My degu bit me

[twistedunicorn]

So my degu bit me and it really hurts. Ive washed it and put on some anticeptic cream and its bandaged. But everytime i touch my hand it feels like a bruise and it really hirts so much. What do i do but maibly is there any diseases degus can carry?

[amie]

You should be fine

I know it hurts like hell. I had four series bites to deal with all at the same time once. Your hand/finger will swell and that is normal. It's normal for it to be VERY painful. Just keep it clean and covered. Have you had a tetanus? I only say this, not for the bite so much itself, but because of the hay in the cage. You never know where the hay has come from and what it's been in contact with.

[twistedunicorn]

I have had my tetanus and i also had foyr repeated bites in the same finger thanks for the help

[amie]

You can only get tetanus from horse manure, but I think you just never know with the hay! lol.

Hope your finger feels better soon. It'll take a while for the swelling to go down, but should be back to normal in a couple of weeks or so (depending on where the bite is).

[nuttz]

we had an incident happen a couple of days ago (i shant go into the detail as its too sad) but i got a nasty bite on my finger, ive never been bitten like this before and yes...........it really hurts, lots and lots of blood aswel. the bite is quite deep and is still very swollen but im managing to bend my finger slightly now and the pain has somewhat faded.
just keep it clean, i put some sudocrem on it with a plaster over for the first day but since then have tried to let it dry naturally.

[lollie24]

willow bit me last friday, she was gnawing the wall (we rent so we dont want the landlord getting mad) so I gently nuged her out of the way and she bit me but as soon as she realised what she had done she seemed really sorry, she kept nuzzeling me which was sweet but yes it does hurt like hell and did bleed lots just keep an eye on it and if your up to date with your tetanus you should be fine

[twistedunicorn]

Is it normal for it to hurt up to your elbow?

[amie]

Yes, sometimes. The bite can hit a nerve. I had a bite on one of my fingers and my whole hand ached. Only worry if the pain is still EXACTLY the same in a week or so. It can take a while for the pain to go away completely, but it should fade a little a few days.

[twistedunicorn]

Ok

[weaselprime]

Bad signs to look out for are long red lines eminating from the bite (known as tracking) this is a sign of infection, specifically in the subcutaneous layers of your skin. If this happens you will need to go to your doctor to stop it progressing. (I'm writing this while on a night shift on a rheumatology ward).
you should expect some pus whilst the wound heals but if it is excessive, smelly, or green get it checked. Some people are also sensitive to some bacteria and compounds in animal saliva which will make your bodies response more aggressive. Remember, as with any infection/illness it is your bodies response to the infection/illness that makes you feel unwell not the illness itself.

Oh and you can get tetanus from more vectors than strictly cow manure. Clostridium tetani lives in lots of places and like all clostridium strains it will produce spores that alcohol gels do not remove!

[emz]

Even a bite that doesn't break the skin hurts like hell on a degu, from experience. I have only had the 1 bite when they were 7 weeks old as he thought I was food. I am sure the finger will be fine degu bites are quite sore. Weaselprime gives some good advice on what to look for if it does become infected but I think you'll be ok.

If you have any doubts though always consult a doctor to be on the safe side.

[w8152]

Jun 26, 2011 16:10:23 GMT twistedunicorn said:

Is it normal for it to hurt up to your elbow?

Mine hurt up to my elbow then progressed to my armpit and then also my groin. When i visited A&E they advised me i had a serious blood infection and that was the lymph nodes trying to remove the toxin from my blood stream. I also had black blood which is a big nono.

I ended up on the strongest antibiotics they could give me, all that from a bite on the end of my middle finger and it hurt for weeks on top of that.

Be sure its all ok and get it sorted. Forum diagnosis are never accurate (no offense to anyone) and its always best to be 100%.

also be prepared to explain exactly what degu's are several times.

[harpic01]

Snap had my finger bitten badly - ended up on anti biotics, tetnus booster - according to my doc any any bites that are proper bites need anti biotics as they can pick up nasty bacteria on their teeth and tongue etc hence the infection.

[puppy00]

Degus bite But I hate the ones that hurt ALOT (from what I think you have). My degus used to bite me hard when they were still getting used to me, and they still do sometimes. It's a thing degus do. AND IT HURTS!

[lollie24]

willow is the one for biting and she nipped me by accident again yesterday I was moving something she was nibbiling my fault really but she does look sorry afterwards

[lollie24]

willow is such a moo sometimes she is def the one who gets wound up whereas buffy is so chilled you could do virtually anything to her, they are the cheekyiest animals I have ever had bags more personality than dare I say it a rat, mouse, hamster, rabbit or guinea pig

[philbailey1806]

I must admit, I've never had a proper degu bite, nothing to break the skin anyway. Edna bit at me a bit once, and it pinched a little (but didn't bleed) so I flipped her into the dominance hold and waited until she was still (rat training technique) and after that she's never even pretended to bite again, I can poke my fingers through the cage with my boys and girls and the most I ever get is an affecionate litle nibble!

Wish the same applied for the rest of the animals! My sisters syrian hamster and my brothers dumbo rats draw blood. My brother handles his rats very often, usually with no problems (once they're out of the cage) but when they're in the cage, you can't put your hand in without one gong for you, they have to climb onto your shoulder when they want to, not when you want them to.

As for my sisters hamster, shes extreeeeeemely nervous! we've had her a few months now and if you try and handle her she's alright at first, even though she does tremble, but then after a while she'll sink her teeth in and it doesn't half hurt! we tend to just get her out in her ball now rather than handle her, even getting her in her ball you can feel her tremble through it, the poor little mite.

[philbailey1806]

ha ha, the rats are tame, and my brother doesn't really handle the degus (he finds them a bit too skittish) and definately doesn't handle the hamster (it bit him badly) and he washes his hands first. I think maybe because they're dumbo rats rather than the standard ones, they've obviously been selectively bred for the long nose and big ears so I'm presuming they're quite interbred, which would explain the way they just flip out now and again.

As for the hamster, we kind of think she's just happier not being handled at all, she doesn't enjoy it and all but a few sites I've been on say it's impossible to train a syrian with biting tendancies to not bite, their memory just isn't good enough for training. She is very cute though, shes a dark grey and she stands on her back legs like a meerkat.