My dwarf hamster is almost 4 months old and we have had her for almost 8 weeks. I feel like I have a good bond with her but recently she has started gently biting my fingers and it is gradually getting harder. They aren't sudden or drawing blood or anything like that, its almost as if she is sniffing me out and giving my fingers a (hard) nibble.
It doesn't seem to me like she is being defensive or aggressive but I could be wrong. She usually walks towards me when I open her enclosure and seems like she wants me to handle her / take her out so I place my hand out for her to walk onto - I never grab her to pick her up. She will also happily take treats from my hand and seems extremely comfortable with me now.
I do sometimes give her sunflower seeds from between my fingers, could this be why? Maybe she associates my fingers with her favourite treats?
I did place some whimzees in her enclosure that she didn't touch for weeks but has recently started going absolutely
crazy on them! Could this just be a new behaviour that is developing or should I be more concerned? I heard hamsters may start to bite if they are experiencing pain.
She hasn't been a chewer/biter since I have had her so I'm slightly confused why it is happening now.
Also what is the best enrichment for chewing? As I said, she has whimzees as well as forage, sprays and chews around her enclosure.