Hamster Behavior Question

Question
Two questions:
First, my Syrian (we'v had her 2 months) bit me for the first time yesterday.  My daughter wanted to play with her, and we lured her out of her sleeping den with with sunflower seeds, then took her out of her cage.  She seemed to be enjoying roaming around, then when I picked her up, she turned her head around and bit me on the thumb. I told my kids that it was our fault, that we should not have disturbed her sleep, but we are all a little scared of her now and are nervous to handle her.
Second question: since she bit me, she seems in a general chewing frenzy, shredding up large amounts of cardboard and a half a dozen wood chews in the course of two days.  She never seemed that interested in chewing before -- is she entering some kind of biting/chewing phase, or do you think the two things are unrelated?


Answer
Hi Joanna,

Hamsters do have periods in which they seem to chew and bite more than usual.  Perhaps your hamster's teeth are bothering her, so that's why she's chewing more than normal.  Hamsters do this often because their teeth are always growing, and occasionally the teeth grow too long and are uncomfortable to the hamster.  If it's possible, you should take your hamster to the vet to determine if she needs her teeth clipped (a common, simple procedure for the vet).  In the meantime, be sure to keep providing her with chew sticks.  Also, there is a product called a vegetable wheel (I usually find it at Walmart for under $2) - you simply clip it to the cage (there's an included clip), and the hamster can gnaw on it, helping to file down her teeth.

When you picked her up after she was roaming around, did you speak to her softly before you picked her up?  If you gave her no warning, and you simply picked her, her immediate instinct would be to bite.  This is a natural response for a hamster - they assume it's a predator, and they must defend themselves.  In the future, as you approach your hamster to pick her up, speak to her softly, and make sure she can see you.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.

Kelly