonna bite you a split second before they do it, if you know your hamster well enough you will be able to move in time.

Curiousity nips don't usually hurt much or break the skin, you just like oww, and get kinda mad at your hamster for a couple of seconds.

I'm guessing you either smelt of food, or your hamster was just curious, see when you picked him up did you let him have a good sniff of you? If you didn't he still isn't really sure of who/what you are yet, he was just testing to see what would happen.

You will be able to tell if yoru hamster is scared or nervous, his eyes will be wide, he might freeze, he might be really cautious when walking, or too scared to walk. Seeing as your hamster walked straight up to hand he isn't scared of you, just unsure.

A hamster bite cannot puncture the skin on the palm of your hand, the skin is too thick and tough, all my hamster bites have been on my fingers. Also don't approach him from above, in the wild a hamster main predator is birds, and if you think about it a human hand looks a lot like a birds talon, and don't pick him up when his back is too you and  he can't see your hand coming as then he may bite out of shock. Never wake him up whilst he's asleep to pick him up, if you do you will have a pretty grouchy hamster.

If your really worried about bites you can wear gloves to handle him, he won't be able to bite through those. Once your hamster is used to you he should stop biting, when your handling him, try feeding him some sort of treat or food he loves to encourage him to enjoy being held and to associate it with something good.

Good luck with your hamster :) And don't be scared of being bitten, being bitten is just part of owning a hamster. Its really not that bad lol  

Answer 5

They will always bite, but the best thing to do for now while they get used to you is to use a toilet paper roll to pick them up out of the cage.  Once they get used to you, and know you aren't going to eat them they will start to bite a loooot less.

Answer 6

Maybe he was scared. I mean it is like Godzilla put his hand in your room. It would be scary.

Answer 7

Get used to it. Rodents bite by nature. I have two gerbils, and they both bite. All of my niece's hamsters bit. It is just something you have to get used to. Of course, everyone has a different tolerance level. All of my pets bite--cats, birds, rodents--so I am used to it.