Need a hamster whisperer

[LoveMyHams]

My little dwarfie Carrot is just a little terror when it comes to biting. She's a hybrid, 1 year old, and probably has cancer (has 2 tumors but we never tested to find out what kind) and she is my only hamster out of 7 to bite. I just can't figure her out. She does lots of nips and some full out bites. She has bitten everyone who tries to hold her or pet her, including the vet. I have to hold her with a glove on or risk my fingers. She's the worst in her cage, you absolutely can't put put your unprotected hands in. If you offer her a treat she'll rip it from your fingers, throw in down and try to bite. When she's out she bites less, but don't get your fingers close. My husband won't even let her run on his lap because he's afraid she'll get him. I try to hold her like I do the rest but it's so hard. She's probably scarred for life since she's been flung from biting people as well.

I've been watching the Animal Planet show My Cat From Hell, I need a guy just like the host. Help me hamster whisperer!

[billybobbs]

If she has tumoers they could be serious. Did she start biting all of a sudden? I had a little hybrid called Jack who died a few months ago, Jack had tumors and neurological problems and the biting was awful! But If the tumors are making her uncomfortable theb that may be the reason for the biting. She may just be a biter and it may be something you all have to live with. You need to make sure her tumors are ok. Hamsters are tough little things but when the get ill, they get ill fast.
If she has been flung from biting people she may have brain damage.
Has she been like this for a while?

[LoveMyHams]

Yeah, she's bit since we adopted her. I'm sure the tumors are not fun, but she doesn't bite or scratch at the external one and she can walk/run just fine. The other tumor is internal. In fact she's happily running in her ball now.
She could have brain damage I suppose, from being a hybrid and from the falls. I really just want her to be a happy ham and it's hard when I don't know what she wants.

*edit:she has had the tumors for at least 4 months now if not longer. She has gone to the vet twice and had an ultrasound and well as steroids and antibiotics.

[Lynternette]

We had Campbells female who used to bite. She never stopped. She was very sociable and loved to be held and stroked but she just couldn't resist biting. We made 'ice cream cones' out of kitchen towel and popped her in to hold her. We tried everything but fingers were just so tempting.

[Lougarry]

Many hybrids have genetic neurological problems. If Carrot has them don't blame yourself for falls she may have had x

[kyrilliondaemon]

Dusty nips at the best of times, its just the way she is. She's a hybrid too and we can't stop it. Its just the way she is, doesn't stop her being a lovely little girl though She's just nicest when we're interacting with bars in the way

[LoveMyHams]

I do something similar to the ice cream cone towel when I have to cut her nails. I usually let her run on my lap when we're doing that as well. Sometimes she nibbles on my arms/face when we do that but that seems to be the best way to interact with her (besides in the ball).

[samurai]

I had 6 campbell's and some of them were terrible biters that would charge out of their nest to hang of my finger. I trained all of them to walk onto a food scoop to be transfered to their play area, ball, cleaning out tub.... I didn't pick the biters up directly as they were pretty calm about walking on and off the scoop so I didn't see it as being in their best interest to pick them up by hand.

I've only ever had this problem with these russians so I think it may have been partly genetic as they were from a pet shop so it's doubtful they were bred for temperment. To get them on the scoop I just started to place it in the cage regularly with their food on and they all cottoned on quickly, including the non biters.