Hi! im a newer hamster owner and i need help getting over my fear of getting bit!

[Kierra Strickland]

I was told my hamster is a russian dwarf but i’m pretty sure he’s a campbell’s.
i know his teeth are tiny compared to a syrian but i’m still petrified of his teeth. i will hold him will my sweater sleeves over my hands and my mother and brother hold him constantly but he got his foot stuck in his ball and when we were trying to remove him he bites my brothers finger and he said it hurt rlly bad (he’s 1. so i need an honest opinion on how it feels, at this point i know the pain will go away i just need to know what i’m in for lol.

[souffle]

I wouldn't use the ball again if his feet can get through the holes. He could get seriously injured! Any animal will bite when it is in pain or very scared so that would be the reason. I keep up the handling after checking the foot seems ok and he is not limping and do short sessions till he is tame.

[Kyrkogrimr]

I haven't had a proper bite, though when Cadmium was ill she gave me a rather annoyed nip when we disagreed on the importance of taking her antibiotics and that wasn't too bad. I think it's more that it's a shock than devastatingly painful.

If you're very nervous, I've heard it suggested that you could wear gloves to offer some level of protection? You would need to make sure that they haven't had anything dangerous on them though.

[Nika]

I think it really depends on where and how you get bit! I have had some small nips from Cocoa, but they were either "testing" or "warning" bites (when she was young and my hand was new to her she occasionally gently nibbled me, or if I do something she doesn't want me to do eg. trying to pick her up when she has something in mind) - these were never really painful, just enough to make move my hand away.
I imagine when your brother was bit the hamster was panicked because of the stuck foot, which would result in a more painful bite. These can hurt quite a lot depending on the spot! But to reassure you - in the past I had a hamster bite that drew blood and I don't recall being in a lot of pain from it.
I know it can be a little scary but if you patiently tame your hamster and you two get used to each other, I don't think your hamster will bite you unless in an exceptional situation! Cocoa gave me a lot of nibbles when I first got her and she was testing the waters, but in just a month or so she got really used to me handling her and now she only ever bites me as a warning, which is never painful.