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Petite · 06-22-2020, 03:01 PM

This isn't so much about the behaviour of hamsters as the results of that behaviour. What does one do when your hamster bites enough to draw blood? Is it enough just to wash with soap and water, or is something a bit more rigorous required?

I appreciate that hamsters mostly only bite when they feel threatened, or when you've had to wake them for some reason and try to play with them before they are ready. But Freya really has it in for my fingers, despite me washing my hands with non-scented soap and rubbing them in her substrate. She doesn't do it with my husband - just sniffs and then wanders off - but quite often makes a dive for my hands as soon as they go inside the cage. It seems odd, since she probably sees more of me than anyone else. The tissue trick hasn't made any difference and neither has stroking with a pastry brush. Last night another befriending session resulted in a bitten knuckle.

But I digress. If she's just a nibbly sort of hamster (and she was the first time I held her in the shop) then I can live with that, because she's just gorgeous. But can hamster bites ever lead to anything more serious? And is soap and water enough?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

06-22-2020, 03:01 PM
Petite Senior Hamster Join Date: Aug 2019 Location: Scotland Posts: 501	Biting This isn't so much about the behaviour of hamsters as the results of that behaviour. What does one do when your hamster bites enough to draw blood? Is it enough just to wash with soap and water, or is something a bit more rigorous required? I appreciate that hamsters mostly only bite when they feel threatened, or when you've had to wake them for some reason and try to play with them before they are ready. But Freya really has it in for my fingers, despite me washing my hands with non-scented soap and rubbing them in her substrate. She doesn't do it with my husband - just sniffs and then wanders off - but quite often makes a dive for my hands as soon as they go inside the cage. It seems odd, since she probably sees more of me than anyone else. The tissue trick hasn't made any difference and neither has stroking with a pastry brush. Last night another befriending session resulted in a bitten knuckle. But I digress. If she's just a nibbly sort of hamster (and she was the first time I held her in the shop) then I can live with that, because she's just gorgeous. But can hamster bites ever lead to anything more serious? And is soap and water enough? Thanks in advance for any thoughts.