bitten

katie92 · 03-25-2005, 06:39 AM

Help my 2 month old hamster just bit me. It didn't hurt and didn't bleed but it was so unnecessary!!! I've given him a hammie choc drop to say sorry for making him angry but WHAT SHOULD I DO TO STOP IT HAPPENING AGAIN!!!! At the time I had my finger up the tube trying to lure him down while he was sorting something out up there

Please help

xoxox katie xoxox Lj's my cheeky monkey xoxox

carefresh · 03-25-2005, 06:40 AM

how long ago did you get him ? Also maybe he had just woken up, and was a bit cranky. aren't we all cranky when we get up ?

SnuggleHam · 03-25-2005, 06:44 AM

Hmm,

I can’t see that any animal would bite without reason; there must be some reason that your hamster nipped at you. You’ll have to explain in detail what you were doing just before he nipped you.

Was he busy cleaning himself? Was he sleeping? Did you try and pick him us as he was walking away from you?

The best way to stop a hamster from nipping is to treat it with respect. I’m not trying to say you weren’t but you must be more in tune to what they are feeling, and how much you can press your luck with them before they become stressed out.

Another things you can do is make sure you wash your hand before trying to handle your ham. This will remove any food smells or pet smells from other animals in the house.

Is it possible that another animal in your house may have disturbed and upset him while you weren’t around and caused him to become agitated?

SnuggleHam · 03-25-2005, 07:07 AM

Also... whats a Choc drop? I hope you dont mean chocolate.

katie92 · 03-25-2005, 07:31 AM

No they are a type of yummy hamster treat NOT REAL CHOCOLATE!!! My hamster loves them!!!

SnuggleHam · 03-25-2005, 07:41 AM

Well what about my other questions I asked that might have been the reason for your hamster nipping? do any of those reasons seem like they apply?

katie92 · 03-25-2005, 08:01 AM

Yes he was busy doing something when I tried to lure him down - that will have been why!

Emma · 03-25-2005, 08:04 AM

Hamster chocolate is treated in some way (not sure how) so that it doesn't melt in the pouches, unlike normal chocolate. It should only be an occasional treat I think

but it does seem to go down well with the hams!

It's not uncommon at all for new pet shop hamsters to nip occasionally. They won't be used to daily handling, and what with all the new sights and smells they're going to be a little on their guard.

I'm assuming if he's only two months old you've only just got him? It might be an idea to let him settle in his cage for a day or two before you start trying to handle him. That way he'll be a little happier about where he is before you try and introduce yourself to him too.

When you do start to handle him, wash you hands so you don't smell like food (although watch which soap you use, I had a consistent biter that in the end we worked out she liked the taste of the soap I used!) Let him sniff your hand a little bit first before trying to cup him in both hands. It's better to start slowly, with short handling sessions (maybe only a minute or so) once or twice a day, and build it up until they're used to you.

Just bear with him, I'm sure you'll have a cuddly hamster in no time

We love pictures here too if you have a digital camera!

Emma x

SnuggleHam · 03-25-2005, 08:11 AM

Yup that sounds like a good enough reason to give you a nip.

Emma made some very good points. If he is new let it settle in a bit as she suggested. Maybe you can talk to him some before handling. Also if it is pretty new you wouldn’t want to stress the hamster out too much, its not uncommon for young hamster first brought home from the store to catch wet tail due to stress.

I hope that you leave a little introduction about yourself and tell us about your hamster, and your experience with hamsters, and as Emma said.. post some pictures if you can!

katie92 · 03-25-2005, 08:29 AM

Thanks Emma but I hold him all the time he LOVES it he loves having a wander on my hands.