Concern About My Hamster’s Behavior - Bitting

[Talyx]

Hello HamsterLovers,

I adopted Mil, a hybrid hamster (campbell/dwarf), two months ago from a family who had originally purchased her from a pet store. Having tamed several hamsters before, I have never encountered one as aggressive as she is. I frequently allow her to roam freely or semi-freely, and I handle her daily despite her biting. She is well-acclimated to both my home and me—she isn’t fearful but has an intense funny dislike for satin : Whether it’s my hair tie or a piece of curtain, she pounces on it as if her life depends on it.

Additionally, even when she is out of her enclosure, she actively seeks out my fingers just to bite them. I ensure not to feed her with my fingers, and enven whith a strong smell of soap, each time she bites; when this happen I scruff her and gently turn her over so she associates biting with preventive handling, which I regularly practice to check a hamster’s general health and touch the belly.

I don't mind if tha's just her personality, she is really fun to watch, she likes to climb on me and I enjoy her company but I would appreciate any advice or insights you may have on how to manage her bitting behavior.


P.S.: Her teeth are fine; she has homemade cookies as hard as rock and doesn’t need to grind them. And yes she have enough food and a nice terrarium.

 

[Talyx]

link of some short video of her enjoying her walks : https://fromsmash.com/Milhamster

 

[Maz]

Hello and welcome It's lovely you've adopted her. Do you know how old she is? There could be a number of reasons for her biting and some aggression. It could be a health issue (diabetes maybe) or it could be some past trauma affecting her. Or, unfortunately, some dwarf hamsters are just like this. I don't think you will train her out of it with scruffing really and she may see that as a hostile action. I just say "no" firmly" - which also doesn't work sometimes, but other times it does.

I think I would concentrate on trying to build a bond of familiarity and trust without hands for now. It may take a long time for her to trust hands or it may never happen. But you can still build a bond without handling, by means of your voice, regular presence and gentleness. Hence I think the scruffing may be counter-intuitive

Keep talking to her, tell her she's a clever girl (sometimes), talk in an upbeat voice sometimes and a gentle caring voice other times. Apologies if you already know this and are doing it. After a while you could try wearing thick gloves and have food on the palm of your hand so she eats from your hand. If she bites your gloved hand you say no sternly but gently and withdraw the food. At least with a glove you don't jump and pull your hand away suddenly.

They are funny how they go for some things. One of my syrians decided to attack my dressing gown belt because it was hanging into the playpen and moving. As if he was a dog or a cat!

I would do a diastix test of her urine also. You can buy ketodiastix a number of places on Amazon. It will test for sugar, blood and protein. If it tests positive for sugar then she may have diabetes. That can actually affect their mood as well as cause them some pain and discomfort, and that could explain a few things. Protein can also indicate diabetes but not usually without sugar as well I think.

You probably already know that hybrid dwarf hamsters have a genetic predispostion to diabetes - particularly the campbells genes.

I am sure she is loving her new home. How long have you had her?

 

[Talyx]

Hi Max thank you for the fasr reply.
I adopted her two months ago. According to her previous family, she must be around six months old. I suspected diabetes because she drinks and urinates a lot compared to my previous hamsters. Since I got her, I have gradually changed her diet, as I found it unbalanced—too much sugar.

I also noticed that, twice in two months, she ran on her 27 cm wheel with her back arched, like a hump before the neck. It might be due to pain.
I’ll stop by the pharmacy to get a test and be sure... You never know what to expect when taking in a hamster from a family that, unfortunately, is getting rid of it.

Thanks again for the reply

 

[Maz]

You're welcome. Yes I'd check her urine and then think about whether it might be worth a vet check. They probably didn't want her because she bites. It would be good to eliminate any possible cause for this before deciding she's just a biter. But @Eriathwen has one on here who is just a biter! That may also be genetics. I'm more experienced with syrians than dwarfs and did adopt a Syrian who was a biter and scared of hands. I did gradually tame him to accept hands but it took about 6 months and every now and then he would jerk a bit still as if to threaten to bite - but he learned to trust me and didn't. He had been a child's pet and probably handling had caused it.

 

[Socks Mum]

Welcome to the forum! Mil is a beautiful little hammy! The interest in satin might be a prey response, like a cat playing with wool. She doesn't have any bite inhibition. Scruffing is a bit risky as it puts pressure on the eyes, so perhaps try to minimise it. Looking at Mil's tummy through a glass or perspex container might help, but it is great that you do health checks. Fingers might also remind her of prey, being warm and alive and fast moving. With a cat you could try to redirect onto a toy, but I'm not sure what would be safe for a hamster as there is a risk she might swallow something so he can bite on. If you keep your hands still and relaxed, play dead, she might lose interest. Part of her instinct is to hunt to survive.

 

[Socks Mum]

Yes, if the has been handled a lot in a rough way it might have over stimulated her and made her bite. Unfortunately hamsters are often treated as toys which does them no good.

 

[Knowlton]

Hello HamsterLovers,

I adopted Mil, a hybrid hamster (campbell/dwarf), two months ago from a family who had originally purchased her from a pet store. Having tamed several hamsters before, I have never encountered one as aggressive as she is. I frequently allow her to roam freely or semi-freely, and I handle her daily despite her biting. She is well-acclimated to both my home and me—she isn’t fearful but has an intense funny dislike for satin : Whether it’s my hair tie or a piece of curtain, she pounces on it as if her life depends on it.

Additionally, even when she is out of her enclosure, she actively seeks out my fingers just to bite them. I ensure not to feed her with my fingers, and enven whith a strong smell of soap, each time she bites; when this happen I scruff her and gently turn her over so she associates biting with preventive handling, which I regularly practice to check a hamster’s general health and touch the belly.

I don't mind if tha's just her personality, she is really fun to watch, she likes to climb on me and I enjoy her company but I would appreciate any advice or insights you may have on how to manage her bitting behavior.


P.S.: Her teeth are fine; she has homemade cookies as hard as rock and doesn’t need to grind them. And yes she have enough food and a nice terrarium.

She's adorbs!

She's drawing blood, not nibbling?

She bites only your fingers... fingertips?

Maybe wear some gloves until she stops.

Does your vet have any advice?