What should I do if a hamster bites me?« Back to Questions List

Hamster bite, the need for timely wound rinsing, disinfection treatment, you can use soapy water to repeatedly rinse the bite site for at least half an hour to squeeze out the dirty blood in the wound, use alcohol, iodine volt or hydrogen peroxide solution for disinfection. Wounds should not be bandaged or sutured, keep the area clean and dry.Depending on the extent of the wound damage, decide whether oral antibiotics or an office visit for a tetanus shot are needed to prevent infection.

If the wound is shallow and there is only skin and mucosal damage, a tetanus shot is usually not needed and oral antibiotics can be taken to prevent infection. At the same time, attention should be given to home observation. If there are symptoms such as redness of the face, neck and upper chest, headache, back pain, orbital pain, etc., it suggests that hemorrhagic fever may have occurred and prompt medical attention is needed. If the wound is severe and deep, you must go to the hospital in time to receive a tetanus shot and have the wound cleaned.

In addition, hamsters can carry a variety of viruses or bacteria, after being bitten, must pay attention to observe whether there are abnormal signs and symptoms of disease may be infected, including hantavirus causing renal syndrome hemorrhagic fever, small spirochete caused by rat bite fever.