HAMSTERS THAT BITE

Ron Hines DVM PhD 4/28/06

Dear Client,
I am sorry your hamster, Sabrina, bit your finger.

First, This problem usually occurs when hamsters reach puberty (sexual maturity)
at 4-8 wks. It's happened to me
as a child and I know it is very painful. Luckily, these bites do not
usually get infected. When I raised hamsters, I found that many things
influenced their mood. First, when they are in sleep-mode, they don't like
to be disturbed. Stroke them, first with a Q-tip, to wake them up slowly and
gently. Then, stroke their back for a minute or two. Unless you approach
them frontally (from the head), they should not bite.

Second, the more you handle hamsters, the friendlier they get. You need
to spend quality time with them every day. If getting her out is a problem,
use a soft terry-cloth towel. Then place her in your lap or in your pocket while you watch
TV or a video. When holding them, hamsters prefer being held in
cupped hands rather than being grasped tightly. Hamsters have a "diurnal
clock" that is their body internally know the time of day, and sets their mood and
activity rhythms accordingly. You may have to find her “mellow time" or
reverse the lighting to "reset" her clock - this sometimes solves nipping
(biting) problems.
A good lighting cycle is 13 hours of light and 11 hrs of darkness. Hamsters are
very near-sighted and use scent to identify you. If you are using aromatic wood-
chip bedding, she may not recognize your body's normal scent - try a recycled
newspaper product. One is marketed as "Yesterdays News" for cat litter.
Shredded or ribbon-cut newspaper also works well. Today, all the black inks
are non-toxic soya products. Do not use any product containing bentonite clay (swelling cat litter).

Third, Hamsters have reproductive cycles like every mammal. Although I have
never seen exact figures, I estimate that they cycle about every 10 days throughout the
year - but more frequently during the summer. If they are not mated, they
then often go into a period called pseudopregnacy (pseudocyesis), which lasts
7-15 days. This also influences their mood greatly. They ovulate during the night
and can be very testy during this period. You can tell when they are in
ovulatory mode because their private parts swell, they become hyperactive;
running around much more and flattening their nesting material. This lasts
about 14 hours. That's the time they often attack males as well as bite their
owners.

Diet can play a part in mood. Hamsters are very susceptible to a lack of
vitamin E and I would suggest you supplement her diet with about
about 5-10 iu per day along with other antioxidants. Diets and these products
are available through my web page. Giving these products (nutraceuticals)
is also associated with longer lifespans in many rodents as
is not overfeeding them protein and carbohydrates during their growth stage. A product,
available through my web page, Nutricalm for cats can be helpful if the contents
of a single capsule is given over a 10 day period. It consists of Tryptophane,
Kava and valerian.

Of course, Sabrina may have other health problems - but
these do not generally cause biting unless a leg or other body area becomes
painful due to bruising, and most systemic problems are accompanied by weight
loss. Physically disciplining a hamster in any fashion does not work.

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