Will Keeping a Hamster Give You Plague? Correct Treatment After a Bite
Every time I go to the pedestrian street or some crowded place, I always see people selling hamsters there. They look very cute and appealing, and many people are happy to buy a few to keep as pets at home. So will keeping a hamster give you plague? What should you do if you get bitten?
I. Introduction to hamsters:
1. How long do hamsters live?
Under normal keeping conditions, the lifespan of a hamster is generally 2 to 3 years, with most hamsters living around 2 and a half years. Some live to over 3 years, but this is rare. However, males generally live slightly longer, between 3 and 3.5 years. Male hamsters usually live longer than female hamsters, while female hamsters that have never given birth live longer than male hamsters.
2. What kinds of hamsters are there?
Roborovski, Djungarian hamster, silver fox hamster, purple hamster, winter white hamster.
II. Will keeping a hamster give you plague?
Keeping a hamster will not give you plague. This is because hamsters are not born sick; they must be infected by a pathogen. Wild hamsters may carry disease-causing genes, but domestic hamsters, from birth to death, live in cages. Whether it is food, water, or even reproduction, everything is done under human intervention. Such hamsters cannot carry the plague virus.
III. What should you do if a hamster bites you?
1. Minor bite
If it is only a minor bite with no bleeding or little bleeding, and the wound is not deep or large, just wiping it with alcohol is enough.
2. Severe bite
(1) Be sure to squeeze out blood first, then clean the wound and the surrounding area. The main purpose is to rinse away the dirt from the teeth attached to the wound.
(2) Use a cotton swab to stop the bleeding at the wound. If it is a penetrating wound plus a laceration, you need to use a cotton swab to peel back the detached skin.
(3) Clean the exposed wound with alcohol (it hurts a lot), then apply a bandage.
3. Bitten and bleeding
(1) No wound and skin not broken: If the hamster only nibbles and does not actually break the skin, then no treatment is needed.
(2) Bitten by a hamster and bleeding: If bitten and bleeding, first squeeze out some blood, then wash with soapy water.
(3) Swelling at the bite site: If bitten and bleeding occurs, and after treatment the bite site swells the next day, you need to go to the hospital for a tetanus shot.
The above is an introduction to whether keeping hamsters can cause plague and how to clean up after being bitten. I hope it is helpful to everyone.