Got bit - wow did it hurt!

SO I gave 'Tater a bath the other day - and as usual I clip her nails after the bath. Hers grow so darn fast - well she was wiggling and not really having any of it - but she is usually so good tempered - then she bit me.

Sweet breath of horses - she didnt just bite - she chewed on my finger - biting in deeper and deeper going for blood!!!! I could FEEL my skin tearing. I got totally sick to my stomach - it was horrible

Oh lordy I saw stars and it took every ounce of my self control to just sit there and let her finish - I mean what the heck was I going to do - the way hedgies are made - if I would pull away she would bite down harder - for a desperate moment I thought I was going to have to gently put something in her mouth to keep her from chomping down further. But suddenly she let go.

After I looked at my poor wounded finger and brushed the tears off my cheeks I checked her to find out what her problem was - she usually isnt a biter.
I quicked her poor thing (although I dont feel she had to be so vindictive and bite me THAT hard - a nip would have sufficed 'Tater)

I put her away - and was actually gun shy for a day or two handling her (she really did bite me THAT hard)

We are back to normal now cuddling and me kissing her snout and quills...

But OUCH.

Never trim a wiggling hedgie. Lesson well learned.

Eventually, the bites stop hurting so much and you'll actually be able to hold completely still during it.

normal nips and bites I can handle... this one she bit - slightly released bit and ground down with her teeth - jaws moving from side to side - loosened and then ground down again - it was like over a 10 second ordeal :cry3:

I have a hedgehog that does that too... he will actually lunge at fingers for no good reason. I call him my little sport biter. Eventually, you become so desensitized to it that you carry on a conversation, without falter, as the hog is chomping on your finger.

Cuda is one of the jaw grinders too. I know how you feel.

all i have to say is ouch!

Mine did that to my arm and I was dumb enough to jerk back. Then I had to stand there stomping my foot till he let go. I had a bruise and welp for a week.

gosh I bet you did!!!!!

Winston got me one night while he was running around the kitchen. I was doing dishes in bare feet, and he got me right on the achillies!! That hurt like you would not believe. And it was just a taste bit too, not a cranky one

Kendra

ohhhhh bet that one did hurt *winces* bad spot!

Ow!
Carmen bites when she's cranky or mad. Like, when I was giving her a bath once... She didn't let go! She was chomping hard for five minutes.
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OUCH! Just reading that I felt your pain.

The other day at work I got bit by a hamster and o.m.g it hurt so **** bad.
My body felt light for a minute, oddest thing.

lol sorry! That was the "D" word.

yowch I dunno they seem to have sharper teeth or something

I am lucky 'Tater is nearly the perfect HP she rarely bites - in fact I have only been bitten twice on purpose ( 2 other times I was feeding her and she got a little over zealous) She is rarely cranky and if she is fussy - I have never had her bite me.

Admittedly this one was my fault but for her to chomp and grind - I totally had to use every last bit of my energy to not move - but I sure hollered out!

The other on purpose time was she was *really* hungry she had run out of food in her cage - not by a long time or anything - but I had worked a little later than usual - so I came home got into my pj's prepared for some 'Tater cuddling time - could not figure out for the life of me why she was chomping on my PJ's I thought it might have been the lavender I had put a drop of on there to help me relax ... Next thing I knew CHOMP! She had been fussy so I decided to put her back in her cage and do my nightly food water check/refill OOOHHH she was out of food!

Luckily, I have only been bitten a few times by my older hedgie, Felicity. (in my new avatar!!) She has never really hurt me...they've been more testing bites. She has bitten three other people, 2 of them smokers, and 1 was handfeeding her treats. I think she just smelled treat on his fingers & went for it. He did squeal....

Well, apparently NOT my new avatar...I thought I had saved it! But I have a cool new signature-woot

Ooh, ouch! Luna's never bit me before. But Snowball bit me once. I had her on my lap and she was squirming around and started to slide off my leg...so she bit down on my pinky finger for dear life, so as not to fall off. She took a small chunk of my finger with her...man that hurt.

I've had the same thing happen before. I accidentally nipped Quentin's quick and he started licking it so I knew something was up. I caught his foot and dipped it in cornstarch, and I went to look at it again. Well I either accidentally hit his foot and it hurt, or the cornstarch was stinging and he wanted it stopped; either way he chomped down on my finger and refused to let go. He, luckily, didn't break the skin, but he was holding on for dear life. We had 30 seconds of sitting there staring in each other's eyes, him being like "mommy, put me down and let me do my thing" and me being like "Quentin, that is my finger, not a chew toy". It definitely hurt, but I understand why he did it. There was definitely a difference between that and the accidental nips he's given me before when he thought my finger was a mealie (which has only been once or twice).

The next time I clipped his nails, I was extra extra careful and probably left them a little longer than they needed to be, but I wanted to be sure he didn't associate it with another bad experience. Also, be sure to offer a favorite after that next good experience! Mealies were my greatest allies after I nipped him--and believe me, there was a whole army waiting to get him to warm up to me again.

Can you get someone to help you hold 'Tater while you clip the nails? I'll hold Quentin and my boyfriend will clip his back nails--he makes me clip the front ones, which is where I accidentally nipped. We've found this way is easiest for us, as it allows one to hold while one gets control over a squirming leg.

I'm sorry 'Tater bit you and hope you both heal up quickly! Just remember, it happens to everyone occasionally, and try to be more careful next time. Good luck!

Oh no, now that I read this I just know I am going to get bitten, with 5 hedgies and never a bite I am in for it one of these days. It makes my stomach hurt just reading this! I have only received one good bite from a chin, and never from my hogs.

So as to understand, they are like alligators and lock their jaws if you pull away? So you are just supposed to sit there?!? I have never heard of this, please forgive my stupidity.

Out of the 10 hedgies that I've kept over the years, I've only had one that is a biter. For some reason, she wants to try to bite every time she is held. I'm always extra aware when I do have her out to expect it. One time she caught the web of my hand and wouldn't let go.

Chinniechantel said:

So as to understand, they are like alligators and lock their jaws if you pull away? So you are just supposed to sit there?!? I have never heard of this, please forgive my stupidity.

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Depends on the bite. Some just do a quick warning bite. Others do a heyImmadatyouchomponthefinger bite and then there is a bite where you have to be still. They chomp down (possibly thinking you are a live worm) and will stay clamped down until you stop moving(worm is dead).

Best thing to do to avoid getting bit is just to keep fleshy parts away from their mouths. :thumbsup:

With Needler I give him a shirt or sock from the dirty laundry. He's too busy munching and annointing over that to bother with biting me. Just make sure you dont have skin behind the fabric being bitten at.