so, he bit someone

[Ziggy]

I got my first ever syrian hamster, Hamilton, about 3 weeks ago.
I've had rats for 10 years, and work in rat rescue, often with abused or temperamental rats, but he was my first hamster. He came from the pets@home adoption center where he'd been brought in by a family with kids as he was 'very aggressive'.
He's about 4 months old.

Since I've had him, he has never bitten me. He has, on one occasion, nipped me but it was light, didn't break the skin and was absolutely nothing to worry about. Thats the closest hes ever come to showing aggression to me. Im always very careful with how I handle him, I don't take liberties or try flipping him over or putting my fingers near his face.
He's never been nervous, as he always comes straight to the bars when he hears my voice, and he's never peed or pooed on me through fear. Hes quite confident.
I thought his taming was coming along great, but today I let my brother hold him (my brother is almost 30, so not a kid)

Hamilton was fine for a moment in his arms, then just randomly bit him when he lifted him up. He drew blood, and it was a serious bite.

Now Im not sure where I stand with him anymore.
Do I now need to re-think my opinion on his temperament? I have a close friend who once owned a syrian when she was a kid, and she tells me it would bite everyone except her. Is this a common hamster thing, that they'd be ok with one person but bite everyone else? Im not sure whether Im due the same treatment as my brother any day soon!

It was during the day time, BUT he was awake already when I went to see him so it isn't as if I woke him up.

I don't 100% trust him, and never have, but as I'd seen no signs of serious aggression, I assumed he was coming along ok. As he's my first, Im not exactly sure how hamsters work in comparison to rats.
I have rats I 100% trust, can kiss on the mouth, do whatever I want to with and I know they'd never ever bite. Is this just something you have to always be prepared for with hamsters or can they ever be 100% trustworthy?


Any advice would be fantastic!

[Andy]

It sounds as if your Syrian had just gotten used to you, so when he was handled by someone else he heard a different voice and he smelt a different smell to what he was a custom to, and since you have been taming him to you quite well he wondered what the different smell was. But that doesn't explain why he didn't bite you :?

Or perhaps you brother had just eaten something and therefore had a smell on his finger? :D

Either way if you brother does want to handle Hamilton again maybe it's worth a couple of nips so he can get used to him :D Or maybe just let your brother give him a treat :P

[Ziggy]

It sounds as if your Syrian had just gotten used to you, so when he was handled by someone else he heard a different voice and he smelt a different smell to what he was a custom to, and since you have been taming him to you quite well he wondered what the different smell was. But that doesn't explain why he didn't bite you :?

Or perhaps you brother had just eaten something and therefore had a smell on his finger? :D

Either way if you brother does want to handle Hamilton again maybe it's worth a couple of nips so he can get used to him :D Or maybe just let your brother give him a treat :P

My brother had only just arrived so I don't think he smelt of food, but when he handed Hamilton back to me following the biting, he still didn't attempt to bite me either. Im wondering if it might just have been that it was day time, and he wasn't in the mood for being out. Although he was awake when I went to see him, he could have just been out for a pee or something and not expecting to be taken out for playtime!
I've had Hamilton out at nights for free-range time before, and he's approached my brother, been stroked by him and never been an issue. But that was the first time he'd ever been handled properly by him.

I think its most likely that your brother smelt different and Hamilton is used to you. That would have made Hamilton nervous. Its not uncommon for hamsters to bite new people but be adorable little fluffy balls with their regular owners. Its nothing to worry about. But, if don't want it to happen again, you need to introduce Hamilton to being handled by other people as well as you.

Most of hams are little cherubs with me who sit on my shoulders or head, and I can kiss them or whatever I want to so to them, but a few of those little sweeties will merrily take a few chunks out of people they're not used to!

[NaomiR]

I think its most likely that your brother smelt different and Hamilton is used to you. That would have made Hamilton nervous.

I would have to agree 100%, there's no way I could pass round any of my rescued hamsters they just do not "take" to strangers and I don't blame them.

I do have hamsters I can 100% trust but I've had them since they were small - the rescues (I find) are a different story, they're VERY special bless them - and you should feel honoured not shocked, he obviously ONLY trusts you :wink:

And you "saved" him so that's just lovely :D

[babyboos]

My current most soft hamster bit my son tonight whom touches him all the time
We can think of no apparent reason and the wee man was so upset with blood gushing everywhere and pointing at the hamster going No No No No and the hamster was just wandering over daddy's hands completely nonchalant
We are still completely baffled as to what happened - I was outside watering the hanging baskets and daddy and RW were playing with Mars as they always do before bed
I don't think you can ever 100% trust anything with teeth, especially one whom cannot communicate any other way effectively.
My wee man loves me to bits I know but even he bites me from time to time testing his new teeth out :-)

[Ziggy]

I think I've just become 'spoiled' in a way by the placidness of rats, which are more what Im used to! Rats are highly social, and as such they have a social ettiquette. A rat sees its owner as its alpha, and rats naturally adore their alpha. Being social, they know they just can't go around biting when they feel a bit grumpy, as the rest of the group would soon reprimand them, or even oust them completely (and of course, you never bite your alpha!). They're much more like dogs than anything else (they're considered to be about the same intelligence), and they're not naturally inclined to be aggressive, partly because they're so intelligent they're capable of some kind of reasoning.
With hamsters being solitary, I guess they don't have this kind of mind set.
I've had rats 10 years, and I can do whatever I want to any of my rats, at any time, and they never ever bite. I trust them all 100% to not bite me unless I hurt them or scare them; I've never been bitten by rat in the entire 10 years that wasn't my own fault and completely traceable to a flaw in my own actions.

While I've always known hamsters had a reputation for biting, I'd always kinda assumed it was just because they're commonly children's pets, and therefore likely often mishandled or not socialised properly. But owning Hamilton has made me realise how very different they actually are to rats. When I read stories of them just biting out of the blue for no apparent reason, it does make me a little nervy around him. I will freely admit I am a little scared of him since he bit my brother. Not to the point where I won't handle him or anything, I get him out daily, but Im never really 100% happy doing so! Im always braced in case he decides he's having an off-day!
But a friend of mine has a hamster who never ever bites. You can do whatever you want to him and he's completely placid.

One thing I would be interested to know is do hamsters give any warning before biting?
Rats do, which makes them much easier to predict. With rats, they puff up their fur, and crack their teeth together when they're angry, and walk side-ways at you (like cats do when they're annoyed!) or even lash their tail, but Im not sure if hamsters have any kind of warning signs? Hamilton really didn't seem to when he bit my brother!

[babyboos]

breeding is important but even the best bred hamster can be a biter but if both parents have good temperments it does seem to make a difference.
inbreeding also causes lots of problems with biting - Roborovski for example NEVER used to bite but now they are little piranhas!
Rats are so much calmer but they have tails which really put a lof of people off sadly

[arikata]

I think I've just become 'spoiled' in a way by the placidness of rats, which are more what Im used to! Rats are highly social, and as such they have a social ettiquette. A rat sees its owner as its alpha, and rats naturally adore their alpha. Being social, they know they just can't go around biting when they feel a bit grumpy, as the rest of the group would soon reprimand them, or even oust them completely (and of course, you never bite your alpha!). They're much more like dogs than anything else (they're considered to be about the same intelligence), and they're not naturally inclined to be aggressive, partly because they're so intelligent they're capable of some kind of reasoning.
With hamsters being solitary, I guess they don't have this kind of mind set.
I've had rats 10 years, and I can do whatever I want to any of my rats, at any time, and they never ever bite. I trust them all 100% to not bite me unless I hurt them or scare them; I've never been bitten by rat in the entire 10 years that wasn't my own fault and completely traceable to a flaw in my own actions.

While I've always known hamsters had a reputation for biting, I'd always kinda assumed it was just because they're commonly children's pets, and therefore likely often mishandled or not socialised properly. But owning Hamilton has made me realise how very different they actually are to rats. When I read stories of them just biting out of the blue for no apparent reason, it does make me a little nervy around him. I will freely admit I am a little scared of him since he bit my brother. Not to the point where I won't handle him or anything, I get him out daily, but Im never really 100% happy doing so! Im always braced in case he decides he's having an off-day!
But a friend of mine has a hamster who never ever bites. You can do whatever you want to him and he's completely placid.

One thing I would be interested to know is do hamsters give any warning before biting?
Rats do, which makes them much easier to predict. With rats, they puff up their fur, and crack their teeth together when they're angry, and walk side-ways at you (like cats do when they're annoyed!) or even lash their tail, but Im not sure if hamsters have any kind of warning signs? Hamilton really didn't seem to when he bit my brother!

I have found that the more nervous you are the more likely to bite. I don't think it's that they can tell your nervous but handling them in a different way can stress them a little. You may feel skitish, withdrawing your hand quickly when they sniff you, that kind of thing may startle them, therefore bitting you, therefore you become more timid. This is just my own personal experience of them! My little brother (18) was handling my latest hammy today. He was very timid with it and quickly gave him back to me because he was scared that he would bite. You could tell that he was nervous by his actions which is why I think this.

He hasn't bitten you yet so be brave!! And don't get caught in the nervous-bite-nervous-bit cycle!

Good luck duck x