10 Surprising Hamster Facts

Hamsters are cute furry mammals with oversized cheeks and short tails. These small rodents live in the wild and some species are popular as pets. There are approximately 20 species of hamsters found in various habitats, from deserts and plains to dunes and agricultural fields in Europe, Asia and North Africa. One species, the European hamster, is critically endangered.

From their elaborate burrows to their ever-growing incisors, there’s a lot to learn about these little balls of fluff. Here are a few things you might not know about hamsters.

1. There are around 20 species of hamsters

Hamsters Belong to the Family Cricetidaewhich includes voles and lemmings as well as rats and mice. The 20 or more species of hamsters are very varied. Some look like rats, like the seven members of the Locust gender, while the only member of the Cricet genus, the European or common hamster, has unique black fur on its belly.

The most popular species for pets are the golden or Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus), and three different members of the dwarf hamster: the winter white dwarf hamster (Phodopus sungorus), Campbell’s dwarf hamster (Phodopus campbelli), and the Roborovski hamster (Phodopus roborovskii), the smallest of all hamster species.

2. They are nocturnal creatures

Being prey to many animals, it is no wonder that most hamsters are nocturnal. They spend their days hiding from snakes, eagles, foxes, badgers and other carnivores. In the wild, hamsters dig burrows with deep tunnels and multiple entrances to protect themselves and sleep during bouts of torpor. They are solitary animals, spending most of their time alone in their burrows. They are also fiercely territorial and will attack invading hamsters that dare to venture nearby.

3. They are promiscuous

Both male and female hamsters are polygynandrous, meaning they have multiple partners. During the breeding season, males move from burrow to burrow and mate with any female, provided the female has not already mated. Once mated, a copulatory plug forms on the female to prevent further insemination. Hamsters are territorial and females often expel the male after mating.

Females normally give birth to two to four litters per year (their gestation period lasts only 15 to 22 days) and litter sizes can range from one to 13 pups, although the average is around five to seven.

4. Hamsters are banned in Hawaii

Given their high reproduction rate and the fact that Hawaii’s climate is similar to that of hamsters’ natural habitat, these creatures are illegal in Hawaii. Hamsters could quickly establish large colonies in the state if they escape into the wild, posing a problem for agriculture and other native species.

The list of animals banned in Hawaii also includes hummingbirds, snakes, gerbils, hermit crabs and salamanders.

5. Their teeth never stop growing

Like all rodents, hamsters’ incisors do not have roots and never stop growing. By gnawing, they keep their teeth sharp while preventing them from becoming too invasive.

Researchers studying rodents’ teeth have discovered that their incisors contain active stem cells. This factor, combined with the tendency of rodents to constantly regrow their teeth, gives scientists hope of one day replicating the process of tooth regeneration in humans.

6. They hoard food

Hamsters are built to store food. Their cheeks are like tiny bags that they can fill with fruits, grains, roots and leaves, up to an amount equivalent to their body weight. When they find an abundant food source, they fill these pouches and return to their burrows where they have prepared food chambers for storage. In fact, their name comes from the German word “hamstern,” meaning forager.

But their cheeks also have a secondary function: they fill with air so that hamsters can float in water.

7. They are prone to bacteria and viruses

Hamsters carry salmonella, and although rare, they are also prone to lymphocytic choriomeningitis, a virus that can cause flu-like symptoms. The main methods of transmission of zoonotic diseases from hamsters and other rodents to humans are bites, direct contact with the animal, and indirect contact with contaminated objects. Young children and pregnant adults are particularly at risk of contracting it.

8. Some people hibernate (sort of)

Although most hamsters do not hibernate in cold weather, a species called the golden hamster (aka Syrian hamster, usually kept as a pet) stays in its burrow, blocks the entrance with dirt, and sleeps in a grass-lined nest, waking up once a week to eat the food it has hidden. In hibernation, its heart drops from the usual 400 beats per minute to just four, and it only takes two breaths per minute.

9. They have poor eyesight

Most hamsters are almost blind in bright light. It sees much better in the dark, which is why it is a nocturnal animal. Despite this, he doesn’t see much beyond the end of his nose. For this reason, a hamster relies on other senses to navigate during the day, like its ultrasensitive whiskers and scent glands on its back that leave trails to guide it home.

10. European hamsters are critically endangered

Once widespread throughout Europe, the black-bellied, European or common hamster is critically endangered. The only member of Cricet Genus, range and population of this hamster have declined significantly throughout Western, Central and Eastern Europe, no longer inhabiting approximately 75% of its original range. Changes in agricultural practices, commercial and residential development, pollution and climate change pose the greatest threats to these small animals.

Although conservation, monitoring, and reintroduction measures in some parts of the hamster range have been successful, the decline of European hamsters has occurred rapidly. Conservation plans in all countries where they occur are needed to prevent their extinction.