bite-ing

patches · 08-18-2010, 08:43 PM

my hammy has yet to bite me before but today i went to pick him up and i went to let him sniff my hand and he just decided he wanted to see what my finger tasted like? and no i didnt wake him up or any thing. i just wanna know why he just randomly decided to start biting

Smysha · 08-18-2010, 09:43 PM

Was it a bite or a nip? My hamster doesn't bite but she occasionally nips at me if I'm annoying her or if my hand smells yummy.

patches · 08-18-2010, 10:07 PM

he didnt latch on or anything but he did go through a layer of skin. it wasnt bleeding. it was probly just a nip though. i was just worryed cuz hes never ever bitten anyone

**Hope** · 08-19-2010, 01:08 AM

Yeah, thats just a taste - if he meant to bite you, you would know about it!! Borris bit my toe once and it bled for ages!!

Sometimes something smells interesting or tasty and they just want to check it out by giving it a little nibble, nothing to worry about - all hammies do it from time to time. Make sure that you wash your hands before handling to illiminate any smells

Katty_Sheldon · 08-19-2010, 01:42 AM

It might have been the smell. Or he just wanted to catch your attention. Also, some hamsters do that while they are in the cage, protecting their territory, but they are perfectly ok when out of the cage...

fluffymunchkins · 08-19-2010, 12:24 PM

Young hammies tend to go through a nibbling, tasting stage.
Treo was like this for the first few days i had him until he got to know me

Alexskiii · 08-22-2010, 05:01 PM

Did you have anything tasty on your hands? Like, had you been holding food beforehand?

I fed my hamster carrots last night from my hand. Afterwards she came to sniff around me and tried to bite the edge of my fingers where the carrot had been. It took her a while to try and decide if she wanted to go for it or not, but I am guessing she could smell the food on there.

Redame · 08-23-2010, 03:56 AM

Was your hand in the cage?
Runner tends to bite sometimes when he is grumpy + when I have my hand in HIS cage which in the end is his terratorium... As soon as he is out though, he seems to be all jolly and good and doesn't bite at all!

patches · 08-23-2010, 09:15 AM

well i had forgotten to wash my hands and i was in his teritory so it was probly a combo of those

mangoandmimi · 08-23-2010, 11:07 AM

lots of time hamsters just very tentatively bite - to see your reaction - to see if you're edible lol - to like see what you are. its one of their ways to figure something out, like what you are, why you're there etc. as you probably know their vision isn't great so they can't see you well, if at all. they can smell you but that just makes them even more inquisitive

at first my robos dashed around my hand, every so often biting my finger very very gently and tentatively

its not great - i knkow but sometimes they are just tooooo curious lol

and if you stick your fingers through the bars thats either them thinking "oooohhh food!!" if you usually feed them treats through the bars, or thats them being territorial and not wanting anything to invade their space. usually.
they also dont like yoru hand to smell of cream, soap, sprays, well they do like it to smell of food thats sometimes y they bite XD. and like anything smelly. which is why i alwayswash my hands b4 touching them - especially if i'm with the robos lol.
goodluck!