New Syrian keeps biting

TomsKeeper · 10-25-2011, 11:55 AM

Hello I am new to the forum and have come here for advice because I am at my wits end now.

Two weeks ago we got a male Syrian hamster (Tom) from Pets at home - they said it is about 8 weeks old. We bought a large cage for it on ebay ( savic hamster heaven) but for two days it lived in the Rostac starter kit while we collected the larger cage. When we changed cages after two days it ran round the room and we had to catch it in a shoebox.

We put sawdust at the bottom and some bedding (shredded paper stuff, cardboard stuff & cotton wool so that it would have a choice) gave it the recommended food from the shop and it has water.

They told us not to pick it up for two weeks and not to give it an exercise wheel or ball for two weeks and just let it settle in. Not to give it fresh fruit for the first two weeks and just let it get used to our voices and being near the cage.

We were advised to put our hands in the dust with a treat and to let it approach us, not to reach down from above, and not to wake it i.e. only approach when it is already moving about its cage.

Anyway we are coming up to the third week. It has bitten me three times and drawn blood once, and also bitten my daughter. It does not appear to be sick. I think it thinks everything that comes into the cage is food?

First time it bit me when I poked my finger through
Second and third time when it was on my hand.

I have tried using a gardening glove after the biting incident but I can just feel it chomping away on the glove. I have put a paintbrush through to stroke it with but then it just starts biting that too. Whenever it starts to bite I take my hand, glove whatever away. Some advice online said to tap it on the nose to teach it no, but it is way too fast for me to even try that.

I am getting scared of the thing, it bites down hard. I do not want the little one to get bitten again. We seem to have no luck socialising it. Someone talks to it or opens its cage at least once a day but there is no progress with the biting.

What can we do about Tom.

souffle · 10-25-2011, 12:24 PM

Poor little Tom - you haven't been given the best advice. Two weeks is far too long to settle him and he has gotten used to being untamed now.
Firstly I'll ask where you are because if you are in Yorkshire I will take him and tame him for you or may be able to find a breeder who can help you out.
Hams from this store have never been handled before and take much more work. He may have had a fright or something before you got him and needs to learn to trust humans. He is biting because he is afraid.
I would tend to actually move him to a smaller cage for a few weeks while I intensively tame him. A storage bin or a mini duna would be fine till he was used to handling and is easily accessable. I bet you are chasing him round the Heaven to catch him which makes things worse.
Pretend he is brand new and have a look at our taming tips and see if you can start with the scented tissue. Be kind, firm but gentle and patient and know you can do this and that he will have a much richer life if you do.
Custard Hamstery

Demecat · 10-25-2011, 12:27 PM

First off, remove the cotton wool bedding - it's dangerous!

I suggest you stop giving treats in your hands as he will always associate your hands with food and may bite thinking you have a treat!

My favoured method is little and often. put him in somewhere he cannot escape from (a bathtub with the plug in is ideal!) Take the top of the cage off, rub your hands in his shavings as this will transfer some of his scent to your hands. Scoop him up (only a couple of inches off the floor, in case he jumps). If he jumps out, let him, wait a minute, then repeat. Keep on doing it, letting him walk through your hands or even jump off. Gradually, over the days, increase the time that you hold him. Soon he should accept handling and not bite.

I suggest only one person works on him until he's comfortable with that person handling him, then introduce new people, ensuring they rub their hands in the shavings before handling him too.

While taming him, ocassionally just stroke him when he's in the cage.

The biting will still happen at first but will gradually decrease. Try not to wear gloves as they can frighten the hamster, making him more prone to biting!

Hope this helps!

**newham** · 10-25-2011, 12:36 PM

its better to put your hand in the cage and wash it first, if you offer treats through the bars then they will associate anything through the bars as food, I pat down the shavings tidy in my hamsters cage evryday and use a scoup for food so she has no-reason to associate me with food.
Also you could always try picking them up on a wheel or tube and just putting them on your lap for a bit, they will know the smell and not really try to bite.

TomsKeeper · 10-25-2011, 12:58 PM

Thanks for the suggestions. We are in Watford so unfortunately we will not be able to take up your kind Yorkshire offer. The only small cage we have is a Rostac cage and to be honest the two days it was in there seemed a bit cruel, it just seemed too small. I am at home tomorrow so I will try the tips in the link and report back. By the way, I wash my hands so that they don't smell of food (apart from the one seed or whatever I have in my hand) I will also take the cotton out.

souffle · 10-25-2011, 01:53 PM

Start with the scented tissue tonight. Using the antibacterial alcohol hand rub before handling can help as they don't like the taste of this! Take it slowly and lift and lay, lift and lay for the first few days. Pretend he is a computer mouse and hold lift him so his nose is under the heel of your hand. The cannot bite this way. Never present a pointed finger or anythng the can grip. A clenched hand is unlikely to be bitten. Get in the bath and let him walk over you and keep lift and laying him down.
You will get there I promise you. Only use the gloves if you must as he won't get used to your smell and skin if you do. Good luck and keep asking x

TomsKeeper · 10-26-2011, 04:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demecat

First off, remove the cotton wool bedding - it's dangerous!

Gosh, I am quite surprised at this as it was sold to us at the pet shop as 'hamster bedding'. Maybe it is something else, but it seems exactly like cotton wool to me.

TomsKeeper · 10-26-2011, 04:42 AM

UPDATE
Oops, I made a mistake as to how long we have had him - it is only ten days but it seems much longer. I put in the wheel today and he seems to like it. I will not do the bath thing today so as not to overexcite him with too many new things. The shop lady said too much stimulation at first can give him diarrohea!

Tom bit my husband yesterday so now we have all been bitten!

Quote:

Originally Posted by souffle

A storage bin or a mini duna would be fine till he was used to handling and is easily accessable. I bet you are chasing him round the Heaven to catch him which makes things worse.

1. I will google the mini duna thing

- no idea what that means
2. Actually, we haven't been trying to catch him, we just put our hand in until he approaches which is what made me more surprised at the biting.

Demecat · 10-26-2011, 05:02 AM

The cotton wool stuff is often sold as bedding, something many of us want to stop. If a hamster digests the cotton wool stuff, it doesn't dissolve in their guts, but can block the gut instead. A blocked gut can kill a hamster very quickly.

It is best to stick to a tissue paper style bedding that does dissolve in the gut. I use this one from wilkinsons: Wilko Pet Bedding Safe Bed | Pet Bedding | | Small Animal from Wilkinson Plus - A little bit goes a long way and it's reletively cheap!

Since your hammy has been in the house for at least 10 days, I think it'd be fine to put him in the bath. Now he's used to your scents, it's only really food/ilness that can cause the runs. New food should be introduced slowly... here's a list of safe foods: Safe Food List for Hamsters

I hope this clears things up!

**Roxie** · 10-26-2011, 05:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomsKeeper

Gosh, I am quite surprised at this as it was sold to us at the pet shop as 'hamster bedding'. Maybe it is something else, but it seems exactly like cotton wool to me.

Sadly this happens a lot, so don't feel bad or blame yourself for purchasing it. It really should be taken off the market. You're in the right place now though and you'll get excellent advice here