Some hamsters bite. This doesn't make them bad pets. They may just be misunderstood and unsocialized.
Hamsters are charming pets: lively, intelligent, fun to watch, and cuter than any rodent has a right to be. But people who have pet hamsters often have one chief complaint—the hamster bites!
The good news is that teaching a hamster to keep its teeth to itself is not all that difficult. It just requires a basic understanding of how hamsters see—or often fail to see—their worlds.
Hamsters Are Nearsighted
Hamsters originated in the desert where they burrowed deep under the sand during the heat of the day and ventured out by night to gather food. Their lifestyle did not require them to rely on their vision, and as a result, pet hamsters today do not see very well.
Instead of their vision, hamsters use their smell and their taste buds to sense the world around them.
Some hamster owners mistake a pet hamster’s experimental nibbling for aggressive biting. As a rule, gentle nipping or chewing that does not cause pain or draw blood is not a cause for concern. The hamster is merely exploring its environment as hamsters do.
Taming Hamsters: Take It Slow
If done aggressively, a hamster’s biting may also indicate fear or uncertainty. According to Hamster Heaven, if the hamster is a new acquisition, the owner needs to put some time into socializing the hamster.
Hamster Heaven suggests not handling the new pet hamster for at least 24 hours to give it time to adjust to its surroundings. After 24 hours, food can be offered by hand. Once the hamster is confident accepting food from the owner’s hand, which may take several days, the owner can then progress to gentle petting inside the cage. When the hamster is at ease with that much contact, probably after another several days, a paper cup can be used to gently remove it from the cage for further play and socialization. Eventually, the owner will be able to reach in and remove the hamster from its cage without fear of being bitten.
However, it is always wise to let the hamster crawl into the owner’s hand to be lifted out of the cage instead of the owner reaching in and grabbing it. A hamster that is grabbed suddenly may think it is in the grip of a predator and bite in self defense.
Other Tips to Avoid Hamster Bites
Ron Hines, DVM, recommends that hamsters be played with and socialized on a daily basis. If several days go by without contact between owner and hamster, the hamster may need to be tamed all over again before it can be handled without biting.
Hamsters sometimes bite when they are startled out of a deep sleep. If the hamster must be woken up, Dr. Hines recommends awakening it gently by rubbing its back with a Q-Tip. Only reach into the cage when the hamster is fully awake.
Hamsters may also bite fingers that smell like food or like another animal. For this reason, it’s a good idea for owners to wash their hands thoroughly with unscented soap before handling a hamster.
Hamsters are good natured creatures. When a hamster bites aggressively, it is usually out of fear or lack of proper socialization and taming. The simple steps outlined in this article will help put a hamster at ease and reduce the risk of biting.
