Register FAQ Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
Navigation
Front Page
Forum
Gallery
Wiki

Ads by Google


Go Back   Hamster Central > Hamster Central Forum Topics > Hamster Chat

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 05-21-2020, 02:36 PM   #1
Nakuzo
Hamster Pup
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Greece
Posts: 65
Exclamation Help with a bitting hamster

Hello everyone!

My hammie Oscar didn't use to bite me or pretty much anyone else. The last 3-7 days though it became a habit for him to try and bite me as hard as he can. It got to the point when I bleed once. He is 4-5 months old and he lives in a sufficiently large environment. Is he telling me something? What should I do?
Nakuzo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-22-2020, 12:08 PM   #2
Ria P
House of Hamsters
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Wiltshire, UK
Posts: 7,103
Default Re: Help with a bitting hamster

Have you done all the essential checks?
Is the water bottle working?
Does his wheel work and spin freely?

What's Oscar like when he is out of his cage?

I'd give him a health check to make sure nothing is wrong with him physically that's causing him pain or discomfort.
Ria P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-22-2020, 10:50 PM   #3
Nakuzo
Hamster Pup
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Greece
Posts: 65
Default Re: Help with a bitting hamster

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ria P View Post
Have you done all the essential checks?
Is the water bottle working?
Does his wheel work and spin freely?

What's Oscar like when he is out of his cage?

I'd give him a health check to make sure nothing is wrong with him physically that's causing him pain or discomfort.
For the first 2 questions, yes. For the third one, he is not scared outside. He has a spot or 2 that he particularly likes and I find that he likes to run in the middle of the area too. Also, going out means he will get a treat. You should see how crazy he becomes when I grab his bag of treats. Sometimes he even tries to help me open it. It's hilarious.

Anyway, I got worried because the bites were particularly strong. It might be because I tried to pet him in the morning but I don't know.
Nakuzo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-22-2020, 11:02 PM   #4
cypher
Dwarf whisperer
 
cypher's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Wales UK
Posts: 24,789
Default Re: Help with a bitting hamster

Have you done any big cage cleans recently or changed anything in his cage? It sounds as though he's just got a bit territorial in his cage & that an happen with over cleaning or changing things around.
__________________
Slave to Zak.
Always loved, never forgotten, forever in my heart
T'ycor, Ziggy, Zephyr, Flynt, Mickle, Little Whisp, Zen, Zeki, Tinwë, Zylvan, Míriel, Calyanwë, Gusto & Meri
❤️
cypher is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-23-2020, 02:10 AM   #5
Ria P
House of Hamsters
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Wiltshire, UK
Posts: 7,103
Default Re: Help with a bitting hamster

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nakuzo View Post
Anyway, I got worried because the bites were particularly strong. It might be because I tried to pet him in the morning but I don't know.
It could be the timing. Our tame Syrian snapped at (not bit) my partner yesterday morning when he tried to stroke him. Hamster Henry had just pouched a peanut and was on his way to his house. He probably thought that my partner was trying to steal it so he defended his treasure.

My foster dwarf hamster screeched at me when i tried to interact with him yesterday afternoon so i let him be.

Timing can make a big difference and some hamsters can only be handled when they want human contact.

Do you make sure that he has food available to him at all times and nibbles like millet sprays and a whimzee to chew on? It's important they have something to forage for when they feel like it. Their hoard is precious to them and they love to add to it.

I'm sure you know all that but i'm only trying to help figure out what could make him grumpy enough to bite.
Ria P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2020, 12:06 AM   #6
Nakuzo
Hamster Pup
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Greece
Posts: 65
Default Re: Help with a bitting hamster

Quote:
Originally Posted by cypher View Post
Have you done any big cage cleans recently or changed anything in his cage? It sounds as though he's just got a bit territorial in his cage & that an happen with over cleaning or changing things around.
As a matter of fact I did. I threw out his entire bedding and replaced it with a new one.
Nakuzo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2020, 12:08 AM   #7
Nakuzo
Hamster Pup
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Greece
Posts: 65
Default Re: Help with a bitting hamster

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ria P View Post
It could be the timing. Our tame Syrian snapped at (not bit) my partner yesterday morning when he tried to stroke him. Hamster Henry had just pouched a peanut and was on his way to his house. He probably thought that my partner was trying to steal it so he defended his treasure.

My foster dwarf hamster screeched at me when i tried to interact with him yesterday afternoon so i let him be.

Timing can make a big difference and some hamsters can only be handled when they want human contact.

Do you make sure that he has food available to him at all times and nibbles like millet sprays and a whimzee to chew on? It's important they have something to forage for when they feel like it. Their hoard is precious to them and they love to add to it.

I'm sure you know all that but i'm only trying to help figure out what could make him grumpy enough to bite.
I accidentally threw out his hoard during the last cage clean. Could it be that?
Nakuzo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2020, 12:37 AM   #8
Maker
Adult Hamster
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 303
Default Re: Help with a bitting hamster

Yes it could be, if you need to do it again then replace the horde in the same place as it was, but you wouldn’t ordinarily need to do a full cage clean or bedding clean unless he pee’s in his bed, poos are dry and don’t smell so you can just spot clean his bed in the future. It will have made home upset.
Also I don’t wake my ham to interact, and always let her finish what she’s doing before I open the door, let her finish eating, hording, washing or stretching, wait until she’s ready.
Maker is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
bite, bleed, hard, point, telling, hamster, bitting

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO v2.0.43 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Copyright © 2003-2022, Hobby Solutions
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 10:08 AM.