Before I got Mimo I was told he liked to bite- initially I thought this would mean he was aggressive but now I'm not so sure-
I got my boy about 2 weeks ago and he has made amazing progress. I have mostly left him alone but let him sniff my hands and he takes treats right out of them. Every day I've been giving him a piece of tissue with my smell on it and he's been using them in his nest. Last week I decided to put the treats in my palm to see if he would still take them- he did! Mimo didn't hesitate and walked right up and sat in my hand eating away. The past few days when I have gone in to feed him or replace his water or spot clean he has come out to see what the fuss is about. Every time he crawls around me sniffing and makes his way onto my hands and arms. Mimo has even crawled into my hand as if it were a hide while cleaning on 4 different occassions.
The foster/rescue was right though, he definitely does like to bite. He never puts his ears back or screeches but he always always ALWAYS bites. He's drawn blood several times and my hand has quite a few marks on it. Now I don't mind this at all, I'm very used to getting cuts and things and I would probably bite too if I were that size! When he bites I just softly say "no thank you Mr Mimo" and slowly pull away or roll my finger/hand out of his mouth. If he bites more than he sniffs or explores then I typically just close the cage back up and continue talking to him until he goes back to whatever hes doing.
I don't think he's biting because he's afraid and I always make sure my hands are washed to get rid of any food or animal smell. He seems to be really friendly and will choose to sit on my hand or arm on his own accord, sometimes bathing himself for a few minutes. If he were showing other signs of stress or aggression I would give him more time or accept that I may just have a hamster I won't be able to handle-- but he really does seem to enjoy our time together. Again I really don't mind if he bites me, I can definitely take it- I'm just wondering if theres a better way to go about it. I don't expect him to ever stop biting but if anyone has any suggestions on how to maybe encourage that he do so less often or at least not as hard that would be great.
Video of him about a week ago when he first ate out of my palm