Hamster Biting

[Queer Nugget]

Hi, I'm new to this forum and have no idea how it works, but I'm seeking advice on my hamster biting. I got my hamster Poe Dameron over a week ago, and while normally it takes a hamster much longer to be tame, Poe never seems scared of me and always come over to my hand and causally takes the food whenever I go in his cage. So I tried putting my hand in the cage, and he bit me. Not hard, it didn't draw blood, but it was still painful (although I might just be a wimp). Poe gets excited whenever I open the cage door, but whenever I offer him to climb on my hand, he climbs on and then bites me. He's also started hanging on when he bites, so he'll bite, I'll wait to let him realize that I'm not food, he'll keep biting, I try to gently pull away, and he hangs on. I'm not sure if I've done something wrong, or if I've got myself a biter. I also don't know how forums work, so forgive if posting this was just really stupid... I don't know.

[SKB_Hamsters]

Hello and Welcome to Hamster Central. Don't worry this forum is here for member including yourself to have questions and queries answered regarding hamsters - and their will always be someone who can help.

It sounds like Poe might be cage territorial it does take hamsters a while getting used to hands being placed inside their cage and so will often bite even if the hamster is happy to be handled out side their cage. This will usually go away as the hamster ages.

Can you handle Poe outside his cage? Most hamsters behave different outside of their cage, I find once they fully gain your trust being outside their cage they begin to get a bit more receptive with hands being inside their cage.

To get Poe more familiar with your hand/scent being inside his cage I would recommend doing the tissue trick - placing some white unscented tissues up your sleeves for while so they get your scent on them. Tear them up and place inside Poe's cage - hamsters will usually take the tissue to use a nesting material - therefore help them to associate your scent with relaxation and also get familiar with your hand being placed inside his cage.
Ensure before handling your hamster to wash your hands with unscented soap - often they will bite if they think your hands smell slightly of food.

If you have any more question don't hesitate to ask