Generally, a hamster does not bite you at all as they are very loving pets and are calm and sweet. But there may be certain possibilities where a hamster can bite you. A hamster may bite you if they are scared of something or maybe annoyed. Hamsters are very affectionate pets but when they get annoyed by something or are scared of something they get angry and may bite you if you go closer to them.
It is rare that they get annoyed or may bite you whether they have very small teeth but apart from that their bite can hurt you. But the best thing about hamsters is that you can train them to stop biting and accept the handling of their owners.
Reasons behind the biting of hamsters
Some hamsters are handled when they are very small so they become habitual of behind handled by others and do not get angry when someone touches them. So they don’t get scared easily and know how to tackle their anger. This one is a slow process that hamsters become habitual to human touch and are handled according to owners.
The various reasons why hamsters bite you may be probably because they get scared of you or something else and being annoyed or handled by humans most of the time, being in a small cage for a longer period or maybe they want to eat their favorite food. Here we will discuss the various possible reasons.
1. Maybe the hamster is hungry:
One of the possible reasons may be the pet is hungry and trying to covey you that he is feeling hungry. A hamster may feel hungry after a few hours of eating. When you lift your hamster they may get the smell of food and want to eat food so they may bite your fingers.
2. Hamster gets scared or irritated:
Another possible reason may be fear or irritation. These may be the reasons that hamsters become aggressive and when you try to play with them, you may get a bite from the pet. This happens generally during the initial days when you bring the hamster to your home and they are not comfortable with your surroundings.
3. Maybe the hamster doesn’t like attention:
Every pet has different behaviors and personalities and some of them do not like extra attention even if they are trained. In such cases, hamsters may bite you when you are going to touch them or grab them in your hands.
4. Maybe you are not gentle or have an unfamiliar scent:
Biting is used in defense by hamsters if they don’t feel good like may be threatened or uncomfortable so they show their reaction by biting. If you handle the hamster aggressively they may feel like being attacked or try to protect them. One more thing is they feel an unfamiliar scent and if the person tries to touch them they bite to save themselves from an unknown person.
So the main thing is don’t get angry with your pet or lose hope as it may take some time to build trust and a relationship between you and your pet. They will not get scared of you at all and become very comfortable with you and don’t even bite you.
Steps to prevent hamsters from biting
Here are a few steps on which you have to focus so that your pet hamster stops biting anyone.
1. Give some time:
Firstly you have to give your little hamster some time so that they can get used to your home and your surroundings. You need to spend more time with your hamster by sitting near their cage and talking to them. In this way, they become familiar with your surroundings and will recognize you. They will also feel your scent and recognize even your voice.
2. Get used to your touch:
While you spend your time with the little hamster in the initial days by talking to them you should also put your hand inside the cage, in the surrounding oh hamster, and gradually touch them and move your hand on the back of the hamster slowly and love them. In this way, they also try to feel your touch and come closer to you even more, and then after sometimes you can start to hold them in your hands.
3. Give treats to your hamster:
You should also offer them treats that they love to eat and play with. Giving them their favorite food will make them happy and cheerful. This way, they come closer to you and can play with you without hesitation. You can also put the food out from their cage so they will come outside to eat their favorite food and also will try to move around you.
4. Try to pick your hamster:
When your hamster is becoming familiar to you and starts to come closer to you then you can try to lift them with your hands slowly so they will not get scared of any human touch. This will strengthen your bond with your pet and they become comfortable with you.
Measures were taken for hamster’s bite
If a hamster bites you and it is hurting much more then you have to be very careful about this. Though hamsters have small teeth still their bite is very painful and there are a few things you need to do if a hamster bites you.
- Don’t throw hamsters if they bite you but just gently put them down so they do not bite more.
- Don’t scare your hamster by shouting.
- More important thing is to clean the wound properly and apply some anti-bacterial medicine and let it dry after that cover the wound with a bandage.
- Check your wound after one day if it is swollen otherwise let it free by removing the bandage.
Final thoughts
From this article, we can conclude that a hamster easily does not bite you but there may be some possibilities that they can bite you so you have to be careful about that. Though a hamster’s bite is not dangerous but still can hurt you.
The various reasons when they may bite you may be their new surrounding, fear, or handling. So if you have a small hamster then you have to give them some time and follow the necessary steps to build trust and a healthy relationship with them.
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