If you get bit by a snake, spider, or shark, you could die, and now you can add hamster to that list.
Videos by Wide Open Country
A man got bit by his pet hamster, almost turning fatal. The little rodent took a good bite of Nathan Halliday, 34, while he was handling it. The Syrian Hamster locked his teeth tight on his finger, refusing to let go. Even with his wife's help, it was tough to get the little guy off.
But, with a bit of perseverance, and to the detriment of the hamster's health, they were able to free Halliday from the vice-like jaws of his pet. He was bit, but it was only a hamster, right? Wrong.
After lamenting the death of their vicious hamster who died in the removal, the man started feeling rough. At first, his breath became labored, then he broke out in hives. As his difficulty breathing escalated, the family called the emergency services. He was quickly rushed to hospital.
Hamster Bite Caused Nasty Reaction
People forget that the humble hamster is actually a rodent. You wouldn't get bitten by a rat and pass it off as nothing, but it's pretty much the same. In this case, Halliday had had an allergic reaction, known as anaphylactic shock, and needed quick medical attention.
When he got to the hospital, they quickly administered adrenaline and antihistamines. They put him on oxygen and waited for the worst of the reaction to pass. As soon as he started breathing again, the hilarity of the situation could be enjoyed. Imagine dying to a hamster bite, that's really embarrassing.
Halliday had something to say about his near-death experience. "Nobody had ever heard of what had happened before. It amused the doctors but they were very professional about it. They gave me epi pens for the next time a hamster wants to take me on. All jokes aside, the experience was really very scary."
His brush with death wasn't the only one of its kind. More people than you may realize fall prey to the fuzzy little villains. There have been a few deaths of people having allergic reactions to hamster bites in the past. It's always a good idea to keep epi pens around.
