vicious hybrid

itswendy · 11-23-2014, 01:55 AM

i've had my winter white hybrid for about a month now and at the beginning she was pretty vicious. I'm thinking it was cage aggression and not being as tamed as she is now. I've switched her over to a 105 qt bin and she's been doing pretty well, her biting has gone down a bit. Tonight though, she was VERY active: running around, digging in her food bowl, viciously biting her silent spinner axel and whenever she saw sight of my hand, she would sprint to bite it. And whenever she was on my hand, she would not stop biting me! She is pretty tame but tonight, she was just out of control. I can't think of a reason why she would suddenly become vicious like this?

cypher · 11-23-2014, 02:42 AM

How long ago did you change her cage?
Even when it's a change for the better it can take them up to a couple of weeks to adjust & settle down, in the meantime you are likely to see some behavioural changes or just some odd behaviour so I'd just give it a while & see how she goes, so long as she has all she needs, plenty of hideouts, a big enough wheel or flying saucer & lots of substrate to dig in & maybe some chews or dog biscuits to have a go at she should settle.

itswendy · 11-23-2014, 10:00 AM

she's been in the bin cage for probably 2 or more weeks now so she should already be settled

Skeever · 11-23-2014, 10:15 AM

Biting something like their wheel, or anything they take a fancy to biting, isn't vicious. It means they really wanna chew on something, and they found something they like. It just looks vicious when you stop them and they glare at you and go right back to it more than ever....

Regression in tameness, my first thought would be something may be wrong. Hamsters hide sickness and pain by going on the defensive usually. Second thought is, have you been moving things around in the cage frequently? adding and removing things? cleaning too frequently? Maybe this lil dwarf is very OCD about her home. Two weeks is long but not unheard of, given she has gone through three cages then since you got her? in four or five weeks?

I tend to think handbiting can sometimes be a hamsters mode of play, until they are broken of the habit. If they get a response, it means it works. They get their way. Some hammies seem to try and pull the alpha hamster moves on humans as well. While I've said that Pook NEVER bites, and doesn't even when really aggravated by something, I've seen him do a very slow.......snif....snif.....slow motion, clamp on the finger....squeeze. Given his overall personality, I tend to think its his way of playing rowdy....to see if he can get a rise out of me, lol. Painful bites may mean using gloves and going back to square one....sometimes hams do seem to regress, though its a mystery why, since then can't talk.

Keep us posted

jmhalifax · 11-23-2014, 11:18 AM

I'm mainly used to Syrians or teddy bears- I have only had one dwarf, and he was a winter white. I had him for about a year, and he only settled down a little bit- nearly every time I tried to hold him he'd bite my hand at least once. Over the years I think I've been pretty good at settling hamsters down, but this one was always very nervous when I tried to hold him.

itswendy · 11-23-2014, 08:42 PM

she's been in 2 cages, first one was too small so i moved her to a bin. I have almost every variety of chew toys in her cage for her- whimzees, apple orchard sticks, wood block chews and im ordering cheesy chews online for her right now as she chews on nothing but the wire stand on her silent spinner which i've covered up with cardboard so she doesn't hurt herself! But i think she is pretty tame because she lets me pick her up with 'claw hands' and she doesn't wiggle at all, she's perfectly fine with me petting her. She might just be moody because she goes from vicious biting machine to gentle calm inquisitive hamster day to day. I clean her cage out every other week and there's not too much moving things around in between cage cleanings.

Thin Lizzy · 11-23-2014, 10:40 PM

Hi Wendy, she sounds a bit ocd with her cage, sometimes hamsters take a bit longer in adjusting - feeling a bit overwhelmed.
could be PMS with her mood changes lol.
From what you've said, you seem to be doing all you can to make her happy,she might sense that you're a bit wary and unsure of her, hamsters especially dwarfs have very strong senses - go back to the glove wearing and always talk to her quietly and softly, try not to react if she bites you.

cypher · 11-24-2014, 12:32 AM

It sounds as though she's doing OK on the whole if this is just occasional behaviour, does she have a playpen or out of cage area to explore, maybe she just needs something more to distract her & keep her occupied some of the time.

itswendy · 11-24-2014, 10:10 AM

I can stand her bites because they don't cut through my skin for anything and it doesn't really bother me. I should probably start giving her more out of the cage time. I've made a cardboard playpen for her but she can lift the cardboard up and escape that way. I usually put her in a ball now. is there anything else I can do? I don't have a bath tub either, just a shower.

kittokitty · 11-24-2014, 11:54 AM

I think that aggression is normal, or at least more common for hybrids.