Hamsters are adorable, low-maintenance pets that offer joy, happiness, and laughter to everybody in the family.
However, despite their adorable appearance, hamsters are capable of biting. They’re not aggressive, but they do bite when afraid. We’ll look at other situations why hamsters bite and what to do about it later in the article.
Do Hamsters Usually Bite?
Before discussing the treatment and causes of hamster bites, it is essential to determine whether they typically bite.
Hamsters, like other rodents, can bite when they feel threatened. On the other hand, the biting could not happen very often if they were not violent. Hamsters show their owners affection in various ways, including biting.
Bites from hamsters are not considered life-threatening, although they can be painful and inflict deep scars. So, if you feel your hamster is biting you frequently, it is time to do some introspection.
What Would Happen When My Hamster Bit Me and Drew Blood?
It may be a very upsetting experience if a hamster bites you so hard that it draws blood from your wound. You’ll want to know what to do if a hamster bites you and makes you bleed.
- Firstly, if a hamster bit you hard enough to draw blood, you will suffer discomfort.
- Secondly, a hamster bite that breaks skin may cause blood loss. In most cases, the amount of blood lost is not significant.
- However, severe bleeding might result if the bite occurs along the course of a blood artery. Because of this, the hamster bite might be unable to stop the blood flow in your body.
- Thirdly, there is always the possibility that the region that the hamster bit would develop an infection. This may be an infection caused by a pathogen carried by the hamster.
Reasons Why Your Hamster Is Biting You
Once you discover that your hamster is not biting out of affection but for another purpose, you should understand the cause. The following are some of the primary reasons why your hamster could be biting you:
- They Are Afraid
Hamsters often only bite when startled or worried, which is one of the primary causes of this behavior.
Hamsters, like other rodents, are greatly frightened by very little, as they are very little creatures. Therefore, if you are not familiar enough with your hamster for it to feel safe around you, it may bite you to defend itself.
- Waking Hamsters
Hamsters sleep deeply and are more likely to bite if disturbed or roused from a deep sleep. Instead, you should play with your hamster when it wakes up on its own, typically at night. If you pick up your hamster, be sure it’s awake.
- Think You’re Food
Hamsters have poor eyesight; therefore, they rely heavily on their keen sense of smell to guide them through their environment.
Because hamsters have such sensitive noses, if you were to push your finger into your hamster’s cage, it’s possible that it would confuse you for food.
- Noise
Hamsters don’t enjoy noise since their natural habitat is quiet at night. Therefore, if you make excessive noise or your hamster is located in a noisy region of your home, then your hamster may become afraid and bite you in response.
- Your Touch may Irritate Them
When we want to show our dogs that we care, we often pick them up in our arms. When it comes to a hamster, on the other hand, things are handled very differently.
If you handle the hamster a lot and pick it up, it can try to get away from you by biting your finger if you do so frequently.
- Pregnant Hamsters
Pregnant hamsters might be upset before delivery, so don’t handle them. Since hamsters, like humans, have a lot of hormones circulating through their systems, you should allow pregnant hamsters plenty of areas to move about and treat them with respect when they are carrying young.
What Should You Do if My Hamster Bites Me and Drew Blood?
As soon as you realize that your hamster bit you strong enough to draw blood, you will begin to consider the optimal course of action.
If the hamster bite didn’t break the skin, that’s a different situation. Usually, all you need to do if a hamster bites you but doesn’t break the skin is wash the area.
In this case, the first thing to do is stop the bleeding. If it hasn’t stopped on its own. Applying gauze to the affected region can assist in this respect.
The use of Neosporin, if it is available, is one method that can be helpful in easing discomfort and reducing the risk of infection.
How to Stop Hamsters From Biting
- Pay Attention to the Hamster
You must pay attention to your hamster to have a healthy connection with him and prevent him from biting you again in the future. Spend some time with your hamster so that the two of you may play together and spend more time together; if you do this, there is a chance that your hamster will come to enjoy you.
- Train Your Hamster
Appropriately train your hamster so that he will not attempt to bite you again. At first, he will not listen to you, but after some time, when your hamster is taught, he will not attempt to bite you again. A hamster might be hard to train, but you stayed at it.
- Give Your Hamster a Treat
By offering the hamster a treat, you may end its biting behavior. When the hamster bites you again, don’t offer him a reward, so he learns he’s done wrong. Your hamster will not be harmed in any way by using this procedure.
- Socialize Your Hamster
Give your hamster the opportunity to socialize with youngsters and other people, so it will take pleasure to be around a variety of people. This would hopefully prevent the hamster from biting anybody since responding appropriately in front of a crowd would be difficult.
- Always Keep Your Hamster in the Cage
If you want to prevent your cute little hamster from biting somebody, you should keep him in his cage if he is an aggressive pet. If you leave him open, he may bite, so keep him relaxed and spend more time with him. Whenever visitors come to your home, you just need to lock them up in a cage unless you want them to roam free.
What if Your Hamster Bites You? Should You Be Worried?
Well, this is something every pet owner has to deal with. It’s not true that your pet hamster doesn’t love or adore you.
So, no, it’s not something to worry about. Instead, you should think about it. You might need to change how you treat your hamster.
You will be able to form a strong attachment with the hamster while minimizing the risk of being bitten in the process.
Why is my Hamster Aggressive & What Can I do About it?
Why Does My Hamster Bite the Bars of Its Cage?
Although boredom and anxiety are the most common causes of hamsters biting their cage bars, they are not the only ones. One of the most important is a healthy habit. The teeth of hamsters never cease growing, just like rabbits’ teeth. Therefore, they must file them down lest they become too huge for their small rodent mouths.
