A man remembered the moment he almost died after his beloved pet hamster bit him. While spending time with the family pet, the hamster bit him, causing the father to go into anaphylactic shock.
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Nathan Halliday, 34, from Kirkby, Merseyside, was holding his hamster, Mochi, when the animal unexpectedly bit him during what appeared to be a seizure. Within minutes, Halliday experienced a severe allergic reaction; his body began to swell, hives broke out across his skin, and his throat constricted, making it difficult to breathe. Although his partner, Rebecca, managed to remove Mochi from Nathan’s hand, his condition continued to worsen, leading her to contact emergency services.
Paramedics arrived at the home and administered two doses of adrenaline, antihistamines, and oxygen as Halliday’s condition deteriorated. “I was losing oxygen fast, and it felt like breathing through a straw. I had no idea a hamster bite could cause this,” Nathan explained to Metro UK.
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“I tried to change the story to a scorpion bite, but the paramedics preferred hamster. All jokes aside, it was absolutely terrifying. I was exhausted for two days afterward, and my arm wouldn’t stop shaking.”
Mochi’s aggressive behavior was linked to her declining health, as she appeared frail days before the bite. Although Nathan suffered the tragic loss of his pet, he remains grateful to be alive and is now raising awareness about the rare but serious risks associated with allergic reactions to pet bites.
