My new hamster is stressed and biting bars. What should I do?

It is possible that Khaleesi has hurt herself in the new enclosure. I would recommend giving her a few days to get settled to the new cage. Sometimes a change can cause stress and will make hamsters more anxious and scared. This will change their behavior. If in a few day Khaleesi does not seem more settled I would recommend taking her to a vet to make sure she does not have an injury. At anytime if she stops eating/drinking I would take her in sooner. I hope that helps

Thanks for reaching out about Daabool and including a photo. Hamsters are desert animals, highly capable of extracting water from their food. Biting is a common fear response in hamsters, and continuing to earn/win trust by offering treats, keeping movements slow and deliberate. Try removing Daabool from his environment with a scoop or cup, to move to a neutral territory (i.e. table top). Then see if interactions are aggressive. Sometimes its just territorial defense. Good luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This does sound like she is quite stressed. The good news is that typically this improves on its own just by giving them a bit of space. I would not be too concerned about this. I would recommend you do not handle her anymore today and wait until tomorrow. A bit of space is likely to resolve this issue. Best of luck!

As long as Sandy is still eating and drinking normally I would not be too concerned. If she stops either of these behaviors then I would recommend taking her to the veterinarian to be evaluated. I think it is very likely that she is stressed because of her new cage/environment. Continue to try and interact with her as you normally do, offer her her favorite treats and toys to help her feel more comfortable. Also, if you got a new substrate (bedding) to go with the new cage this could explain why you are smelling her urine and feces more strongly. If Sandy stops eating, becomes lethargic, or starts having diarrhea then I would recommend taking her in to see your vet. Otherwise just keep an eye on her for now as she’s adjusting I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Thank you for using PetCoach. It is important to remember that hamsters are nocturnal animals. That means the majority of eating drinking and activity will be done at night. She is also stressed by the change in habitat and abnormal activity. Try to minimize handling for the next few days, especially during the day time when she should be asleep. Here are some articles that may give you some more information. If she is not active at night or eating or drinking, then I would recommend a veterinary visit tomorrow. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/owning-a-pet-hamster https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/owning-a-pet-hamster https://bellevueanimalhospital.com/veterinary-services/exotic-avian/hamsters/ https://lafeber.com/vet/basic-information-for-hamsters/ https://lafeber.com/vet/wp-content/uploads/hamster-basic-info-sheet.pdf

Show this to your sister: Check him thoroughly for injuries, or other abnormalities. Watch him when he eats. If his eating style has changed, he may have a problem in his mouth or with his teeth Most of the time hamsters chew the cage because of boredom, attention-seeking behavior, managing teeth growth, and the simple fun of chewing. Does he have a hamster wheel or an exercise ball? If not, those can relieve boredom. Give him some apple or birch twigs, Willow works too,dog biscuits, carrots to gnaw on. A hard dog treat helps with keeping teeth healthy.  Spend more time with him. Let your hamster crawl around on top of you while you lie on the floor. Hamsters love to explore, and once he has developed a trust in you he will want to climb all over you. Let him sleep during the day. Hamsters are nocturnal, which means they sleep during the day and are awake and active at night. Waking him up during the day, may cause him irritation. Interrupting his natural sleep schedule could lead to further undesirable behavior.  Check the size of his cage. As a general rule of thumb hamsters need at least a cubic foot of space. If your cage is smaller than that, he will need a bigger cage. Change the furniture in his cage around a bit to make it more interesting for him to explore. A cardboard tube from a roll of paper towel or toilet paper makes an excellent chew toy for hamsters and he should like to use it to hide and play in it. All this may help avoid biting , whether it is cage biting or biting your fingers. This is likely not a medical problem, unless you find an injury or you find that he is not chewing or eating properly or you think he may be in pain. And, unfortunately, sometimes Hamsters can turn into little bite machines. So if your hamster has plenty to chew on as described above, and the cage biting does not stop, you should move him into a glass aquarium, so he cannot keep up chewing bars and ruining his teeth. Be patient, it will take time. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!

No, I would not be overly worried. He may just be tired from stress. Just keep an eye on him and if he isn't better in 24 hours you should take him to a vet for an exam. He may be coming down with an illness; very common, especially if purchased at a pet store.