Biting hamster

[Ruthla]

Last night, while DD1 was cleaning the hamster cage, DD2 was playing with the hamster. At one point, she grabbed him to keep him from wandering away (and getting lost under a pile of clutter), and he bit her on her right pointer finger, hard.

This wasn't a little warning "nip." This was a BITE. I think he bit down as hard and as deep as a hamster is capable of biting. Her finger was dripping blood, and a few drops landed on the floor in the time it took her to let go of the hamster and rush to the bathroom. (I then put the hamster, carefully, in the travel cage.)

I already started a separate thread in H&H about DD's finger, but I'm wondering what to do about the hamster. He's about 2 or 2.5 years old- so "elderly" for a hamster. He's not in great general health- he's had this sore on his back for months- every time it's almost better, it gets worse again. I suspect DD2 might have accidentally touched that spot when she was grabbing him to keep him from wandering off. In any case, it's clear that Silky isn't in good health, and is getting old. This biting is NOT typical behavior for him- up until now, he's been a very mild-mannered hamster. So I see this sudden violence as another sign of "something not right with Silky."

So what do we do with him now? We're afraid to play with him, in case he bites again. Is it fair to Silky to never play with him anymore? He gets exercise in the wheel, and we do have the travel cage to put him in when we clean the big cage, but it still seems unfair to him to never hold him anymore. Is there any way to "rehome" a mean old hamster?

[Ruthla]

[Oubliette8]

He probably doesn't have much time left from what you describe, so I probably wouldn't rehome him. The bite is probably related to pain and old age- perhaps he's also going blind or deaf and was unaware of her approach. I think it would be fair not to hold him anymore. I think it would also be fair to try holding him, but understand you may get bit. At his age, he probably doesn't want to do more than eat and sleep anyway. Actually, holding him MAY be stressing him out. If you want to give him some time out without holding him, why not create a play space? A safe area, maybe a plastic storage tub, filled with toys etc for him to explore while you're children watch. They can change the toys frequently to keep it interesting. Then when handling him, use the "scoop" method- get a large cup and pick him up in that, so that nobodys hands are at risk. If you routinely hide yummy treats in his scoop, he may even start to go in willingly. Good luck!