Updated February 2019
Hi everyone! So remember roughly...forever ago, I posted a thread asking for people to suggest different myths about hamsters? It's finally done!
Thank you to HammyMay, Poofthecat, Tygerdino, Emma&Chester, Ping, GGGabriel, Hamsterloveandtlc, StrongBrewHamstery, IttyBitty, LycheeTheRobo, Kaibrooke, EmJay, ILoveMyRobos, FrightRat, horsemoorey, Creative Hamster, CandyHammy, Hazel Hammy, HipsterHam, CherryOnTop, Sour~Patch~Hammy, Banshee, ~DisneyHam~, Nana<3Love, nebit, CupcakeHammies, jaadennxo, tnguynen0101, PetLover 74, HipsterHam, Frost, PastalRainbow28, 4littlepaws, Hamstar24, Happypaws, Igglepiggle, SilverIris, CuddlyCandy, Captain<3Patoot, ArcticHam, ButteryPopcorn, bugbug, Littlepaws123, fourleafclover, nahte, Hamsters107, Squigglesthehamster, EmiliePets, PuddinCup, Jenzie, HoppingHammy, and tbiM20 for all of your support and help!
If you have any suggestions, critiques, or concerns, feel free to post them!
BEHAVIOR AND PERSONALITY MYTHS
MYTH: Hamsters are fully domesticated animals like dogs and cats, and are easy to handle and play with.
FACT: Hamsters are a lot closer to being wild animals than many other pets.
To avoid any misunderstanding, pet hamsters are not truly wild animals and cannot survive in the wild. However, they are not nearly as domesticated as many other pets. They fall in a sort of in-between space between domesticated and not domesticated. Part of the reason for this is simple lack of time. Dogs, cats, and even livestock have been kept by humans for thousands of years. Hamsters have only been kept as pets since the 1940s or so - that's less than 100 years in captivity. What this means is that hamsters are much closer in temperament to their wild counterparts than dogs or cats are.
Most hamsters do not actively crave or seek human contact. They are not like dogs that enjoy being petted and played with. The vast majority of hamsters are content to do their own thing - and many even prefer to be left alone.
It is unrealistic to bring a new hamster home and expect to be able to hold and cuddle it. Hamsters need to be tamed--that is, gradually trained to accept human contact and handling. Taming can take weeks or even months to accomplish.
In addition, taming will not change a hamster's inherent personality. Taming is simply getting the hamster accustomed enough to handling so that it does not panic when being handled. It does not force the hamster to like humans, and will not turn an independent hamster into a cuddly attention-seeker.
MYTH: Hamsters (especially dwarf hamsters) are generally nasty, aggressive animals.
FACT: Hamsters react to the way they are treated, just like any other animal.
This is a myth you’ll often hear from people outside of the hamster fancy. It seems that everyone you talk to has stories about childhood hamsters who were mean and bit all the time, that viciously attacked and killed cagemates, or that even cannibalized their own babies after birth.
The vast majority of the time, these behaviors are a direct result of poor-quality care. This statement isn’t meant to be haughty or to criticize people. It's a simple fact.
Hamsters being aggressive and biting humans is often caused by a poor choice in housing. This is what’s known as cage aggression—being crammed in a too-small cage causes the hamster to be stressed out. The hamster will often lash out by biting or aggressively defending its cage.
Killing cagemates is often the result of poor pairing choices. Putting two hamsters in the same cage is risky and generally not recommended in most situations. The most common species of hamster, the Syrian, is absolutely, 100% solitary and can never be housed with another hamster. The other species can sometimes be housed together, but it requires a lot of work, very specific arrangements, and an extremely experienced owner. It's not something for beginners to attempt and it's not as simple as just throwing two hamsters in a cage.
Mother hamsters do not eat their own young for no reason. They will do so, however, under certain conditions. If the mother hamster is sick, weak, or otherwise unable to successfully raise the pups, she will cut her losses by killing and eating them. This is called “culling.” Again, in pet situations, this comes down to improper care. Culling is far more likely to happen if the mother is too young, inexperienced, or not given proper prenatal care and nutrition.
These are not behavioral problems. They are not inherent behaviors that make hamsters "evil" or "mean." They are stress-related responses to mistakes that humans make. It’s like putting a fish in a birdcage and then calling it “stupid” for dying because it cannot breathe air - it's an issue of ignoring the animal's basic needs.
MYTH: Once a hamster is tamed, it will be cuddly, friendly, and attention-seeking.
FACT: Hamsters are not usually "sit-and-cuddle" pets.
This myth is actually an “opposing” myth to the previous one about hamsters being mean. This one typically comes from people within the hamster fancy. It is the pendulum swinging too far in the opposite direction. It’s the idea that almost all hamsters (once tamed and properly cared for) are super-sweet, friendly, and cuddly. And that any hamster that isn’t like this is an oddball, or there’s something wrong with it.
Take a look at the results of this survey. Yes, many hamsters are friendly, some extremely so. But it’s by no means unusual for a hamster to be only tolerant of handling, or even antisocial.
Not all hamsters are going to be cuddly attention-seekers. In fact, most hamsters are not like this--only 30% of the hamsters in the survey were described as actively seeking human attention. Which means that 70% of hamsters will not seek their owners out to be held or cuddled. It’s not the case that super-friendly hamsters are the majority--we just tend to hear more about them, because their owners like to talk about them.
Some hamsters simply prefer to be left alone to do their own thing. There is nothing wrong with a hamster that is like this. A responsible owner should be prepared to care for a hamster regardless of its personality. “He didn’t like being held” is NEVER a good reason for rehoming a hamster.
MYTH: All hamsters love and use their wheels constantly
FACT: Some hamsters like wheels more than others
It is true that the vast majority of hamsters love and use wheels. However, it is possible for a hamster to not really care much for running on a wheel. As long as any health issues have been ruled out, there’s nothing wrong with this.
(Note: All hamsters, regardless of how much they like wheels, should be provided with an adequately-sized wheel at all times.)
CARE MYTHS
MYTH: Hamsters are "cheap" pets.
FACT: Hamsters cost more money than most people think.
This is a tough myth to discuss because there is no way to objectively define "expensive" versus "cheap." What one person considers cheap might be a lot of money to someone else, and vice versa. And while hamsters do cost money, they do cost less than a cat or dog or other larger animal.
What can be said is that the cost of keeping a hamster is orders of magnitude above the cost of the animal itself. A $20 hamster is going to warrant ~$100 in startup supplies, plus monthly food and bedding costs. Vet bills for a single illness can easily exceed $200.
This thread contains reports of how much money members spent on their hamsters’ setups. Notice that in general, costs are at least $70 - $100 (US) and at least £60 - £100 (UK).
MYTH: Hamsters make a great starter pet for young children to learn how to take care of an animal on their own.
FACT: As with any pet, a mature individual or adult needs to be ultimately responsible for the hamster’s care.
A hamster is a living animal, not an experiment. While even young children can take part in caring for a hamster, its well-being cannot fall by the wayside to teach a lesson about responsibility. With very young children, an adult needs to supervise and ensure that the hamster is getting the care it needs.
In some ways, hamsters are not the best pets for very young children:
(a) Hamsters tend towards a nocturnal or crepuscular lifestyle. It's not uncommon for a hamster to sleep until late at night or even the wee hours of the morning. This often does not fit in well with the schedule of a young child that has an early bedtime.
(b) Hamsters also do not tolerate rough handling. They are small, delicate, and easily injured or even killed by careless hands. And being prey animals, they will not hesitate to bite if threatened or hurt (and they CANNOT be "trained" not to bite).
© As stated above, hamsters require taming before they can be handled. Taming can be a frustrating process even for adults, so expecting a young child to keep an interest in taming a skittish or nippy animal is a bit much.
A hamster’s care ultimately needs to be overseen by someone who is willing and capable to properly care for it.
MYTH: Caring for a hamster is easy—all you have to do is give it food and water and clean the cage.
FACT: As with all animals, merely feeding and cleaning up after a hamster is not the extent of proper care.
This is a subtle myth that is usually not so plainly stated, but exists nonetheless. The idea is that “taking care” of a hamster is just simple maintenance tasks like feeding and cleaning. This is perhaps why hamsters are such popular pets for children—their care is supposedly quite easy.
However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Taking care of an animal isn’t just feeding it and cleaning up after it. It’s knowing what is needed to keep that animal happy, healthy, and safe and being able to provide for it.
For hamsters, care includes:
-Knowing and understanding appropriate cage size
-Setting up the cage in a way that is interesting and comfortable for the hamster
-Finding safe cage equipment, and avoiding dangerous and inappropriate products
-Creating a healthy and species-appropriate diet (which involves more than buying a bag of hamster food at the pet store)
-Taming the hamster to tolerate human handling and forming a bond
-Recognizing subtle signs of illness and changes in behavior
-Having ready access to and funds for an experienced exotic veterinarian
-Knowing how to handle emergency situations (escapes, sudden illness, injury)
MYTH: Hamsters are smelly
FACT: Hamsters don’t smell worse than any other pet
This is a difficult myth to discuss, as “smelly” is a relative term. All animals (including humans) have some sort of odor to them, so there really isn’t any animal that doesn’t smell at all. However, hamsters are among the smallest pets with small amounts of excretion, and are therefore probably one of the least smelly pets out there.
Generally, a healthy hamster’s body should not smell overwhelmingly bad. They do have an “animal” odor to them, but it isn’t terribly offensive. Some have reported female Syrians as having a muskier odor (especially during heat, but not limited to that) and male dwarfs having strong-smelling urine. Ultimately, this depends on the hamster and the owner’s sensitivity.
Under normal circumstances, a hamster’s odor should not be unbearable. Of course, like almost all other animals, their urine and feces do smell. Some hamsters do have worse-smelling waste products than others.
Proper cleaning of the cage (spot cleaning, using an absorbent bedding) should prevent any serious odors.
MYTH: A hamster’s cage must be cleaned every week or the hamster will get sick!
FACT: Cage cleaning frequency depends on a number of factors—there is no one answer.
(Note: In this discussion, “cleaning” is understood to mean a full clean-out that involves throwing away most of the bedding, washing out the cage with soap and water / cleaner, and so on. Smaller-scale tidying up or spot cleaning does need to be done frequently for all cages.)
This is an old myth based on old housing recommendations. The smaller cages that were common and considered suitable years ago (Crittertrails, Habitrails, 10-gallon tanks) certainly needed to be cleaned out quite often. Because of their small size, they get dirty quickly.
However, larger cages allow the hamster to establish a potty area that’s separated from the rest of the cage. This extra space keeps the rest of the cage cleaner. As a general rule, the larger the cage, the less often it needs to be cleaned. Larger cages also allow for deeper bedding, which absorbs messes better. As a result, these larger cages don’t need to be cleaned out every week. Some can go even a few months without major cleaning (assuming that spot cleaning is done frequently!).
It depends on the situation, and as long as the hamster has a generally neat and odor-free environment, it’s perfectly fine to not clean the cage every week. In fact, full cage cleans can actually cause a degree of stress in hamsters.
MYTH: It’s fine to bathe hamsters in water like most other pets
FACT: Hamsters should not be bathed in water, except under dire circumstances
As a general rule, hamsters should not be bathed in water.
Hamsters are very small animals, among the smallest kept as pets. This means that they have a large surface area to volume ratio (the smaller an object, the bigger its SA : V). More surface area means more loss of heat. Think about how your fingers and toes get cold quicker than your stomach. It’s the same concept.
Being wet speeds up the loss of heat. Basically, when hamsters get wet, it becomes very difficult for them to retain their body heat. It’s extremely stressful and can even be deadly. Larger animals don’t have this problem due to having a smaller SA : V. But it is a very real issue for small animals like hamsters.
Overall, it’s really not worth the stress and risk to bathe a hamster, unless its life is in imminent danger (for example, if it got something toxic on its fur).
MYTH: Hamsters are silent pets.
FACT: Hamsters can be surprisingly loud, and may disturb your sleep.
There’s an idea out there that because hamsters don’t vocalize (at least not often), they’re totally silent pets. This isn’t entirely true. While a hamster certainly isn’t loud enough to cause complaints from neighbors like a dog might, they do make noise.
Simple things like running on the wheel, chewing chews, eating food, and (especially) drinking water can make more noise than you’d think. Especially in the middle of the night when everything else is quiet. If you are a light sleeper, take caution before deciding to keep a hamster in your bedroom—it may very well keep you up at night.
MYTH: Escapes are a normal and expected part of owning a hamster.
FACT: Hamster escapes are extremely dangerous and should not be a common occurrence.
It is not normal or safe for a hamster to constantly escape its cage. The world outside of the cage is incredibly dangerous for a hamster—electrical wires, poisons, predators, disease…the list goes on and on. If a hamster escapes the same cage more than once or twice, something is wrong and needs to be corrected.
It is not at all difficult to create an escape-proof habitat.
SPECIES-RELATED MYTHS
MYTH: Syrian hamsters are laid-back and easy to tame and handle
FACT: Syrian hamsters have a range of personalities
A hamster’s species does not determine its personality. Not all Syrians are calm and cuddly. It is not uncommon or unusual for a Syrian to be shy, skittish, or just aloof. It depends on the individual hamster.
MYTH: Syrian hamsters are the best for beginners. Their large size makes them easier to handle than dwarfs, and they’re slower as well.
FACT: Syrians are not necessarily better for beginners than any other hamster, and in fact present unique challenges.
The fact that Syrians are larger may or may not make them “easier to handle.” True, a larger animal may be less likely to slip away. However, Syrians’ larger size also makes them physically stronger, which means that they may be able to force their way out of a grip more easily. A large animal may also be difficult for small hands to hold.
Also, their larger size means larger teeth, which will do more damage than a dwarf’s smaller teeth. Syrians can be more intimidating for this reason.
As far as them being slower…this is difficult to prove or disprove either way. In any case, it’s a disservice to call any hamster “slow.” Syrians, like all hamsters, can be plenty fast.
In addition, Syrians are very needy in terms of cage size. They are often not satisfied in anything but the very largest cages, and can be incredibly destructive and difficult to deal with when bored.
This is not to say that Syrians are worse than dwarfs for a beginner. It’s merely to point out that they are not universally “better.” It depends on the individual and what they’re most comfortable with.
MYTH: Dwarf hamsters (especially Campbell’s dwarfs) are mean and more prone to biting than Syrians.
FACT: Under proper care, dwarf hamsters are no more prone to biting, and can have a range of personalities.
A hamster’s species does not determine its personality.
The small inkling of truth to this myth is the fact that Campbell’s dwarfs seem to be prone towards developing cage aggression than other species. Since many people do not properly care for hamsters and keep them in too-small cages, this has resulted in a high percentage of aggressive Campbell’s dwarfs.
However, if the hamster is given proper care and a spacious cage, there is no reason that it would be more likely to be aggressive than any other species.
MYTH: Roborovski’s dwarf hamsters are impossible to tame and are only for experienced hamster owners.
FACT: Roborovski’s dwarf hamsters can certainly be tamed, and are not limited to experts.
A hamster’s species does not determine its personality.
Robos, like any other hamster, can have a range of personalities. In the By-Species Personality Survey, a full 70% of Robos reported were at least tolerant of handling, and just shy of half (47%) were friendly! They are by no means “untamable”!
The main difficulty with Robos is that they are very tiny and extremely active. However, what happens is that their quickness is misinterpreted as being wild and untamed, where the truth is that these hamsters just have a lot of energy!
MYTH: Chinese dwarf hamsters are not actually dwarfs, because they are in a different genus than Roborovski's, Campbell's, and Winter Whites.
FACT: Chinese dwarf hamsters are technically the only dwarf hamsters. However, it is probably more practical to refer to all non-Syrian domestic hamsters as dwarfs due to their small size.
It is true that Chinese dwarf hamsters are in a different genus than Roborovski's, Winter Whites, and Campbell's. Chinese dwarf hamsters belong to the genus Cricetulus, while the other species belong to the genus Phodopus.
But technically speaking, Chinese hamsters are not only dwarf hamsters...but also the only dwarf hamsters kept as pets! Taxonomically, members of the Cricetulus genus are considered dwarf hamsters. Members of the Phodopus genus are not called dwarf hamsters, but are rather referred to as "small desert hamsters." In reality, it's the opposite of what most people think.
However, it is still reasonable to use the term "dwarf hamster" in the casual sense of referring to a smaller species of hamster than the Syrian. In that sense, Chinese hamsters, Robos, Campbell's, and Winter Whites may all be considered dwarf hamsters.
MYTH: There is “no such thing” as a teddy bear hamster / golden hamster / etc.
TRUTH: There are many acceptable names for each species of hamster.
One confusing thing about hamsters is that each one of the 5 domestic species has many different names. Hamster species aren’t like dog breeds in that there’s one common, well-known name for each one (a pug is a pug, a Labrador is a Labrador). What you call a Syrian hamster may be called a golden hamster or teddy bear hamster by someone else.
Among hamster owners, there has been a recent push to use more formal names (Syrian hamster) rather than “cutesy” names (teddy bear hamster). While there’s nothing wrong with using the formal names, this has led to a misconception that the formal names are somehow better or more correct than other names.
This isn’t necessarily true. The names most common around the forum may sound official, but 4 out of 5 of them are not. The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) provides these common names for the 5 species of domestic hamster.
Mesocricetus auratus – Golden hamster
Cricetulus barabensis – Striped dwarf hamster
Phodopus campbelli – Campbell’s hamster
Phodopus sungorus – Dzhungarian hamster
Phodopus roborovskii – Desert hamster
While not necessarily truly “official”, these names are as close as you can get to being standardized and correct.
However, several of the ITIS names are very rarely used, and would likely just cause a lot of confusion. People are free to refer to hamsters by whatever name they like. While the names listed above are technically the accepted names, in casual conversation, there is no true right or wrong. Certain names may seem silly to some people, but it’s equally silly to tell someone that their hamster doesn’t exist just because they use a name that you don’t prefer.
As a final note, it is important to recognize that there are only 5 domestic species of hamster, and that the various nicknames do not represent different species. A teddy bear hamster is not a different species than a golden hamster.
MYTH: There are different breeds of hamsters
TRUTH: The different hamsters are different species
To understand this, it’s important to understand the difference between “breed” and “species.” If animals are two different breeds, they are slightly different versions of the same animal. If animals are two different species, they’re two different animals altogether. Put another way, breeds are created by humans and species are created by nature.
Dogs are the most common example of breeds. We have many different breeds of dogs…but at the end of the day, they are all the same animal. They are the same species – Canis lupus familiaris. And because they are the same species, they can interbreed. This is why we can have mixed breed dogs.
For different species, we can look at some more exotic animals. For example, take cheetahs and tigers. These animals are both casually known as “big cats.” And they are related to each other and have some similarities. But it’s clear to see that they are not the same animal—they are two completely different species.
That’s how hamsters are. A Syrian hamster and a Roborovski’s dwarf hamster are two different species. They are two completely different animals, not variations on the same animal. They cannot interbreed—it is biologically impossible for a Syrian to breed with a Robo.
There is one wrinkle to this, and that is Winter White dwarfs and Campbell’s dwarfs. Like all other hamsters, they are two different species. Unlike the other species, they can interbreed. It’s similar to the way lions and tigers, despite being two completely different animals, can interbreed to produce ligers.
MYTH: Pet stores keep multiple Syrian hamsters in the same cage, so they’re fine to be kept together
FACT: Syrian hamsters are solitary and territorial, and should never be housed together.
Pet stores keep multiple Syrians in the same cage, yes. However, they do this to save space, not because it’s good for the animals. Ask anyone who has worked in a pet store. The Syrians there can and do kill their cagemates. The store isn’t going to let customers see that—they’ll clean it up before the store opens in the morning.
Also, the Syrians in pet stores are frequently young. Very young Syrians can live together (they have to peacefully coexist to nurse!). However, the hamsters in pet stores are usually right at the borderline of needing to be separated.
Syrians are solitary and territorial by nature. They must live alone. If two Syrians are housed together, there is nearly a 100% chance that they will fight and kill each other. Yes, there’s always that one-in-a-million pair of Syrians that manages to get along. However, keep in mind that for that pair, there are 999,999 other Syrian pairings that have resulted in serious injury or death. It’s not worth the risk. These animals are not meant to live in pairs. Any pair that does get along is the very rare exception, not the rule.
HEALTH MYTHS
MYTH: Hamsters do not need vet care.
FACT: Like all other pets, a hamster needs to be taken to the vet if sick or injured
There is a mindset out there that because hamsters are small or inexpensive that they are not worthy of receiving vet care. It's hard to argue against personal beliefs about what animals do and do not "deserve" treatment if they are suffering, so let's not focus on that part.
What can be discussed, however, is the legal side of things. Not taking a sick or injured animal to the vet is considered neglect, which is a form of animal cruelty. Denying vet care is no different from denying food and water - it's cruel and illegal. Animal cruelty laws apply to hamsters just as much as they apply to cats and dogs.
One facet to this myth is the idea that vets don't treat hamsters. This is false as well--just because a dog / cat vet doesn't treat hamsters doesn't mean that no vets will. Exotics vets absolutely exist, and although they may be a bit harder to find than other vets, they aren't that rare. In fact, there is a whole listing of exotics vets right here.
Another facet is that because hamsters are so small, vets can't do anything to help them in most cases. Again, this is untrue. Why would exotic vets even exist if nothing could be done at all? Hamsters can be prescribed medications, and they can even have surgery. And yes, these things can and do save lives.
MYTH: Wet tail is just a severe case of diarrhea that can be treated at home
FACT: Wet tail is a serious syndrome that is nearly 100% fatal without vet care
First, let’s talk symptoms. Sneezing is a symptom, not a disease. The common cold (which has the symptom of sneezing) is a disease. This does not mean that a cold is “just sneezing.” This does not mean that every sneeze automatically means the cold. Many things can cause sneezing.
The same is true for diarrhea. Diarrhea is only a symptom. Wet tail is a bacterial infection caused by Lawsonia intracellularis. It is not just an upset stomach or a case of the runs.
Stress lowers the immune system and reduces the hamster’s ability to fight against disease. A healthy, non-stressed hamster may be able to balance their gut bacteria properly and not get sick. But when the hamster is stressed, its immune system is weak, and it cannot fight off the infection. This is why wet tail often shows up in new hamsters—the stress of moving from the pet store / shelter to a new home weakens the immune system, and allows the bacteria to flourish.
Wet tail results in severe lesions on the hamster’s intestines. This is why wet tail is so deadly. Even if the disease is treated, sometimes the damage to the intestines is too severe, and the hamster will die from not being able to absorb water or nutrients.
The way to treat wet tail is to kill the bacteria, hopefully before they can cause too much damage to the intestines. This can only be done with prescription-strength medicines, administered by a veterinarian.
Wet tail drops bought from pet stores (such as Dri-Tail) will not cure wet tail. The antibiotic in them is too weak to kill the bacteria. The only thing these drops do is stop the diarrhea, which is treating the symptom, not the disease. Even if the diarrhea stops, the bacteria are still eating away at the intestine, and the hamster will eventually die.
MYTH: Hamsters live about 2 – 4 years
FACT: About 2 – 3 years is a maximum lifespan. The typical lifespan is 1.5 - 2 years.
This is the result of misunderstanding a typical lifespan versus a maximum one.
A truly genetically and physically healthy hamster with a high level of care can potentially make it to over 3 years old. The problem is, hamsters are so overbred that most of them are not genetically healthy at all. Most hamsters die very young due to disease. It is very rare for a hamster to make it to 3 years old, and 4 years old is nearly unheard of (for context, the world record for oldest hamster was 4.5 years, so take anyone claiming that they had a hamster live to 5+ years with a grain of salt!).
I've done a survey on this forum over the past few years – Hamster Lifespan Survey It certainly isn't perfect, but you can see the trends and numbers associated with hamster lifespans. Based on this survey, the average lifespan is about 1.5 years old.
MYTH: A hamster is considered "elderly" at 1 - 1.5 years old.
FACT: Hamsters do not reach old age until over 2 years. A 1 - 1.5 year old hamster is just about middle-aged.
This is a misconception that stems from the above lifespan confusion.
Just because the average lifespan of a hamster is only 1.5 years does not mean that they are considered "old" at that age! It means that hamsters are dying young of illness. A hamster should not be showing signs of aging at less than 2 years old.
ENVIRONMENT MYTHS
MYTH: Unlike gerbils, hamsters don’t need much bedding.
FACT: Hamsters are burrowers, just like gerbils are.
Hamsters are natural burrowers. In the wild, they dig complex tunnel systems that can be miles and miles long. Domestic hamsters benefit immensely from having a deep (at least 8”, but preferably deeper) layer of bedding to dig and burrow in. The 1" - 2" recommendation on most bedding packages is outdated.
MYTH: Wild hamsters spend their lives in underground burrows, so modular cages connected by tubes are the best for them.
FACT: Wild hamsters only nest and sleep in burrows, they do not “live” in them
This myth is often used as a justification for using small modular cages. The thought is that wild hamsters live in underground burrows, so modular cages with tubes simulate their natural habitat perfectly.
The problem with this is that wild hamsters do not “live” in their burrows. They are not like mole rats—they are not in their burrows 24/7. Hamsters sleep and nest in underground burrows, but they spend a lot of time on the surface.
It’s also worth noting that hamsters’ burrow systems can be miles long. A few small cages connected by tubes doesn’t even come close to replicating that.
MYTH: Hamsters benefit from having very tall cages to climb around on
FACT: Hamsters are terrestrial animals, and are not well suited to climbing
Hamsters are not naturally climbing animals. In the wild, they spend their time on the ground or in underground tunnel. They do not scale trees or hang out on sheer cliffs. They are not nearly as nimble or agile as rats or mice.
However, many hamsters will climb up cage bars if given the opportunity. That said, this isn’t always the safest thing for them. It doesn’t take a big fall to hurt a hamster, even if it’s just a minor injury. And hamsters are rather prone to falling when they climb. Getting limbs caught in bars is another concern.
There are plenty of ways to provide a hamster safe ways to climb. Sloped ladders and ramps, elevated hideouts, and tubes can allow hamsters to climb in and over things, instead of having them climb up and potentially hurt themselves.
MYTH: Hamsters cannot live in aquariums, because ammonia buildup from their urine will kill them.
FACT: Aquariums are perfectly safe homes for hamsters if they are properly maintained.
There are some exotic pets that should not live in aquariums for the exact reason stated above. Animals like rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits produce large amounts of urine. If they are housed in a tank, the fumes from the ammonia in the urine may irritate their respiratory systems.
Hamsters are different. First of all, they are smaller, and therefore produce less urine. Second, hamsters are adapted to dry environments. Instead of producing large amounts of watery urine, they produce small amounts of concentrated urine to conserve water.
Less urine means less ammonia. The bottom line is that hamsters produce so little urine that the ammonia given off by it is negligible. As long as the cage is not neglected, aquariums are perfectly safe for hamsters.
CAGE SIZE MYTHS
MYTH: Because they are small animals, hamsters can live comfortably in most small cages.
FACT: Any animal, regardless of its size, needs enough space to run around and move freely.
Yes, hamsters are small. And strictly speaking, they do not need the same amount of space as, say, a horse. However, they need enough space to be able to move comfortably in their environment. Most small cages do not provide this, as they are barely large enough for the hamster to walk from one end to the other.
The Case For Large Cages gives a detailed explanation of what types of cages hamsters need, and provides reasons for size recommendations.
MYTH: A hamster isn’t smart enough to know the difference between a large cage and a smaller one.
FACT: Like virtually all animals, hamsters are aware of their environment.
This is an utterly absurd myth. To say this is basically to claim that hamsters are so stupid that they have no awareness of their surroundings. If this was the case, how would they even survive in the wild? An animal needs to know and understand its surroundings to avoid predators, find food, and nest.
A hamster may not be able to calculate cage size, but it can certainly tell if there’s a wall in its way or not. There are have been scientific studies that investigated the impact of cage size on hamsters’ health and behavior. And in at least two of these studies, the researchers did find significant differences between hamsters housed in small cages and those housed in larger ones.
MYTH: If a hamster has a small cage, giving it lots of attention and out-of-cage time will make up for it.
FACT: There is no amount of out-of-cage time that can make up for a small cage.
A hamster’s cage is its home. It will spend the vast majority of its life in the cage, so it’s important that the cage be comfortable.
There is literally no possible way to provide enough out-of-cage time to make up for having a small cage. Even if you have your hamster out for 4 – 5 hours per day, every single day (which is much, much more than what most people can reasonably accomplish), that’s still a relatively small proportion of its life.
Also, consider that out-of-cage time is often on the human’s terms, not the hamster’s. Are you going to let your hamster out to play at 3:00am when it’s active and wants to run around? Or are you taking it out in the evening, when it’s just waking up and wanting to eat and stretch?
MYTH: Large cages are intimidating and make hamsters feel exposed—small cages are better, because the hamster feels safe and secure.
FACT: Cage design and setup is what makes a cage secure, not the size of the cage.
This is often used as an argument against large cages—that small cages are cozier and make the hamster feel safe. In fact, some people have even noticed that their hamster becomes more shy and skittish upon moving to a larger cage.
Large cages do not have to be open and intimidating. In fact, they shouldn’t be. Adding hideouts, tubes, deep bedding, and other toys to a large cage will give the hamster plenty of places to hide. A hamster can feel just as safe in a large cage as it does in a small cage. And a large cage provides more space for the hamster to roam.
MYTH: Hamsters use their wheels to run and get exercise, so a large cage is not necessary
FACT: Wheel running and cage size have nothing to do with each other.
The myth here is that a wheel gives a hamster an infinite amount of “running space,” so there’s no need to provide a large cage.
This myth relies on the assumption that running on a wheel and having space to range in the cage are the same activity, and that one is a substitute for another. If they were, and running on a wheel was a substitute for running around in a large cage, we would expect that hamsters in small cages would run more than those in large cages. Those in larger cages would not “need” to run on the wheel as much.
Fischer et al. 2007 actually studied this. They found that wheel running did not differ among the different cage sizes. Hamsters in the largest cages used their wheels just as much as the ones in the smallest cages.
The reason for this is not clear at this time. What this tells us is that running on the wheel and running around in the cage serve different purposes. A hamster needs both to be happy and healthy—it’s not a matter of one or the other.
Edited by Taxonomist, 02 April 2019 - 04:58 AM.
The information you have provided is spectacular and is quite interesting in my opinion. I absolutely love this. Thank you for taking the time to gather all of our myths to help you (although I wasn't here at the time, I don't think..) break them such as the Myth Busters, For hamsters!
Thank you for compiling this!
It is Chinese in origin, so translating to English gets a little hairy, as the two languages are very dissimilar. Djungarian is more common, however, I wanted to go directly from ITIS.
Be patient with me, BF is my first hamster. I was putting an embarrassing one inch. 
Probably less. 
