Bleeding hamster bites require a hemorrhagic fever vaccination after the wound has been cleaned. Hamsters are a type of rodent and are usually not contagious with the rabies virus, so no rabies vaccination is needed. Hamsters may carry hantavirus, the pathogen that causes epidemic hemorrhagic fever, so a hemorrhagic fever vaccination is usually required before keeping rodents. After being bitten by a hamster, it is very important to clean the wound. Repeated rinsing with saline can be used, followed by applying povidone-iodine to sterilize the wound. If only a little blood comes out it means the wound is not deep and there is no need for tetanus vaccination. A hamster bite that bleeds only a little bit of blood requires a hemorrhagic fever vaccination for prevention after the wound has been treated.