Are Dwarf Hamsters Blind? - Pets Collector

As a new hamster parent, you might encounter many myths when learning more about your hamster. One of these often-repeated myths is that dwarf hamsters are entirely blind. But is that the case?

Dwarf hamsters are not blind. Despite being blind for about five days after birth, their eyesight develops naturally. They are nearsighted and effectively color-blind, but that is because they are primarily nocturnal animals.

In the rest of this article, I’ll dispel the ‘blind-as-a-hamster’ myth and explain how they navigate their environment. I will also explain how to care for a blind dwarf hamster. Let’s start!

Are Dwarf Hamsters Color Blind?

Dwarf hamsters are color-blind as they have monochromatic sight. This reduced color recognition means they see the world in black, white, and grey. They do, however, respond to blue and green color stimuli because of rhodopsin, a biological pigment found in the rods of the retinas.

Nocturnal and crepuscular animals’ eye structures have adapted to life under reduced light levels. To cope with low light conditions, hamsters possess the following:

A lot of rods (photoreceptors of the eyes that help to absorb the light in the environment)
A small number of cones (photoreceptors responsible for color vision)

In the wild, hamsters spend the daytime sleeping underground and are almost exclusively active during the night to avoid daytime predators. Therefore, their eyes have evolved to be enlarged with big retinas to rely on weak light sources such as moonlight.

We require a lot of light to distinguish colors effectively, so color recognition is unnecessary for these crepuscular rodents.

If the outside light is dimmer than a half-moon, discernment of colors other than black and white is impossible. This dark environment is where the abundance of rod photoreceptors comes in handy.

Although they can’t detect different colors, they can function in low-light conditions.

This low light functioning allows dwarf hamsters to manage well in their environment despite their color blindness, as their eyes are made 97% out of rods.

Do Dwarf Hamsters Have Good Eyesight?

Dwarf hamsters don’t have good eyesight. They aren’t blind but see better in dimmer evening light than during the day. They mostly rely on their fantastic sense of smell and hearing, making them every bit as aware and agile as other animals.

It is, however, essential to give them much-needed attention and protection when let out to explore and run around. Since their eyes are flawed, keeping them safe from potential injuries is vital.

How Far Can Dwarf Hamsters See?

Dwarf hamsters can see only a few inches from their nose, as they are short-sighted. This impaired vision makes it difficult for them to judge distance, depth, and height. However, they can see the object right before them.

In addition, even though their eyes look round, their corneas are incredibly flat, so they refract light poorly. This flattened shape also means that the images that appear on their retinas are somewhat blurry.

Can Dwarf Hamsters See Color?

Dwarf hamsters can see some colors, as their eyes contain 97% rods and 3% cones, which allows them to see some colors. In addition to black and white, they can see hues of blue and green.

A recent study has shown that, although they are effectively color-blind, some dwarf hamsters can see slight shades of green, and some can see shades of blue. This color recognition happens due to rhodopsin, also known as visual purple.

Rhodopsin is a protein found in rods that activates phosphodiesterases in the presence of light. This enzyme makes the rods absorb the green and blue light, creating “the visual purple” and improving the hamster’s vision in low light.

How Do You Know if a Hamster Is Blind?

You will know if your hamster is blind if they suddenly bump into things and fall. Since they have naturally poor eyesight and are pretty clumsy, you should look for sudden behavioral changes.

You can also notice the hamster developing cataracts, which often develop over a long period and are a product of old age. If your hamster is blind, it may exhibit a startle response when you pick them up from the front when it didn’t react this way in the past.

Cataracts are cloudy areas of the eyes that cause the lenses of the eyes to become milky white. They cause blurred vision and hypersensitivity to strong light sources and are not curable in hamsters.

They usually develop due to your hamster growing older and keep developing until they leave it completely blind. This condition is a common aspect of the hamster’s aging process and doesn’t cause them any pain.

Also, it is best to pay attention to symptoms of glaucoma, exophthalmia (eye bulging), and corneal ulcers since these are all serious eye diseases your hamster can develop that can leave them blind.

How To Care for Your Blind Dwarf Hamster

If you notice the signs that the dwarf hamster has gone blind, take it to the vet.

The veterinarian will be able to determine with certainty whether the hamster has something curable, and if not, they will be able to give you instructions on how to best take care of him.

Although going blind might seem like a terrible fate to you, it won’t change much for your dwarf hamster since its eyesight isn’t its primary method of managing its environment. Since hamsters are accustomed to living in a haze, the hamster will get used to and adapt to the new conditions, probably without too many issues.

At first, your hamster might be a little more timid and clumsy than usual.

Your hamster might even become a little more temperamental and aggressive than before, and in that case, you have to take a little more care when handling your pet until it gets used to being blind.

It is best to make sounds before holding your hamster, such as rustling their bedding before touching them. Blindness may make your hamster more fearful and defensive because they are primarily creatures of prey.

Also, adjust your pet’s environment to its new condition and make it somewhat more comfortable and appropriate for its needs. Remove things they can bump into inside the enclosure, and be careful not to leave them alone on exposed surfaces. They could fall off and injure themselves.

Tools Dwarf Hamsters Use To Compensate for Poor Eyesight

The holy trinity that allows the dwarf hamster a good spatial awareness and understanding of their habitat are their whiskers, sensitive ears, and a highly effective sense of smell. Let’s explore these vital senses in more detail.

The Whiskers

Dwarf hamsters use their whiskers to help their sense of touch. Not only are they their navigational and balancing tool, but they are also a means of picking up smells and eye protection.

The vibrissae follicles have many nerves that are great for detecting objects around them and warning them of predators.

These follicles give them an excellent comprehension of their nearby environment and compensate for their poor eyesight. Tiny muscles linked to the nervous system control a hamster’s whiskers which direct the collected information to the brain.

The whiskers also compensate for a hamster’s poor vision by estimating width and distance. That’s why the whiskers should be as wide as the broadest part of the hamster’s body, allowing it to know if something is wide enough to pass through.

Acute Sense of Smell

A dwarf hamster has a rather sensitive nose. Hamsters rely primarily on their sense of smell to navigate the environment, making it a fantastic substitute for their poor eyesight. It allows them to recognize each other, alert them to predators, and even recognize their owners.

Since they depend on their sense of smell, keep in mind that intense scents can bother them, and if you smell like another hamster or just tonight’s dinner, they may even bite you.

Perfect Hearing

Since it’s a form of compensation for their lousy eyesight, dwarf hamsters also have a superb sense of hearing. They have acutely sensitive ears and can hear significantly better than humans, making them particularly sensitive to loud sounds.

They can even hear ultrasound, which is very aggravating to them, so this is something we need to pay heed to when making our home their home.

On the other hand, you can use that same sense of hearing to make your dwarf hamster grow accustomed to your voice and use it as a means of bonding with it.

Conclusion

Although dwarf hamsters are visually impaired, they are fun, engaging, and lively pets. They seem to cope admirably with their less-than-perfect vision and navigate their environments using their heightened sense of smell and hearing.

Unfortunately, blindness is a component of aging, and you can’t avoid it entirely.

However, blindness is not an insurmountable obstacle as these creatures are accustomed to experiencing their surroundings with other senses far better than their vision.

Dwarf hamsters are great for first-time owners since they are low maintenance. They are cute and funny despite the clumsiness that comes with poor eyesight—or perhaps because of it!