Hamsters are lively pets and love to be active. When they are sleeping for a long time and not moving, it can be concerning. Do hamsters hibernate, and can doing so harm them?
Hibernation can kill hamsters. Hamsters hibernate to preserve resources when temperatures get low or they run out of food. While hibernation helps hamsters survive, if the conditions that made them hibernate continue, they can get hypothermia and die.
Hamsters hibernate when they get too cold. If these conditions persist, it runs a risk to your hamster. This article will cover why hamsters hibernate, how long they do, how dangerous it is, and how to prevent hibernation in captive hamsters.
What Is Hibernation?
Hibernation is a way that animals conserve energy during cold weather or when food is scarce. It is a survival mechanism among many animals that have trouble accessing food during the winter.
Because mammals are endothermic, they require constant energy to produce heat, unlike cold-blooded animals that get heat from external sources. When fuel is scarce, they go into a deep sleep to conserve their energy.
While hibernation is natural, it indicates that an animal is in survival mode and low on resources. Hibernation for long periods is generally not safe for animals unless they’ve planned for it by building large fat stores.
In almost all cases, hibernation in captive animals is rare and indicates the animal is sufficiently cold or out of food.
Do Hamsters Hibernate?
Wild hamsters hibernate, as do most field rodents that need to stay warm during the winter. When food supplies are low, these animals stock up on energy to wait out the winter, much like squirrels.
Hamsters generally hibernate when temperatures drop below 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius) for over 24 hours. These changes in temperature signal to the hamster that winter is coming and resources will become scarce.
How Long Do Hamsters Hibernate?
In general, hamsters hibernate until the weather warms up again. Warmer weather signals that food will be available again. In wild hamsters, this generally happens in the spring.
For captive hamsters, you can offset hibernation by raising the temperature of your house to above 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius). Make sure they have plenty of food available when awake so they can stock back up on the energy they’ve missed.
In general, captive hamsters won’t hibernate unless the house cools significantly while you aren’t there. Captive hamsters are usually not prepared to hibernate, and being in a deep sleep for long periods isn’t optimal for their health.
Is Hibernation Dangerous for Captive Hamsters?
Hibernation is dangerous for any hibernating animal because, in this state, animals are at their most vulnerable. Hibernation puts animals in a deep sleep that is impossible to wake from quickly. Animals in hibernation must meet the environmental conditions to come out of deep sleep.
In the wild, hibernating hamsters have to fear predators that may find them while they are in this vulnerable state. Captive hamsters don’t face the same threats, but prolonged hibernation is still very dangerous.
Wild hamsters prepare for winter by stocking up on essential food supplies. While they’re sleeping, all energy goes towards producing heat for the hamster. Captive hamsters with stable living conditions don’t stock up on food. They require cues from the environment, such as shortened light cycles and gradually lowering temperatures, to do so.
A further issue for captive hamsters is that they deal with stable temperatures. If the temperature drops below their hibernating point and stays cold, they will hibernate indefinitely. The longer captive hamsters hibernate without food stores, the higher the risk it poses to them.
The main risks with prolonged hibernation are hypothermia, starvation, dehydration, and infections arising from too-cold temperatures or lack of food.
How To Wake Up a Hibernating Hamster
If your hamster is hibernating, the best thing to do is reverse the conditions that initiated hibernation. Hibernation is a response to severe living conditions from which the hamster is protecting itself.
Begin by raising the thermostat to about room temperature (70 degrees Fahrenheit or 21 degrees Celsius). You do not want the hamster to get heat stroke from too-hot conditions. As the temperature warms up, your hamster will get more blood flow and begin to come out of hibernation.
Family pet recommends stimulating the nervous system by giving your hamster tiny head rubs for about 20 minutes. This process helps energize the hamster and allows it to begin sending blood throughout its body.
Keep in mind that your hamster went into hibernation gradually and must come out of it the same way. It’s not recommended to try waking the hamster abruptly as this will only startle them, and they will not be able to move until their nervous system is active and they have blood flow.
How To Prevent Hamsters From Hibernating
The best way to prevent hamsters from hibernating is to maintain stable living conditions. If you’re on vacation or out of town in the winter, the best practice is to keep your thermostat at 66 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) to prevent your house from getting too cold.
Additionally, you can provide warm bedding for your hamster and further insulation to ensure their cages never get too chilly.
Final Thoughts
Hamsters, like many other mammals, are capable of hibernating. This process is typical in the wild but not so much in captivity, where living conditions are stable.
For captive hamsters, hibernation can kill them because they are not prepared for it. Hibernation is a response to extreme environmental conditions that put hamsters in survival mode. Captive hamsters don’t have the energy stores available to hibernate successfully.
To prevent your hamsters from hibernating, ensure your home has stable temperatures in the winter.