Having a hamster as a pet is a rewarding and exciting journey, however there’s a lot to know to keep them happy and healthy. From a well-balanced diet to a clean cage, you want your furry friend to live a comfortable and fulfilling life and one of the most common questions is whether or not a hamster will die of loneliness.
No, hamsters won’t die from loneliness, but you should strive to provide enough stimulation in their cage, interact with them regularly, and ensure they are getting the engagement they need.
While hamsters are generally solitary animals, they still need ongoing interaction from you and enough toys to keep them active as they live alone in their cage. They won’t die from loneliness, but they can certainly feel bored and start to become depressed if left completely alone.
But that’s not all you need to know. In the following article we’re going to dive more into the topic of hamster loneliness and how you can create an environment that is stimulating and engaging for your furry friend.
Now that we know hamsters won’t die from loneliness, taking a step back, you might be wondering whether hamsters get lonely at all.
Do Hamsters Get Lonely?
While hamsters generally live in solitude in the wild, you may suspect that loneliness isn’t a problem and they can be left alone for extended periods of time. However, that’s not entirely true.
Yes, hamsters get lonely when they are left alone in their cage and have no regular interaction with you or the environment outside their cage.
Hamsters need mental stimulation to feel active and fulfilled in their small cage, otherwise they may become stressed or anxious and start biting their cage, chewing on their own body, or making odd and concerning noises.
Contrary to popular belief, hamsters do enjoy interacting with their owners and getting outside of their cage to explore, which provides that mental stimulation we just mentioned. They should be taken out of their cage daily, allowed to explore, and given more opportunities to be active.
Take a step back and imagine if you were stuck in a small room all day that you could fully explore in less than 1 minute. While you may see yourself as solitary and want to be left alone, you would still want to get out and occasionally engage in a different environment. That’s exactly what it’s like for hamsters.
So if you are going to get a hamster or you already have one, ensure that you are providing them with plenty of daily interaction and unique activities outside their cage to give them that mental stimulation they so desperately need.
Are Hamsters Social Animals?
Hamsters are not known for being social animals and they are typically solitary in the wild, but this doesn’t mean they don’t need social interaction. It just means that they don’t need to be around hamsters or other animals.
It’s a slight, but important distinction and it mostly arises from their life in a small cage.
Hamsters need stimulation and to feel engaged on a daily basis to avoid feeling stressed, anxious, or depressed. Just like any regular person. And the way to do that is to engage with them on a daily basis.
So while they don’t need the companionship of other hamsters in their cage, which can actually stress them out more, they do need you to take them out of their cage on a daily basis and play with them. Let them explore your home in a hamster ball or cage off a small area and let them freely and safely explore a small area of your room.
Most importantly, hamsters need the right environment and ability to feel engaged and active in their cage. Providing a hamster wheel, sufficient toys, tubes and tunnels, as well as the option to explore other areas of the home safely is important for your furry friend.
So while you don’t need to add another hamster to their cage, you do need to take steps to give them the engagement they need to live a long and happy life.
Do Hamsters Need Interaction with Other Animals?
We’ve written about hamsters and how they engage with other animals in the past, but it’s important to recap that information here when talking about loneliness.
Hamsters don’t need interaction with other animals and they are generally solitary in the wild, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need interaction with their owners and regular activity to keep them engaged.
In the wild, hamsters really only get together to mate. Other than that they tend to live their lives alone, but when they live in captivity in a small cage, they can become stressed and anxious if they aren’t given the attention and activity that a cage tends to take away.
Without that regular activity, hamsters can start to engage in destructive behavior, such as chewing their cage, or even prolonged depression, which can lead to other types of illnesses.
That’s why it’s important to provide them areas to explore, such as tubes and tunnels, wheels, rope toys, and even DIY toys if you’re feeling creative.
And while we’re talking about other animals, it’s important to remember that other animals can stress out your furry friend. Generally it’s not a good idea to house multiple hamsters together and you should keep any larger animals, such as cats or dogs out of sight to prevent stressing out your hamster as they feel trapped in their cage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Hamsters Die From Separation?
No, hamsters will not die from separation as they are generally solitary animals anyway. Other animals can cause stress or anxiety, so it’s important to keep them away from your hamster. But toys and other ways to keep your hamster active are very important.
Do Hamsters Get Depressed Alone?
Hamsters can get depressed if they are left alone for extended periods of time, so you should be taking them out of their cage and interacting with them on a daily basis. However, they only need interaction from you, not other animals.
Can Hamsters Die of Depression?
While hamsters cannot die from depression, that depression can lead to stress and other illnesses, which are deadly for hamsters. So keep your hamster engaged and happy and they’ll live a long and fulfilling life.
Do Hamsters Feel Sadness?
Yes, hamsters can feel sadness and other emotions just as any other animal or human. These negative feelings can occur when they don’t have the appropriate environment to feel engaged and stimulated.
Additional Reading
If you’re interested in reading more about hamsters and their social interactions with other animals, behaviors, feelings, and more check out the related articles below.
- 6 Signs You Have a Stressed or Sad Hamster – Caring Pets
- 4 Ways to Cheer Up a Depressed Hamster – Pocket Sized Pets
- Normal and Abnormal Hamster Behavior – PetCo
Conclusion
While hamsters are generally solitary animals, it’s important to provide them with an environment that is suitable and provides the right amount of engagement and interaction to keep them active.
Hamsters won’t die from loneliness, but that feeling can lead to stress and anxiety, which are precursors to other types of illnesses that are fatal, such as wet tail.
As a result, it’s important as a hamster owner to give them a suitable and engaging environment, take them out of their cage regularly to play, and allow them to explore to give them that mental stimulation they so desperately need.