new hamster extremely itchy

[CSoehnge1]

So I posted about my new tortie Syrian that I got about 4 days ago. She loves when Ive been petting her. Having problems with keeping her in my hands but trying. So anyway I let her out today in the bathtub for time with me and she just kept scratching. and by scratching I mean scratching till she is falling over and rubbing her back/butt on everything. She also is excessively and aggressively chewing on things which Ive never seen before but I was trying to take a look at her and IDK if she was scared or that itchy but she bit me really good...like bruised and blood all over which was the first time ive ever had her do that. I'm taking her to the vet tomorrow but my question is could whatever is causing her to itch make her act crazy and bite. Or should I just think she is terrified of me. I'm hoping she isn't going to bite me all the time but now I'm kind of scared not going to lie. After she did it though she was climbing out of the cage into my hand so IDK whats happening. Any ideas? thanks

[Drago]

The itching behavior could be indicative of a problem such as mites, dry skin, allergies, or irritation. What substrate do you have her on? The vet will most likely be able to sort out exactly what the itching is, if it's anything at all. Do you notice bald patches on her fur and small moving insects that can be reddish-orange? That's indicative of mites. Do you notice sneezing and runny nose/watery eyes, this could mean she has an allergy or irritation with the bedding. Do you notice flakey skin at all? You mention her being hard to handle so I'd recommend using gloves to check her over so you remain safe and you can get an idea of what's pestering her. She may not even need a vet visit, but better safe than sorry! Rubbing up against things is a hamsters way of marking things. This could be what she is doing. Does she walk forward and rub herself against a wall almost like a cat against your leg? If that's the case it's more likely to be marking than itching. As for the biting, four days is not a very long time to have a hamster and this could be due to the stress of moving to a new environment. I recommend giving hamsters a week to settle in before attempting to handle them at all (unless of course it's for health concerns) perhaps leaving her alone for a few more days before trying again with the taming process would help. As a general rule of thumb, hamsters don't tend to like being handled straight away, thus she isn't likely to feel comfortable with you handling her until she's been given slow progressive steps. First speaking softly to her, leaving tissue with your scent on it, and giving treats. Then slowly letting her run about on you, stroking her, and getting her used to being handled. As for the chewing, it tends to be a sign of discomfort with something, in your case, considering how new she is, it's likely a reaction to the stress of a new environment and should settle down in a month or two. Or if it is health related, your hypothesis on it being over irritation may be correct. Put on some gardening gloves and have a look over her tonight, if you still feel pretty worried, take her to the vet and let them sort out the issues hope she starts to feel better soon and settles in well

[JLPrairie]

Basically what he said, but also that I've heard of hamsters before that had skin irritation from the sand. Removing the sandbath (if you have one) might help, or using a better, higher quality sand (like this - https://www.amazon.com/Supreme-Tiny-.../dp/B005OCXN1M) instead of sterilized play sand or whatnot.

I've never had a hamster behaving like this, so this is just secondhand experience.

[CSoehnge1]

thanks to both of you....I did notice her skin was red so I took out the sand bath to see if it helps...I have come to notice she is a very mouthy hamster. She just likes to nip at random times at my fingers. when she rubs her back and stuff she is like rolling almost all the way over to do so. I have seen hamsters mark before but maybe she is just special at it lol. Her bedding was just changed today as well to see if that could be causing an issue so we shall see. She is a very very active hamster and I can't keep her still to even try to look. I tried with gloves but she just squirms away. I'm going to watch her for the next couple of days to rule out allergy. I haven't noticed anything on her skin (I work at a vet hospital so I know mites but I'm not seeing obvious ones). I'm having sad doubts that I wont be able to tame her.

[Drago]

Keeping an eye on her sounds like a good idea. Don't be discouraged! You've not had her long, and some hamsters come around quicker than you think. My older ham Duncan was a skittish mess when I first got him and would dart all the way to the bottom of the bedding the second he heard me enter the room he's kept in. Now he bolts out to greet me and falls asleep in my hand. He never nibbles at all and is the sweetest little guy I've ever had! Keep us updated on how she's doing

[CSoehnge1]

I definitely will keep you updated. What would you recommend with when I put my hand in her cage she comes up curious but she nips my fingers instead of just sniffing. It makes it hard for me to keep my hand there. She takes food from my fingers but I'm nervous about keeping my hand in there when she is so nippy.

[Thin Lizzy]

Give her a couple of days and see if it's the sand bath irritating her. If it is mites they're easily treated.
Make sure you wash your hands before putting them in the cage, she might be able to smell something that she thinks is for eating.
Twinkle was nippy, and I also thought she couldn't be tamed. When she bite me and draw blood it hurt like hell and I realised I had to go back to the start. I would put my hand in and let her sniff it, I made sure I kept still and praised her when she came near awarding her with treats. If she senses your nervous then she'll feel it. Some hams don't want to climb into your hands. Just be sure to go at her pace.
Not all mites can be seen, especially if they're under the skin.
I also found the tissue trick helped. Twinkle took several months to tame and I felt so proud of her & myself.

[Jennie F]

Dont be discouraged by not being able to handle her yet. Ive had my little girl for 3 weeks and I havent properly held her yet and had 1 rather nasty bite under the nail. I understand what you mean about being a bit nervous around her after the bite, but I think they know when you are nervous and will pick up on it. My girl is just about starting to come round i think. I rub my hands in the substrate then put a treat on the palm of my hand to let her climb on and get it. Sometimes if I'm not feeling too brave or she is particularly skittish that day, I will put the end of my fingers into the substrate so she has nothing to nibble.

Just keep trying little and often with her but go at your hamsters pace and be patient.

Good luck and I hope her itching stops too

[CSoehnge1]

Thanks everyone for your support. I'm just over thinking it i guess. I've never had a syrian so nippy before and I've never been bruised from a bite before either. She is still extremely itchy and appears uncomfortable so im going to take her to my work and make sure there's no mites. It would make me cranky to be so itchy too lol. Thanks everyone again for your help. I will update asap

[CSoehnge1]

So I took her to the vet and they didn't see anything obvious but treated her for lice/mites just in case. But today she has a bold spot on her lower back. I just don't understand what could be causing her to be so itchy.