4 Month Old Campbell Dwarf suddenly bites me for unknown reasons.

[Shina]

As you all have read from the title I have no idea why she's biting me, I've always washed my hands and dried them before touching her, she was always calm and nibbles only a little to none when picked up but from last last week she had been biting me when I feed her or just put my hand in cage to let her hop on like I always do, I respect her choices when she doesn't want to get up, but that day, she bit me like I was food, no tugging just biting. This week she did tug my hand mostly whenever I put my hand near the cage door now. Is there something up that I need to know?

[cloudy]

Hello Shina. I have read that when a hamster has a smaller cage this can happen. What size is your cage?

[Ria P]

Some hamsters are very territorial and simply do not tolerate a hand in their habitat.

Did you do the routine checks like wheel and water bottle working ok? She may be trying to tell you that something isn't right.

What's she like out of her cage?

[Shina]

Hello Shina. I have read that when a hamster has a smaller cage this can happen. What size is your cage?

494.76sq inch

[Shina]

Some hamsters are very territorial and simply do not tolerate a hand in their habitat.

Did you do the routine checks like wheel and water bottle working ok? She may be trying to tell you that something isn't right.

What's she like out of her cage?

I did, her wheel in an 8 inch niteangel silent wheel, her water bowl gets clean and filled daily, lots of hideouts for her.

She was calm when I picked her up before but now she looks downwards and bites my thumb, when that happens I usually put her down back in her cage or let her roam a bit. She'll then just pace around maybe looking for something, then just return to me expecting me to pick her up, I don't get her signals, what does she want me to do?

[Shina]

494.76sq inch

I have a 669.60 sq inch on its way here approx in a month since postage fee is quite expensive so I'm having it sent by parts.

[cloudy]

I have a 669.60 sq inch on its way here approx in a month since postage fee is quite expensive so I'm having it sent by parts.

That sounds good. It can be really hard to find suitable cages unless you know how to do a DIY one.:)

[Shina]

So, should I now just deem my hamster to be territorial?

[Ria P]

So, should I now just deem my hamster to be territorial?

I don't know but it's a possibility that she became territorial as she matured a bit.

I'd take her out of her cage in a transport vessel and put her back the same way. Do you have a wheel and plenty of toys in the playpen like cardboard boxes, tubes etc?

I have no idea why she bites now but was calm before. Is she healthy and hamstering about as per normal?

It could well be that her behaviour will change again when you move her in the bigger cage.

[Shina]

I don't know but it's a possibility that she became territorial as she matured a bit.

I'd take her out of her cage in a transport vessel and put her back the same way. Do you have a wheel and plenty of toys in the playpen like cardboard boxes, tubes etc?

I have no idea why she bites now but was calm before. Is she healthy and hamstering about as per normal?

It could well be that her behaviour will change again when you move her in the bigger cage.

I've filled it with cardboard tubes, boxes, those cut up starbucks cardboard cup holders, tissues, scatter feeds her but she now sleeps more and wakes in the morn. She still cleans herself pretty well, stuffs her food pretty well, poops pretty well, pees quite a lot and well, she's grown quite a few millimeters both horizontally and vertically. Her wheel's an 8 inch niteangel cork paddded wheel. So, we wait for the new cage then...

The update today was she's trying to pull me some where but stops halfway. I'm food? I'm baby? I'm bedding? Idk anymore.... She bites me when I handle her now, on the palm, on the fingers...

[Shina]

Guys, she gave birth today... Was it why? I just thought she was chubby, but she was pregnant... Thought she was housed with a girl, before I got her. I feel cheated... But I'll try my best to look through what I have to do for those babes.

[cloudy]

Oh wow! That must be such a shock for you! I am sure somebody will be along soon with advice.

[Ria P]

Guys, she gave birth today... Was it why? I just thought she was chubby, but she was pregnant... Thought she was housed with a girl, before I got her. I feel cheated... But I'll try my best to look through what I have to do for those babes.

Yes, that was the reason. My dwarf hamster was pregnant which was unknown to me and she bit me when i picked her up.
You need to leave the mother and babies alone until they surface by themselves and give plenty of bedding and extra food. Make sure there's always fresh water. Best to remove the wheel for now and level the set up out so there are no fall risks or risks of the babies getting squashed by anything heavy. Be very careful not to disturb the nest because any kind of disturbance could upset the mother. That's all you can do at the moment.
I didn't do any of that because i had no idea until one of the babies came to the surface at around 10-12 days old.
I was in the same situation and it was a shock but the good people on this forum guided me through it and all turned out well in the end.
The babies were rehomed and i had my friendly and gentle dwarf hamster back.
There is a thread called "Gertie had babies" where i seek advice and chat about my experience.

[Shina]

Yes, that was the reason. My dwarf hamster was pregnant which was unknown to me and she bit me when i picked her up.
You need to leave the mother and babies alone until they surface by themselves and give plenty of bedding and extra food. Make sure there's always fresh water. Best to remove the wheel for now and level the set up out so there are no fall risks or risks of the babies getting squashed by anything heavy. Be very careful not to disturb the nest because any kind of disturbance could upset the mother. That's all you can do at the moment.
I didn't do any of that because i had no idea until one of the babies came to the surface at around 10-12 days old.
I was in the same situation and it was a shock but the good people on this forum guided me through it and all turned out well in the end.
The babies were rehomed and i had my friendly and gentle dwarf hamster back.
There is a thread called "Gertie had babies" where i seek advice and chat about my experience.

Alright, I've removed the wheel after reading some of the posts yesterday, right after she had given birth... so I also need to remove her platform on top? But it's above where she had kept her babies....It supported quite well, and if I move it, it will make a noise...

[Ria P]

Alright, I've removed the wheel after reading some of the posts yesterday, right after she had given birth... so I also need to remove her platform on top? But it's above where she had kept her babies....It supported quite well, and if I move it, it will make a noise...

I'd leave it in then because it's important not to disturb the nest.
As i said, i had no idea until a baby surfaced and had left everything in from platforms to a heavy silent runner wheel. They were so well hidden away in paperbased substrated under a platform that i didn't even hear a sound.

[Shina]

We have successfully passed the 5 days mark, and she has let us seen her babies, I've counted 7 in total. It's a good number right? Idk how to post pictures up here, but if you guys can teach me I would appreciate it, her babies are more active than I thought, 1 of it kept walking out of the nest, I was sure there's 8, maybe she ate it.