hamsters are charming animals that have become enormously popular as pets, especially among the little ones. Although they require little space and relatively simple care, these rodents need us to pay special attention to their animal welfare.
Because they are easy prey for many predators in the wild, hamsters need to be constantly alert and able to react quickly to escape and defend themselves to ensure their survival. Hamsters are therefore often especially vulnerable to stress and require a very positive environment to feel safe.
In this article on our site, we tell you about the possible causes and the main symptoms of stress in hamsters In addition, we offer you some advice to offer an optimal quality of life to your rodent and prevent the accumulation of tension from harming its he alth and well-being.
Why is my hamster very nervous and stressed?
Stress and nervousness in hamsters can have various possible causes, depending on the character of the animal, the environment in which lives and the care provided by his guardian. Because there are several types of hamsters and each individual can have a different personality, signs of stress can vary from rodent to rodent. For this reason, it is very important that the guardian knows the character and behavior of his hamster to identify any alteration in his usual behavior.
In general, any sudden movement, loud noise or strange stimulus can scare and stress your rodent, since they they may come to interpret that their well-being may be threatened. By trying to grab them abruptly, for example, we can scare them and generate a stressful and very negative situation for our small rodents.
Hamsters that share their home with other pets or live in very noisy environments (people, and especially children can be very noisy for a hamster, really!), may feel stressed, mainly if they have not been properly socialized, that is, accustomed to the presence of people, animals and diverse environments, causing them to suffer fear when identifying these stimuli as strange.
On the other hand, rodents that do not have an enriched environment, with toys and elements that allow them to play, exercise and entertain themselves They have a greater tendency to accumulate stress. In fact, sedentary lifestyle and lack of mental stimulation are among the main causes of stress in hamsters and other animals as well.
A Poor hygiene in his cage, at times, can also make your hamster more nervous and restless than usual. Remember that these animals are very clean, so proper hygiene and choosing the right substrates for their cage are a fundamental part of caring for a hamster.
On some occasions, a nutritional deficit or an inadequate diet can also generate pictures of hyperactivity, stress, nervousness or depression. Like any other animal, hamsters need to receive complete and balanced nutrition to maintain balanced behavior and excellent he alth. On our site, we tell you what foods are prohibited for hamsters, which you should not include in your rodent's diet.
Last (but not least), we must remember that some diseases can cause pain and stress in hamsters, also causing alterations in their habitual behavior. Therefore, do not hesitate to take your rodent to a specialized veterinarian when you identify any change in its behavior or appearance.
Symptoms of stress in hamsters
Each animal is unique and its body will experience and express stress differently. For this reason it is important to pay attention to changes in the behavior and appearance of your rodent, to detect early any stress symptom or common diseases in hamsters.
However, with a little attention, it is easy to recognize a stressed hamster and its symptoms. Below, we summarize the 10 most obvious signs of stress in hamsters:
- Hyperactivity: Stressed hamsters tend to be constantly hyperactive and will hardly be calm and collected in their cage. They may move constantly, run on their wheel very quickly, be more nervous or alert than usual, climb the bars of their cage, and even reduce their daily hours of sleep. This is a clear sign that the animal has a lot of accumulated tension and that it needs to release it to regain its balance. And if the rodent does not have an enriched environment to expend energy and release tension in a positive way (playing and exercising, for example), it can show numerous behavioral problems, such as destructiveness, aggressiveness and stereotypies.
- Unusual Habits: Every hamster needs to live in an enriched environment to exercise her physical, cognitive, emotional and social abilities. If the rodent is subjected to a sedentary routine in an unstimulating environment, it will try to expend energy and relieve stress in other ways, and may adopt certain unusual and even dangerous habits. One of the unusual habits associated with stress in hamsters is biting the bars of their cage, a behavior that can seriously affect their he alth.
- Stereotyped Behaviors: as we mentioned, in an attempt to release the tension accumulated in its body, the hamster may execute certain movements and actions compulsively and repetitively, something known as "stereotypies". For example, constantly scratching, incessantly gnawing, turning around several times on their own axis, constantly cleaning their own body, etc. In the most extreme cases, these behaviors lead to self-mutilation, since the hamster can cause wounds and injuries by scratching or chewing incessantly, being more vulnerable to abscesses and infections. It is essential to be vigilant in identifying these compulsive behaviors before they cause major he alth complications in the animal.
- Aggression: Stress is one of the main causes of aggression in hamsters. In addition, we can see that a stressed hamster is usually more reactive than usual, almost always responding in an exaggerated way to the stimuli in its environment. If your rodent puts its ears back, shows its teeth and emits growls, it is preparing for a possible attack and you should avoid approaching it so as not to increase the tension of this situation. An aggressive hamster, with an accumulation of tension in his body, can cause damage to his guardians, other hamsters and even themselves. Therefore, if you notice that your hamster is constantly trying to bite you, showing its teeth or has become more aggressive, we recommend that you seek advice from a specialized veterinarian.
- Hair loss: When a hamster lives permanently in a negative and impoverished environment or suffers from a sedentary routine, it can become stressed chronic. At this stage, stress has already become widespread and one of the most common physical signs of chronic stress in hamsters is changes in their fur. A stressed hamster may begin to lose hair or have a noticeably oilier coat. On the other hand, the rodent itself can pull out its hair by scratching intensely, generating bald spots on its own fur.
- Hamster noises: Hamsters are generally quiet and calm animals. However, when affected by stress, a hamster can make some characteristic noises. To feel fear, resistance or discomfort in a situation, the hamster can snort. But in turn, if the rodent feels threatened, it can adopt a defensive posture, emitting growls and grinding its teeth. In contexts of high nervousness, some whines or screeches may also appear, which are uncommon in hamsters.
- Excessive salivation: Stress, fear, anxiety and nervousness interfere with saliva production. A stressed hamster can present excessive salivation as a physical response of the organism in a context of high tension.
- Insistent escape attempts: A stressed hamster will try to escape from the negative environment. If you see that your rodent has its ears forward and its cheeks inflated, it means that its body is in a state of alert, preparing to quickly flee in the face of any danger.
- Muscle stiffness and tremors: When a hamster is very stressed or very afraid, the muscles in its body become more tense. In more extreme cases, muscle stiffness is so intense that the rodent may tremble.
- Behavior Changes: Stress in hamsters can cause changes in their usual behavior. A stressed rodent may be more aggressive, more shy, more anxious, sadder or more fearful than usual, for example. Knowing the personality of your hamster, you will be able to easily notice these alterations in its character.
How to calm a nervous or stressed hamster?
To prevent stress in hamsters or calm a nervous hamster, we must follow some guidelines to offer an optimal quality of life and a calm and positive environment for our rodents. At the exact moment you notice that your hamster is very stressed, nervous or adopts an aggressive posture, the ideal is to move away and wait for the rodent to calm down and recover balanced behavior. Afterwards, the ideal thing would be to take him to the vet to rule out any possible pathology, ensure his state of he alth and try to verify what is the cause of his altered behaviors.
However, it will also be essential to adopt certain basic care to prevent stress in hamsters and help them maintain a balanced behavior. Below, you will find some essential tips to offer an optimal quality of life to your rodent:
- Enrich the environment of his cage: Environmental enrichment is key when preparing your hamster's cage. An enriched cage allows the rodent to exercise and entertain itself during your absence, preventing behavior problems and helping to manage a he althy weight. Although the traditional wheel is useful to stimulate your hamster, the ideal is to also provide other toys and accessories to arouse their curiosity and stimulate their cognitive capacity. In pet stores, you can find some cages specially designed to provide a "playpen" for the most active hamsters.
- Socialization: Despite requiring relatively simple care, a hamster needs the attention and affection of its guardians to stay active, happy and he althy. For this reason, in addition to enriching your rodent's cage, it will also need to spend time with its congeners, as it is a gregarious animal. However, if this is not the case, you will need to dedicate a special time to play and share quality moments with him.
- Offer adequate preventive medicine: as we have mentioned, some diseases can cause behavioral changes in your hamster. Therefore, it is very important to offer adequate preventive medicine to your pet to strengthen its immune system. Remember to visit the vet every 6 months, provide a balanced diet, regularly sanitize his cage with enzymatic products and keep him physically and mentally active.
