Man Almost Dies After Being Bitten by Family Hamster

A man is literally breathing a sigh of relief after being bitten by a hamster.

It almost killed him!

Nathan Halliday, 34, was handling the families pet hamster, Mochi, when the rodent suddenly bit down on Nathan’s finger and wouldn’t let go. The Syrian hamster had a good hold — in fact, Halliday’s wife struggled to get her husband's finger free from the hamster.

They finally did, but that was just the start of the problems.

Quickly, Halliday realized that something was wrong, as he was struggling to breathe and his body was covered in hives. His family called emergency services, and when they arrived, he was rushed to the hospital. 

It was there that Halliday was administered two shots of adrenaline, put on oxygen and some antihistamine. 

He said that while his experience was scary, and everyone at the hospital was professional, they also seemed to find the story somewhat amusing, even after he tried switching it up from a hamster bite to a scorpion bite.

You're likely unaware, but Halliday really was in danger. In 2007 a woman in Spain was killed by a hamster bite — three years after a Japanese man died from the same type of injury.

As for Halliday, he was given some epi pens and was sent on his way. Unfortunately, Mochi the hamster died after administering the bite to his owner.

So if you are thinking of adding a hamster to the family this holiday season, be careful of those teeth.