Do Hamsters Cry?

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The other day my hamster was running around its cage when he let out a squeal that sounded like a shriek or cry. It startled me, and I worried that something was wrong. It made me wonder, can hamsters cry? 

Hamsters can cry, but they don’t release tears from their eyes as humans do. Instead, they make sounds such as squeaks or screams. They can do this in a variety of situations, such as if they’re stressed. 

In this article, I’ll explore essential information you need to know about how hamsters cry and why they do this. I’ll also look at why adult and baby hamsters cry. 

Why Do Hamsters Cry?

Hamsters cry when they are stressed or in conflict. A research paper from 1971 that was published in Animal Behavior found that hamsters cry when they respond to conflict. 

Other research, also published in Animal Behavior, has found that hamsters make low-frequency sounds that are associated with aggressive behavior. If your hamster is making screaming or crying sounds and shares a cage with another hamster, aggression could be at the root of it. 

If your hamsters fight regularly, you might have to separate them so that they don’t engage in confrontations which can be upsetting for them. Hamsters are animals that can become frightened easily, as PETA reports. This is mainly because they don’t have excellent eyesight, and rely on other senses in order to survive. A screaming hamster can therefore be making such a sound because it feels defensive or scared. 

Hamsters make a lot of noises and can be quite vocal, so your pet hamster could squeal, squeak, or even hiss. These sounds indicate that your hamster is scared or in distress. However, hamsters don’t cry with tears in their eyes. 

If you notice any moisture around your pet hamster’s eyes, this is probably a result of something else. While some people might say it’s a result of humidity in the room, make sure it’s not something more serious. When hamsters have eye discharge, this can indicate that your pet is sick, as the RSPCA reports. You should bring your hamster to the vet as soon as possible as it could have an illness that needs to be treated. 

Since there are many reasons why your hamster is crying, you might be confused about what’s causing it to happen. This is why it’s good to check for other symptoms, such as in the hamster’s behavior. If your hamster is feeling frightened or scared, here are the other symptoms it might display: 

  • Standing on its hind legs and showing its teeth. 
  • Puffing out its cheeks. 
  • Flattening its ears. 
  • Biting.  
  • Increased, jittery movement. 
  • Trying to climb out of its cage. 
  • Being more alert than usual. 

Do Hamsters Cry in Their Sleep?

Hamsters can cry in their sleep because they’re dreaming. They might even be having nightmares, as research has found when studying rodents (of which hamsters are an example). 

In a study via New Scientist, researchers put rats in a maze and let them explore it. They also blasted a bit of compressed air into the rats’ faces, which was uncomfortable but harmless for the rodents. Later, when the rodents slept, the researchers identified activity in their hippocampi that corresponded to the mental map of the maze they explored when they were awake. 

The researchers also saw activity in the brain’s amygdala when the rats recalled the spot in the maze where they were given the puff of air. It’s thought that they recalled this uncomfortable moment in their sleep. 

It’s been found that sleeping hamsters enter the rapid eye movement (REM) phase, and they experience about 25% of their sleeping time in this stage, which is the same amount that humans do, as Physiology & Behavior reports. This sleeping phase is characterized by brain activity and dreaming. 

As a result of the above research, hamsters can scream or cry in their sleep because they’re scared because of a nightmare. However, they might also be afraid of predators or feel threatened. If this happens regularly, you should consult with your vet, as your pet could be in pain or suffering from a health condition. 

To prevent giving your hamster more stress, which can cause vocalizations, you need to be careful when waking up your hamster to avoid making it feel scared or anxious. You don’t want to disrupt your hamster’s sleep-wake cycle, which can cause it stress or increase its risk of health problems, as The Spruce reports. 

You should wake up your hamster only if this is completely necessary and do so carefully, such as by following these tips: 

  • Adjust their lighting conditions. By gently altering the light in the room where your hamster’s cage is located, they will respond to the change. Dim the lights or open the curtains to let a bit of light inside. 
  • Hold a snack close to them. Your hamster will smell the snack, which could make it wake up to eat it. Just make sure you don’t hold it too close to your hamster, as this could frighten it. 
  • Speak softly. Avoid making loud noises or sounds when trying to wake up your hamster. You should speak in gentle, soothing sounds. 

Why Do Baby Hamsters Cry?

Hamster pups usually make sounds when they’re isolated from their mothers and exposed to cold stress, as Experimental Animals reports. In the study, isolation calls were found to be loud and so disturbing to hamster mothers that some of them ate their pups! 

When you bring a baby hamster home, it will be exploring its new world, so it’s natural that it will make sounds, such as chirping or squealing. But, you might find that it cries out or squeals in a frightening manner. This could indicate that it’s scared of its new environment. 

This is why it’s so important to help your hamster feel comfortable and safe. You can do this in the following ways: 

  • Give your hamster enough space. Your hamster cage needs to be big enough so that your hamster has enough space to move around, exercise, relax, and eat and drink. 
  • Keep your hamster cage in a quiet area. You should place your hamster cage in a part of the home where there isn’t much noise, ideally in a spot where your other pets don’t go. The hamster cage should be at least 24 inches by 12 inches (61 cm by 30.5 cm) and at least 12 inches (30.5 cm) tall. But bigger is better for hamsters, as The Spruce reports.
  • Clean the hamster cage regularly. To prevent your hamster from feeling stressed, you should clean its cage regularly to ensure that it has a clean, hygienic environment. If you have one hamster, you should clean its cage once a week. If you have two or more hamsters in the same cage, you will have to clean it more regularly. 

Final Thoughts

If your hamster has been making screeching or screaming sounds that sound like it’s crying, you might have wondered why it’s doing this and what it means. While your hamster doesn’t cry in the same way humans do, such as with tears, your hamster might make sounds that indicate it’s feeling stressed. These sounds include:  

  • Squealing
  • Screeching
  • Screaming

Sources