Biting

[BulletTheHamster]

Bullet bit my friend the other day, I was really in shock about it cause when i saw her hand blood was dripping down from her finger tip. Ive noticed bullet doesnt like finger tips. hes tried to bite mine. I havent been bitten by him before and i dont know how to fix his finger tip problem... its starting to scare me cause he could cause really bad infection to my friends. she didnt even touch him she just let him sniff her hand.

[AmityvilleHams]

Perhaps don't let your friends handle your hamster?It's not at all personal,but when you think about it even owners take several months sometimes to fully bond with a hamster and that just won't happen with friends who are over maybe a few days a month.It causes a lot of stress to these little fluffs to have so many different people with different smells handling them,sadly,and it is best avoided

[Hammy992]

Hi, welcome to HC.
How long have you had Bullet for? If he is a new addition he might still be getting used to having people around him a lot. Some hams don't like having people's hands in their cage and will exhibit signs of cage aggression, which is basically them being territorial over their home. He might respond better if he is removed from the cage and is in a neutral location before you or your friends interact with him.

Hamsters can't see very well and will use their mouths to explore things that are in front of them. When you let a hamster sniff your hand, you should present your hand as a fist as they cannot bite you this way, and when picking him up cup your hands and let him do the approach don't chase him around the cage.
Also, make sure you or anyone interacting with your hamster has washed their hands with an unscented soap beforehand. Anything that causes your hands to smell like food - even some scented soaps - could be tempting for your hamster to nibble on.
The last thing is that hamsters can bite when they are afraid or grumpy. If your hamster has just woken up give him a bit of time to himself first to let him have a stretch and wake up fully. Just like people, sometimes hammies have an off day and don't want to socialize. On these occasions its best to let him get on with his own thing for a while and don't handle him unless he wants to come out.
When he bites, try your best to not pull away or move fast as he will become frightened. You can try discourage him by gently blowing in his face and saying "No" in a firm voice. He should rear back and squint when you do this, cutting the behavior short

[BulletTheHamster]

ive had him for about 4 months maybe 5

[oddlyoblivious]

What species is Bullet? Does he display any other concerning behaviors? (discharge from the eyes or nose, lack of appetite etc.) And does he normally respond this way to you?

Some hams dislike certain smells. Food, nail-polish or nail-polish remover and other really strong smells.

If he's perfectly tame and never done this sort of thing before, and also exhibiting signs of being ill. (discharge, wheezing ect) It may be a good idea to visit the vet, as it may be a sign of pain and illness. If he's perfectly normal in all other aspects though this is less likely to be the case.

If you are waking him up for playtime that can cause biting as well, as (like all living things) they don't like being woken up unless they have been conditioned to this sort of thing.

Bites (drawing blood) should be rare, although they do happen with untamed or sick hammies. I wouldn't worry too much about infection from the bite so long as you clean it out and follow normal first aid procedures. Hope this helps.

[BulletTheHamster]

hes syrian. Yes somtimes he attempts to bite me but its a soft bite. Its only with fingertips he tries to bite. hes always been like this

[oddlyoblivious]

Zak did a great thread on defining nips, bites, and nibbles. Testing your finger to see if it's food (lightly doesn't cause pain, may tickle) is normal, especially if they smell food on you. If the person is someone he's not familiar with though he hasn't built up a trust with them.