winter white biting us A LOT!

[new2hammies0314]

I have a male winter white that in the last few days has started to bite us ALOT! every time I go to get him out of his cage for some exercise he bites us hard. I am at the point that I am going to take him back to the store, petsmart, today! we havent had him two weeks and when we got him he got up several times and played and ate and all and was so sweet! then now he doesnt get up but once or twice and all he does is eat get a drink and back to bed. is there something wrong with him or where did we go wrong?

[Hekomi]

He's just new. If you only just got him, he's scared and stressed out. Imagine being super tiny, and then having a giant come over you and grab you with their hands. You'd be scared too! A bite is just his defense mechanism.

The best thing to do is work on taming him. If you're worried he'll bite (and I know the feeling, bites hurt!) wear some thick gardening gloves. Start off with putting toilet paper that's scented like you (I put mine in my bra) around his cage so he gets used to your scent. Talk to him softly. When you place your hand in his cage, place it down palm up and put a treat in it. Since he's a dwarf (from a pet store it's unlikely he's pure winter white, he's likely a hybrid) I would use some veggies or a sunflower seed. He will begin to associate your hand with food and treats and be less likely to attack you if enter "his territory".

Also, if he has a nice large house he might be less aggressive. What kind of cage do you have, and how big is it? I give my hamsters at least a 20gal long tank which gives them 360sq in of room to run around.

Just remember hamsters will be hamsters. Dwarfs tend to be nippy but patience and confidence will help. I hope my reply was helpful. I have two Russian Campbell's myself and while they weren't super nippy, I still had to tame them. My Syrian is definitely nippy and is proving harder to tame.

[DrKMcK]

Dwarf hamsters can be very cage aggressive. Mine are. Whenever I go to get the boys, Toffee & Almond, I use a pair of heavy suede gardening gloves. Once they are out of the cage they calm down. But it took a while for this to happen. A hamster can take a few weeks to tame, some a few months, like my Ted E Bear. Lots of people think you can buy a hamster and they will be friendly and tame from the get go. This doesn't happen, mostly because the majority of pet stores don't handle the young hammies. So now, you have a hammy who has not been handled, is taken to a strange place and then their home is invaded by big, people with big voices. Also, even if a hammy appears tame at first, they can become territorial about their home. The only real defense they have is biting, so that's what they do. Even now, over 8 months later, I do not put my hands in to pick up my dwarf hamsters without a glove. Once they are out I take the glove off, but I respect their home. Let your hamster lead you in how much interaction he wants. He'll trust you more in the long run.

[Basilthehamster]

Make sure your hands are clean before touching your hamster because if you've just eaten they may want to eat that food on your hands

From basilthehamster