What are the dark patches on the hips of my hamster?
These are the hamster’s scent glads. He will rub them against furniture and walls to mark his territory. If your hamster is trying to smell something on your hands, or even testing your fingers for potential food, you can rub you hands along his sides so that you smell like something belonging to him and he will ignore your hands. Stroking your hamster so that his scent is on your hands is a good way to stop him biting you if he is nervous or young. The scent is a very faint smell which I can not smell because it is so faint. However this smell must be very obvious to hamsters. Recently I handled a female hamster for a few minutes and when I had Fred out a few hours later he spent a long time sniffing all over my hands and clothes.
