As a hamster owner, you may love your hamster and adore everything he does. But have you ever wondered if your hamster feels the same way about you? How do you know if your hamster is happy? What should you do to make him happy? Read this blog post and find out.
Even though hamsters cannot speak, you can easily find out if they are happy by observing their behavior.
Signs that tell you that your hamster is happy
You can divide your hamster’s behavior into two types: What he does when he is alone and what he does when you are nearby. By observing your hamster’s behavior and body language in each of these scenarios, you can quickly figure out if your hamster is happy or not.
What does a happy hamster do when he is alone?
Grooming
Grooming is a sign that says your hamster is happy and trusts you.
Hamsters are tiny prey animals. In the wild, they get scared and stressed almost every single day because they face life-death situations often. So, they groom themselves to get rid of anything that can release a smell and reveal their location to the predators nearby.
However, grooming makes a hamster vulnerable. So, wild hamsters only do it when they know they’re safe. Therefore, if your hamster grooms himself in the open in his cage, it means that he is comfortable enough to be vulnerable near you.
On the other hand, a hamster that is sick or scared could ignore grooming.
Stretching
A hamster can stretch in two cases:
- When he is relaxed – In this case, just like a human’s head, a hamster’s head will be stretched back, and his ears will be relaxed.
- When he is in alert mode, trying to assess a new situation for risks – In this case, his body will be stretched, but his ears will be in alert mode, and he will keep his face level (Source: Seedzbox).
If your hamster is stretching because he is relaxed, it is a good sign of happiness. For example, if you pick up your hamster and he stretches in your hands, it is a good sign of trust and happiness.
Yawning
A hamster can yawn for various reasons (Source: Pocket Pet Central):
- Just woken up
- Exhausted
- Bored
- Relaxed
- Going to start grooming
- Stressed out
So, as you can see, alone, yawning can have several reasons behind it. However, if yawning is accompanied by stretching, your hamster is very relaxed. He is comfortable in the cage because he is not scared or stressed about his surroundings. This is a sign of a happy hamster.
Being active
Hamsters are not that different from other animals, or humans, for that matter. Have you ever noticed how you seem to have too much energy and become very active when you are happy? Hamsters are the same.
When your hamster is happy and healthy, he will have a lot of energy. So, to dispense that energy, he will keep running and playing all the time.
On the other hand, your hamster will try to hide and/or be lazy if he is stressed or sick. If he is too bored, he will start climbing the bars of the cage, start biting the bars of the cage and even become aggressive and depressed.
So, if your hamster is active and playing most of the time, you have nothing to worry about.
Playing with toys
If your hamster plays with his toys a lot, it is a good indicator of happiness. On the contrary, if he is bored, he may stop playing with his toys.
If your hamster likes to run in the wheel, it is also a good sign that he is happy.
Burrowing
Burrowing is a natural instinct of a hamster. Hamsters like to dig into their bedding. This is one of the activities they like to do and will do when they are happy.
Until now, we saw what a happy hamster does when he is alone. Next, let’s find out what he does when he is with you or when you are nearby.
What does a happy hamster do when he is with you?
Not hiding from you.
If your hamster is happy, he will be glad to see you. He won’t try to run away and hide from you when you go near his cage.
Hamsters have bad eyesight. Your hamster can see only a few inches past his nose. So, he may not be able to see you when you enter the room or walk near his cage. But his other senses – Sense of hearing, sense of smell, and the ability to detect movements – are very sharp. That’s why wild hamsters are able to survive. So, even if your hamster is not able to see you, he will be able to sense you.
If your hamster is happy to be in your presence, he won’t run away and hide from you. But if he is scared of you, he will try to run away and hide when you get near his cage. Also read: Why is your hamster scared of you?
Being curious
Hamsters are both timid and curious at the same time. Since they are prey animals, they can get scared easily. However, at times, their curiosity overcomes their sense of fear, and they start exploring their surroundings.
So, if your hamster is curious and keeps exploring his cage, you can rest assured that he isn’t scared but happy. If he comes near the cage bars looking at you, curious to find out what you are doing, it is also an indicator of happiness.
Responding to your voice
Hamsters may not be able to understand what you are saying. But if they hear your voice, they will know you’re nearby.
If you have already tamed your hamster, he will be happy that you’re there. So, once he hears your voice, he will respond to you. This doesn’t mean he will do what you ask him to do. But once he hears your voice, he might stop doing what he was doing and come out to meet you.
Taking treats from your hand
A happy hamster will not be scared of you. He will be excited to see (sense) you. He will also gladly take treats from your hand.
Wanting to interact with you
Hamsters are solitary creatures. They have a hard time tolerating other members of their species. Some types of hamsters, like Syrian hamsters, are highly territorial and will attack and kill any other hamster in the same cage. However, they can tolerate and become quite friendly with humans once tamed.
If you’ve tamed your hamster, your hamster will be happy to see you. He will want to interact with you as often as possible because it makes him happy. So, if you are nearby, he will get excited and come out to say hello. It is a sign that your hamster is happy.
Liking to be held
Building upon the previous point, if your hamster likes to be held, it is also a sign that he is happy. On the other hand, if your hamster is depressed or stressed, he might get aggressive and snare at you if you try to hold/lift him.
So, if your hamster likes to be held and loves playing with you, it is a good sign that he is happy (Source: Pocket Sized Pets).
Signs that tell you that your hamster is not happy
If your hamster is bored, depressed, scared, or sad, he might exhibit one or more of the following behaviors.
Climbing the cage
Your hamster might try to climb the cage and get out of it if he is bored or depressed. This can be dangerous for your hamster because if he falls down while climbing the cage, he could hurt himself.
Chewing the cage bars
If your hamster chews the cage bars often, it can be a sign of boredom. Chewing can be dangerous for hamsters because the metal wiring in cages could contain toxic paints that can be detrimental to the health of your hamster. Moreover, it can hurt your hamster’s nose and face if the gap between the bars is too narrow.
But depression and boredom are not the only reasons behind a hamster chewing the cage bars. Sometimes, even a normal, happy hamster can chew the cage bars. The teeth of rodents keep growing constantly. So, they keep chewing and gnawing at anything they can find to wear away their ever-growing teeth. If your hamster keeps chewing the cage bars but is otherwise happy and healthy, you should buy and keep more chew toys in the cage.
Trying to escape from the cage
A happy and healthy hamster will feel comfortable in his cage. He will be carefree in his cage and get excited to see you. But an unhappy hamster will try to escape from the cage, especially if he is bored or scared of you. He will climb the cage, chew the cage bars, and do anything to get out.
Being lazy and lethargic
Hamsters are highly active creatures. So, if they are lazy or lethargic, it is a good sign that something is wrong with them. Your hamster is most probably sick or hurt himself while playing. So, you should inspect his body to ensure he isn’t bleeding anywhere. You should also observe his behavior and watch his urine and stool.
Is he limping while walking?
Is there blood in his urine? (Also read: What does the color of a hamster’s pee tell about his health?)
Is his stool watery? (Also read: How to identify and treat diarrhea in hamsters?)
Does he eat less than usual?
Each of these could be an indication of some sickness. Try to identify the problem from the symptoms and find a way to solve it. Consult a veterinarian when necessary.
The only exception to this is old hamsters. Hamsters that are older than two years tend to become lazy. But that’s normal for them.
Ok, now that you know your hamster is unhappy, what can you do to make him happy?
How to make your hamster happy?
Get a bigger cage
A hamster can run up to 6 miles in the wild in a single night. So, your hamster needs a big cage to run, play, and be active throughout the twilight hours. In general, hamsters need a cage at least 24″ x 12″ x 12″ big.
So, if your hamster looks bored and tries to escape from the cage, getting a bigger cage is the first step in keeping him happy (Source: The Hamster Care).
Get more bedding
Burrowing is a natural instinct of hamsters. So, get enough bedding for your hamster to burrow. It will keep him both busy and happy. Moreover, hamsters can use bedding to keep themselves warm when the room gets colder. So, enough bedding is a must for hamsters.
Syrian hamsters need about 12″ of bedding, whereas dwarf hamsters need 6″ of bedding.
Get more toys
As explained in the previous section, hamsters are very active. So, they need toys that can stimulate their brains and keep them busy. Therefore, the hamster cage should contain enough toys for your hamster to play with.
You should also buy an exercise wheel for your hamster because hamsters love running on these wheels. Besides keeping them fit and busy, running can also give a sense of happiness to hamsters. That is why hamsters are obsessed with running on wheels. Please get a hamster wheel that is big enough for your hamster to run in without arching his back.
Tame your hamster
Hamsters can get scared and stressed the first time they are brought home. So, you have to spend enough time and be patient with them to tame them.
But do remember that not every hamster can be tamed. Some hamsters do not like human friendship at all. If that’s the case, you should learn to be content looking at your hamster playing inside the cage instead of playing with him.
Play with your hamster
Once your hamster has been tamed, he will get happy when he senses you. He will get excited when you enter the room and hence, come near the cage bars to greet you.
You should spend enough time playing with your hamster regularly. You can take your hamster out of the cage and place him on a sofa or on the floor. This gives him a lot of time to explore the world outside his cage. But if you place him outside the cage, he should constantly be under your supervision.
If you don’t want to constantly supervise him, you can get a playpen. Make sure the playpen is escape-proof. If not, your hamster can get lost while playing in the playpen.
You can also get a hamster ball for your hamster. This way, he can run around the room and have fun without getting lost. But a hamster ball prevents a hamster from interacting with the environment directly. Hence, some hamsters may not like it. So, be warned. Moreover, the hamster ball should be big enough for the hamster to run without arching his back.
Keep the cage clean
A clean cage would normally not be smelly. So, it may not stress out your pet hamster. But if the hamster cage is not cleaned regularly, it can become dirty, unhygienic, and smelly. Since hamsters have a powerful sense of smell, pungent smells (from their urine, rotten food, etc.) can stress them out.
So they can try to escape from the cage to get away from the pungent smell. So, if you want your hamster to be happy, it is your responsibility as a hamster parent to keep the hamster cage clean. Remove uneaten fresh foods and soiled bedding every day. Replace the bedding and clean the cage with soapy water once every week (Source: Animals.mom).
Provide a varied diet
Hamster pellets are healthy for hamsters. They contain a lot of the nutrition that hamsters generally need. However, if you feed only pellets to your hamster, he will soon get bored. Even you will get bored and depressed if you eat the same food daily.
Just like a human being, a hamster, too, needs variety in his diet to stay healthy and happy. Provide a varied diet consisting of fresh foods like vegetables and fruits, nuts, seeds, and insects. If you need help determining what to feed your hamster and what not to feed your hamster, the following blog posts can help:
