He bit.... :(

[Louis1d1million]

So we've had our one year old hammy since Sunday now and he was very friendly for the first few days we had him however 2 days ago he bit my 4 year old daughter , she was being a little rough by repeatedly putting him on his wheel and so i understood why he may have done it and left him for the rest of the day. However this morning I went to pick him up for his chinchilla sand bath and he bit me and drew blood. If im honest I am now quite scared to pick him up and not sure what to do, I didn't just go in his cage and pick him up I spoke and sang to him first and made sure he was awake and alert.... Any tips? While I was sat by his cage he was also making a squeaking noise which I read can be there way of warning you to leave them alone?

Also this is his water bottle he is a Russian dwarf hybrid and he's had this bottle since Sunday , there doesn't seem to be much gone at all is this normal?

[Fluffagrams]

It could be that your daughter's slightly rough handling may have made him a little nervous of human contact so it may be better to delay trying to pick him up again for a few days and stick to talking calmly to him and offering him seeds (just as you would if you were taming him) just to give him a little bit of extra reassurance that you mean no harm.

[Thin Lizzy]

A combination of your daughter and yourself handling him has set him back, with him biting you he's scared but you can turn things round. You've not had him long and it's important you give him plenty of time to adjust.
Have you tried the tissue trick! Get some toilet paper and stuff it up your sleeves and leave for a couple of hours and then place in his cage, curiosity will have him sniff it, this gets him familiar with your smell. Do this daily for a week. Get your daughter to do the tissue trick too. Doing this, talking to them and praising them will build there confidence. Usually, the ham will use the tissue as extra bedding. It's a bit like a comfort blanket.
Try to avoid cleaning the cage for at least 3 weeks, it's important they mark their scent all over it. Do a daily spot check, remove any soiled substrate and use lukewarm water in the area every couple of days. With water they'll still be able to smell their smell.

[Pebbles82]

Hi - he bit because he was scared and also warning you off. It does sound like maybe doing a bit of taming as Lizzy suggests would help. Our hamster couldn't cope with being handled by more than one person at first when he was first tame, and it set back taming a bit.

It's difficult with children - you have to constantly supervise and show them how to hold the hamster gently and get used to them. Trying to make him go on his wheel repeatedly would just stress the hamster.

He's probably just a bit nervous now if it hurt when your daughter handled him so bit you because he thought he was going to be hurt again.

Sometimes it's all a bit much the first few days and then there's a set back. I would do what Lizzy suggested - start again giving him 2 or 3 days to himself, then start feeding him treats through the bars and talking to him gently.

Our little boy was 6 when we got our hamster and I had to constantly watch him when holding Charlie as sometimes he would try and hold on if the hamster tried to run off, or would hold him a bit awkwardly. It certainly teaches children patience! And also that the hamster isn't a toy and needs gentle handling.

If he was squeaking he could have been a bit scared. I've been there - our hamster used to run at my hand if I put it in the cage before he was used to us! Frightened me a couple of times. Part of that was that he had a bit of cage rage as his cage was too small and totally unsuitable.

I would suggest not handling him while he is in his cage. They are more territorial in the cage. And only handling him out of the cage in a safe area like a playpen or the dry bathtub. I did a little video about how we got our hamster used to touch and being held if it helps - it doesn't show much but has a few tips (mostly picked up on here).

We would get our hamster out in a tube - ie put the tube in the cage with the far end in the hamster ball, and let him walk into the tube and then into the ball, then pop the lid on the ball and gently carry it up to the bathtub.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjyEme2xcq4

[ladyytanja]

I agree with everything said before me. I do have a question though; did you happen to touch his food before you picked him up? Because if you did your finger probably smelled like his food so it's a natural reaction for him to bite in it.

[Pebbles82]

Good point. It helps to wash your hands first and not use flowery or honey scented soap!