Do Hamster bites hurt or draw blood?
Little Miss Sunshine asked:
I am just wondering if it hurts to be bitten by a hamster? I have had mostly cats and dogs all my life. I have been bitten by cats and dogs -love bites in play. But I’m scared the hamster is going to bite me. She nipped me once when I was feeding her, she smelled the food on my hand I guess. It didn’t hurt too bad. But I’m worried she’ll bite me harder next time. Should I be?
Ivonne
I am just wondering if it hurts to be bitten by a hamster? I have had mostly cats and dogs all my life. I have been bitten by cats and dogs -love bites in play. But I’m scared the hamster is going to bite me. She nipped me once when I was feeding her, she smelled the food on my hand I guess. It didn’t hurt too bad. But I’m worried she’ll bite me harder next time. Should I be?
Ivonne
February 14th, 2010 at 5:46 am
Kathrin
It can happen. They have some nasty sharp lil teeth.
February 17th, 2010 at 3:26 pm
Lexie
hamsters can give a small sting when they bit but give the hamster a peice of wood or somthing to knaw on to grind down its teeth
February 18th, 2010 at 4:13 am
Judi
Oh yeah, they bite and it hurts and it can draw blood. I had a hamster and the thing bit the hell out of me. It got infected too.
February 18th, 2010 at 3:09 pm
Serafina
Hamster bites can hurt very badly if they get hold of your skin just right. However, if you spend plenty of time with it, it should trust you enough to not bite you. I have never had a hamster’s bite to draw blood before, because they only pinch your top layer of skin. It can still hurt if they bite you just right, but just be sure you don’t have food smell on your hands when you play with her.
February 21st, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Krystal
it hurts like a really bad pinch. i wouldn’t worry about getting bit just be cautious not to get bitten.
February 25th, 2010 at 1:58 am
Katie
yes hamster bites can hurt and even draw blood. If it should bite you and draw blood you need to put alcohol on it to kill the gems.
February 27th, 2010 at 4:30 am
Aron
Yes hamster bites hurt, Yes they draw blood most of the time, and Yes you should be afraid.
Hamster bites are nothing like cat and dog bites. They are harder, quicker, and more likely to draw blood. Have you ever seen your hamster (or a hamster) yawn? They have sharp teeth on the top and bottom.
It doesn’t hurt for long, the bleeding stops and you move on with your life. But the worst this is to hold a grudge against the animal for biting you. It’s a natural instinct and because of their size, they are very defensive.
The best thing to do is handle her as much as you can AFTER washing your hands of course. The more you handle her, the less likely she will bite you when you try to play with her.
Good luck!
February 28th, 2010 at 6:44 am
Leone
Yes, they can hurt or draw blood. But sometimes it really doesn’t hurt, just like a tiny pinch.
Washing your hands before you handle your hamster will reduce the chance of you being bitten. Also, make slow movements around her so that she won’t be startled.
If you are really scared, you can use like a small towel and put it over your hand, and let your hamster walk onto it and when he bites, you won’t feel anything with the towel protecting your hand.
February 28th, 2010 at 2:48 pm
Albertine
when handling a new hamster I like to suggest what I call “active handling”. Which basically means you are moving your fingers constantly away from said hamster’s mouth while you are holding them. If your hamster turns on it’s back in a defensive position, do not try to pick it up as that is the most likely time to get the holy crap bit out of you.
and yes, rodent bites can hurt and they bleed profusely. It’s basically a puncture and you have to clean it and keep neosporin on it to keep it from getting infected.
Hamsters are the most likely to bite out of the five most common rodents as pets (hamster, gerbil, rat, guinea pig, rabbit)
March 1st, 2010 at 4:50 pm
Leola
I once had a hamster that bit me,my bro,and my sis. It felt like a sting and i was the only once that had blood.
March 2nd, 2010 at 10:19 pm
Arnoldo
Yes, it can hurt. But when you think about it, any animal with teeth can have a hurtful bite. Hamsters are known for biting and sometimes you just have a take a chance. You could try wearing strong gloves while handling your hamster and see how often he tries to bite. This way you can get over your fear and try again without the gloves on after you get used to holding your hamster again. If he isn’t biting you with the gloves on, then try without them. Hamsters are nocturnal and don’t appreciate being awokened from a deep sleep. Don’t grab your hamster from a nice nap, he will bite, most likely.
March 5th, 2010 at 7:35 pm
Lovie
a hamster bite can hurt a little nothing to shout about tho and draw blood but that is if the hamster is doing it to be nasty u will know when they are nastying they dont just nip i learnt that the hard way but aslong as your calm round her she should be fine it was probably a mistaken bite as you said you were feeding her at the time and she probably just smelt the food n wanted a taste of it
March 8th, 2010 at 6:11 am
Wilda
animals should only hurt if they are provoked or scared. so if you handle them well then pets shouldnt bite unless a little nibble to see if you are food or not. but drawing blood is rare
March 9th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
Evette
Rodent teeth are very sharp. Most rodents will bite out of fear, pain, or curiosity. I personally have five guinea pigs, and out of the five of them, only one really nibbles on me, and it’s typically when he’s trying to tell me something (i.e. put me down, I’m hungry, I have to pee, etc.). I have been bitten (to the point of drawing blood) on occasion when they’ve been startled or scared while being held. The pain isn’t unbearable – it’s like being pricked.
Honestly, whether or not your hammy bites can depend on its temperament. You can find different ways to hold them so they can’t get to you to bite. You can also hold them with a towel. Just bear in mind that rodents are not like dogs – they don’t respond to scolding, so don’t yell at them should they bite.
March 11th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Ulrike
I have had a dwarf hammy and he bit me every time I held him and he sometimes made me bleed but not always, I like rats better I have had 4 rats and never ben bitten by 1 of them.
March 13th, 2010 at 7:09 am
Beverlee
Yes it can hurt really bad and draw blood. My hamster has bitten me two times where I started bleeding. She’s a dwarf and it still hurt! Since then I have learned NEVER to try to grab her when she’s still asleep. Hamsters tend to bite when awaken or startled, so just keep that in mind and you should be fine.
March 15th, 2010 at 3:35 am
Billy
Sometimes they just kinda nibble at your finger as if it were food on accident, but when they’re mad their bite can draw blood.
March 16th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
Rey
it really depends on the temerment of your hamster, is she nice or agressive? shy or outgoing? it really gives a persepective your your hammy, if shes nice and outgoing she will most likely not nip because of fear or anger, just maybe because your hand smelled like food, or she was curious, if she is agressive or shy, she may be bitting you out of fear and anger, they bite for self defense, or to attack, its hard to get your hammy to trust if she is either of these, but i found some helpful websites to help get your hammy to trusting you:
(its for dwarfs, but some things also help with syrains)
if she does bite, it will most likely draw blood, but u shouldn’t be afraid, it really is just like a pinch, if u do get bitten DO NOT YANK YOUR HAND OUT OF THE CAGE, this will scare her, and she will find it harder to trust you, just take your hand out and clean off, take out any bedding if you got blood on it inside the hamster cage
hamsters are usually not agressive creatures, but they do bite more than most other rodents, they bite usually because they are curious, your hand smelled nice, or they were scared, after tameing and handleing your hammy, there really isn’t anything to be afraid of! godo luck with your hammy, and feel free to email me if you have some questions =]
March 16th, 2010 at 6:50 pm
Jay
wash your hands before and after handling hamsters. if they smell food they will nip, or if scared. I’ve never had one draw blood, but it takes you off guard when they nip.
March 18th, 2010 at 10:56 pm
Raphael
o yes they can bite hard and draw blood….and it hurts BAD. one time my old hamster went like crazy for a sec or something and just like jumped off my hand. when i went to pick him back up, he thought he was still falling and bit onto my hand and put his little arms around me to make sure he wouldn’t fall. out of my 5 hamsters i’ve had though, that’s the only time i’ve been bitten.