A PET owner nearly died after being attacked by his hamster – with his frantic partner forced to prise the rodent off his flesh.
Nathan Halliday, 34, went into anaphylactic shock after Mochi, his Syrian hamster, savagely clamped down on his hand.
After Mochi, who was in the midst of a deathly seizure, refused to budge, girlfriend Rebecca rushed to rip the pet away from Nathan’s hand.
Recalling the incident, Nathan said: “[Mochi] rested her hands on my thumb and suddenly she bit right through my hand.
“She clamped down and wouldn’t let go – I think from having a seizure – and my partner Rebecca had to pry her off me.
“Just a couple of minutes afterwards, I started to get a bit itchy.”
A few minutes later, Nathan found he was unable to breathe as his whole body became swollen and covered in hives.
The dad-of-one, who is asthmatic, took a couple of puffs of his inhaler before he realised something was seriously wrong.
Although Nathan is allergic to horses and suffers from hay fever, he said he had never experienced anything close to this reaction.
He said: “It was absolutely horrendous especially as I had no idea a hamster bite could cause something like this.
“My whole body felt swollen and my throat hurt – I couldn’t even speak and it was like breathing through a straw. I was covered in hives.
“We’ve got an oxygen meter and the levels had dropped to 84 per cent. It was like my whole body had swollen and was all tight so we dialled 999.
“I couldn’t breathe. My throat had swollen and I was covered in hives on my back, chest and arms.
“I’ve been bitten by hamsters in the past and nothing like this has ever happened. It was quite scary.”
The ambulance arrived in just four minutes and quickly transported Nathan to Aintree University Hospital. At the hospital, he received oxygen therapy and was administered two doses of adrenaline.
He was also given an antihistamine and a tetanus jab.
After the immediate threat to life was dealt with, Nathan said he and the doctors had a good laugh.
According to the deputy manager of a children’s home, one of the paramedics humorously referred to Nathan as “Freddie Starr,” alluding to the comedian who was once involved in a bizarre hamster-related incident.
What are the symptoms of anaphylactic shock?
- Swelling of your throat and tongue
- Difficulty breathing or breathing very fast
- Difficulty swallowing, tightness in your throat or a hoarse voice
- Wheezing, coughing or noisy breathing
- Feeling tired or confused
- Feeling faint, dizzy or fainting
- Skin that feels cold to the touch
- Blue, grey or pale skin, lips or tongue – if you have brown or black skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet
Source: NHS
The deputy manager jokingly remarked, “I was probably the least interesting case in the major trauma unit. I did suggest changing the animal in the story to a scorpion, but it seems the paramedics preferred the hamster reference.”
“One of the paramedics asked me if I was Freddie Starr.”
Mochi died just a few seconds after biting Nathan, who added: “Mochi is now in a fancy cracker box in the garden – I don’t blame her.”
But, he said that despite the freak accident, he and Rebecca weren’t put off their love for hamsters.
He said: “We rescue hamsters from people who otherwise wouldn’t want them and I’d never say no to another one.”
The couple noticed that Mochi, who was a year and eight months old, was looking ill earlier than evening on November 17.
Nathan’s daughter, three-year-old Evelyn, had already said her goodbyes to the family pet by the time the incident occurred.
Anaphylactic shock from hamster bites is very rare but in 2007, a man from Redditch, Worcs, died after being bitten.
