How to prevent my hamster from biting me?

When thinking of a hamster as a company animal, we can only get tender Because of its tiny size and sweet appearance, it is also common to imagine a positive interaction...Until it bites us!

There are many people who adopt this little rodent without being well informed or have their first contact when he is home, then, if the hamster has not been well socialized, they receive a small bite and, although it does not hurt, it is obvious that is not something nice .

It is important to have a positive attitude with our new hamster, but how should we act in the face of continued bites? In this Animals and Pets Online article we will show you how to prevent my hamster from biting me , don't lose any detail!

Why do hamsters bite?

There are different causes that can cause a hamster to manifest aggressive behaviors towards humans, mainly three: genetics, socialization and learning.However, those specimens that suffer pain or some disease , they may also bite by trying to avoid interaction with humans.

Those hamsters who have exemplary parents who show aggressiveness are more likely to develop it also in their stage adult, but also a lack of socialization with people in the earliest stages or a bad experience lived, can also be the reasons that explain why a hamster bites.

Whether you have been able to identify the cause of this behavior or otherwise, here are some basic tips you can follow to improve your well-being and behavior, factors that will significantly improve your relationship cion and its character.

How to make your hamster not bite?

It is completely understandable that a hamster, after arriving at a new home, is not predisposed to be manipulated.They are independent animals that probably fear human beings because of their large size: it is instinctive.much older than them and, of course, they are fully aware.However, if we use patience and learn to interact positively with them, we will be more likely to gain their trust and have more approaches with them.

If your roborowskii hamster bites, you should try to improve your bond with him by following these tips:

• During the first days you should offer a quiet and stable environment so that you can get used to the new home without stress.Even if you really want to touch him and spend time with him, it is important to respect the adaptation times.
• Take care of the environment and prepare the cage for your hamster ad equaled, making sure you have enough space, toys and all the necessary accessories to enjoy a state of well-being.
• Do not wake up your hamster when you are sleeping.It is very important that the little rodent will be able to associate us in a positive way, so if you scare him, he will start to fear you.Respect his sleep hours and interact with him only when he is awake.
• Make him get used to your presence putting food inside the cage and handling accessories when it is inside.At first you should not touch him, just habituate him to begin to tolerate the presence of your hand in the cage.
• Have him show interest in you by speaking to him in a soft voice, offering him bits of fruit recommended for hamsters and respecting his space whenever he runs away or hides.
• Make gradual approximations , that is, do not try to take it without notice.It is better than , little by little, you are making approaches with your hand so that you are more accustomed to it.

It is important to emphasize that this process can take us days, weeks and even months.Depending on the cause that This causing the aggressive attitude of our hamster can take more or less time.In any case, being patient and acting positively and calmly will be key to solving it.

Why does my hamster bite me if I didn't do it before?

Sometimes it may happen that, after gaining the trust of a hamster, it begins to bite us intentionally, although at the same time it plays and lets itself be manipulated without any kind of problem.What do bites mean then? of the hamster?

In these cases we must rule out that it is an organic cause , that is, that our little rodent bites us due to illness or pain.Can you feel your Hamster gently and gently pressing different parts of your body to discover if you feel pain at any point in your body.If so, a visit to the exotic veterinarian is required.

On the other hand, it can also happen that our hamster bites us as a greeting .In these cases we will talk about a soft bite and, after it, the hamster will act normally before our presence, not try run away or hide.

How to act when the hamster bites us?

Whatever the cause of the aggressive behavior, knowing some basic guidelines of driving will be essential to know how to prevent my hamster from biting me. days we should not move away or withdraw our hand , even if the bite has been painful, only in this way will you understand that the bite is not a useful tool for us to move away from it.

Even Thus, manipulating him while we bite ourselves is not a good option, neither for us nor for him, since it will increase the levels of fear and anxiety in our little hamster.Instead, we must learn to educate our hamster using positive reinforcement and negative punishment:

• Positive reinforcement : consists of rewarding behavior that we consider appropriate.For example, if our hamster shows true interest in us, we can reward you every time you approach our hand, in this way to associate our presence and its approach with prizes, so there will be more likely to repeat that behavior.
• Negative punishment : is to withdraw something pleasant in the face of inappropriate behavior.For example, if we are playing with our hamster on the sofa and it bites us, we will put it back in the cage and end the game.

Remember that associations do not occur immediately, several repetitions are required so that the animal can relate its behavior to the subsequent reinforcement or punishment.

Inadequate methods to correct bites

Some people use wrong and undesirable methods, such as positive punishment, which not only do not help to improve the situation , but also make it worse.Then we show you two methods inadequate to correct a hamster:

• Blow in the face of the hamster when it bites : a priori it may seem harmless punishment, but it is not so.to associate the bite with this type of actions, the truth is that you will also be associating our presence with an unpleasant situation.It also increases the levels of anxiety and stress, causing rejection and fear towards us.
• Give some blows to the head : as in the previous case, this "technique" causes a bad association of our presence, discomfort and discomfort.It is also not positive to hit an animal so small precisely because of its small size.An excess of force could hurt him.

Other frequent doubts

Finally, we will solve some frequent doubts that some owners have, don't lose any detail:

• What happens if a Russian hamster bites you? The bite of a Russian hamster is not dangerous or extremely harmful.You must be aware that hamsters may bite on occasion, but if you follow our guidelines you can solve it effectively.
• Can hamsters transmit any disease to us? While it is true that rodents are associated with serious pathologies such as rabies, the truth is that a domestic hamster is unlikely to become infected, especially if it does not have access to the outside.Discover in Animals and Pets Online the most common diseases of hamsters.
• Why does my hamster bite everything? Like many other rodents, hamsters need to nibble to wear their teeth, so be sure to provide them with a piece of calcium, natural wood toys and other specific gnawing materials that you will find in pet shops.
• Why does my Russian hamster bite the bars of the cage? It can happen if the size of the cage is excessively reduced and is a consistent behavior of stress and anxiety.It also appears if the hamster has no elements to gnaw.

If you want to read more articles similar to How to prevent my hamster from biting me? , we recommend that you enter our Behavior Problems section.