Can a bite make me sick?

[scabs]

My sweet little girl bit me when I was lifting her cage with my fingers between the bars. I'm sure she thought my thumb was a tasty treat which I sometimes give her through the bars, but it was deep enough to break skin and make me bleed for a long time.
So my question is, can a bite from a healthy adult syrian that breaks skin make me ill? I cleaned it out with alcohol and put Neosporin and a band aid on it but I know animal bites and scratches can be very dangerous!

[DrKMcK]

Hello scabs. I've been bitten countless times over the years by gerbils and hamsters. As long as you clean it well, you should be fine. Like any open cut, just watch it for any inflammation. A hammy bite usually heals up in a day or 2. I've never had a problem with any bite, even one really deep one that went right down to the bone. (I woke an elderly, ill hammy who got scared ).

[souffle]

It should be fine as hamsters kept in a domestic situation are not like wild animals which may carry diseases however it is recommended you are up to date with tetanus vaccination if you have been bitten. Most people are covered by routine jabs and childhood jabs but you could check you are.

[Esmy]

I got bit the other day on my pinkie and it bled a lot too. I used a lot of peroxide and rubbing alcohol. I don't even see the mark now.

[HollyHamster]

There is a disease associated with rats and mice that is called Rat Bite Fever. It causes a severe infection in the body that results in a high fever (which in turn causes a headache), achy joints, and then a (sometimes bumpy) rash appears on the body. If not treated, it can be fatal 20% of the time. However, death is rare due to the infection being diagnoses and treated most of the time.

Its rare that people who come into contact with pet rats and mice get this disease in the first place, as most domesticated rodents are usually not exposed to the bacteria that causes it. Its usually more common with wild rats and mice who forage around trash and sewage where the bacteria originates from. It can be possible for wild rats and mice to transfer the bacteria to their domestic counterparts, through contact, but again, this is a very rare occurrence.

As far as I know, hamsters aren't carriers of such bacteria, as they are not native to the UK and US and can't live in the wilds outside of our homes. So contact with a wild hamster isn't possible for the majority of hamsters kept in captivity.

Regardless, one should always scrub a hamster bite that breaks the skin thouroghly with warm soapy water and covering it with a fresh bandage. If you are feeling extra cautious, you can apply an antibacterial ointment like Neosporin to the wound before bandaging.

Sometimes the wound can bleed quite a bit, as the hamster might have nicked an vein on the finger. Applying pressure to the wound with a clean cloth or even gauze after washing it will usually help to stem the bleeding.