>Donna Anastasi wrote:
>
>> Danni Black wrote:
>> <snip>
>>
>> > and like everyone i've been bitten before...
>>
>> I've never been bitten by any of my 10 gerbils, which I'm attributing to
nice
>> temperaments (theirs) and knowing/respecting the ways of the gerbil (me).
But
>> then again maybe, I'm just lucky!
>>
>> So, just out of curiosity how many people have/have not been bit? I am
not
>> including a gerbil mouthing/tasting you; but a bite where you yell ouch
and can
>> see some sort of mark on the skin.
>>
>> Donna
Any bite can be potentially dangerous.
Punctures can have matter get pushed to the bottom of the hole,
where it will fester and infect.
Most of the time it will be a minor skin break and you can just
clean the wound normally, bandage it (bandaid and neosporin)
and things will be fine.
Tetnaus shots are for that small number that have complications.
Anti-inflammatories can help when a secondary infection springs
up.
If it is deep, you feel something tingling, cold, hot, or puffy; you
see any sign of redness or swelling, off color (usually an ugly
greenish purple), streaking of red, or discharge of any sort
(such as pus)... you need help badly.
Usually, a bite is not deep and the wound will bleed and the
contaminants are flushed out of the wound that way, so a bandaid
will take care of it. Cleaning the wound area with soap and water,
and a little neosporin for extra measure is usually adequate. As
well as keeping an eye on it for the next several hours for any
indication of complications, and you should be fine.
As for being chomped; I have been done unto by most of the
rodents out there.
*Dwarf hamsters are usually quick, barely break skin, and are
more of a nip. I have had them hang from a purchase though.
Usually they do this if just woken up, not awake yet, or have
babies in the nest...usually he will show up to defend the nest,
and if you go farther, she will show up for the jugular and he
will nail you while you're paying more attention to her. They
are especially prone to this from when the babies are born
to about ten to twelve days old.
*Syrians, are usually also a nip, but because those hamsters
are larger, the punctures are deeper...and the ones gained
from trying to separate a fighting pair you were trying to get
to breed...are usually more of a slash. These bleed a lot,
and I've had to have one stitched. They most often bite
during an attempted mating...or if she is in the last stages of
pregnancy (last 4 days) and you think you're going to handle
her....
*Mice, are usually more force and deeper, but smaller. They
tend to let go. I have had minor problems with mice bites,
but tending to proper wound cleaning usually takes care of that.
Got bit trying to corner them for cage cleaning..and right after
handling feed.
*Rats, ratbites are about the worst. The teeth are curved enough
that to pull away makes the wound worse. And a rat doesn't
always want to let go. I have had problems with these...having
to do with having them professionally flushed and dressed.
Frightened and cornered is usually when they chomp. A female
will also defend her babies until eyes open pretty strongly.
*Gerbils...bite with more purpose than a hamster, but usually
let go after a chomp. They are more painful than a hamster
bite in general and less so than a rat bite. My single chomp
so far, was I was holding a 10 week old female and trying to
douse her with mite spray. She took serious offense to this
and chomped.
I get a tetnaus shot every year. With my propensity to stomping
nails, tacks, and pins, the doctor and I decided that that is the
best course of events. [Most often, they suggest a booster every
ten years...and will give you one if you end up in the ER getting
stitches]
Any skin break has the potential of becoming dangerously
life threatening. By just taking a moment and taking proper
care, most bites will be nothing to worry about.
In the rodentry, I keep a small first aid kit; that I can use both on
the animals and myself. Especially is the bandaids, cotton swabs,
hydrogen peroxide, and neosporin...that I mostly use on myself.
Along with a large pump dispenser of hand sanitizer....
Deb
Rebel's Rodent Ranch
