Milly Update: Licking, Biting And Nail Help Please?

[PumpKinSpiceLatte]

I've had Milly for about 1 1/2 months now and she's pretty good heath wise, except for her nails (I'll get to that in a bit). I feel like I haven't fully tamed Milly because she's been biting and licking my fingers (which is super weird.) And her nails have gotten super long, I want to learn myself because it's something useful to have learned. I have a vet that does surgery on hamsters and when I took her there my good friend could only get the front done because of how crazy she was getting. I hope this won't be a difficult thing to resolve.

I know the licking isn't to show me she's dehydrated or something like that, I make sure her water bottle works each time it's refilled. And I don't know where the biting came from, usually it would be a painless nibble, but in the past it was a a lot harder. Also, her nails, Can someone please help me w/ this? It's very strange and it's not a good habit for her. :confused::confused:

EDIT: I have 2 cats that like to watch her while she's awake and like to jump on the top and watch through the mesh could this contribute to this aswell?

[Drago]

To resolve excessive nail length, you can add a pile of smooth, sterilized, and rounded stones inside the enclosure. This will keep the nails trim and provide an extra climbing type toy for her so it's a two in one! As for the nibbling/biting, almost all hamsters will nibble if you put your finger near their mouth. It's just a response they have, like when you look at an object when it's placed in front of your face. To try and stop nibbling/biting, if recommend you have short sessions where you place your hand near her nose and when she sniffs, licks, or ignores your hand, reward her with a healthy treat. If she bites or nibbles, push her away (very gently) and do not reward her. As for your cats, I don't think it has anything to do with her behavior, but I would still try to prevent your cats from doing this as it can stress her out. If you have any other questions about Milly, ask away!

[cypher]

The licking & nibbling sound quite normal, Russians do quite often lick your fingers which is really rather sweet! Nibbling is often just confusing fingers with food, if she's not actually biting then it's something she probably will grow out of with time.
Russian hams nails do grow fast, unfortunately putting things like stones in the cage won't help much, the sand bath can help a little & some natural rough surfaces in the cage like wood, stone tiles like granite or just an ordinary kitchen wall tile turned upside down (they are rough on the back) will also help but most do need regular trimming.
Some hams do get a bit stressed especially if the person doing it isn't that experienced in holding hams while trimming nails so it's often best to just do a few at a time.

I would make sure the cats can't get into the room where she is, it will be very stressful for her to have cats around her & jumping on her cage definitely shouldn't be allowed.

[Thin Lizzy]

You need to keep the cats out, them jumping on top and watching her through the mesh worries me. Cats are hunters and they may be friendly & loving with you but, given an opportunity they will take a swipe. Cats will find a way to loosen the mesh.
This going on and her biting is her being nervous.

[AmityvilleHams]

Cats and hamsters do not get along and should never be allowed to access each other :( Certain subspecies of the ancestors of cats(Felis silvestris,I believe,spelling might be a tiny bit off due to a lack of sleep)are natural predators of hamsters.Along with being a nervous prey species to begin with,this is why hamsters and cats just should not mix.It will have disastrous results,whether immediately or over time :(

[PumpKinSpiceLatte]

Thank you for the concerns of people about my cats, forgot to mention my cage/s top is heavy metal and I keep clips on just in case, but I'll stop with the cats watching and jumping