If you own a hamster, you’ll know that these pets are solitary animals that don’t always do well when grouped with other hamsters in the same cage. Sometimes, they can have intense fights, making you wonder if they can eat each other.
Hamsters eat each other, but this is a rare situation that indicates something is very wrong with the hamsters exhibiting cannibalistic behavior. Hamsters can eat each other if they have a nutritional deficiency or are territorial.
In this article, I’ll explore what causes hamsters to eat each other and what hamster species are more aggressive than others. I’ll also discuss why female hamsters sometimes eat their young.
Reasons Why Hamsters Eat Each Other
There are various reasons why hamsters can resort to eating each other. Let’s explore these:
Hamsters Lack Essential Nutrients
If a hamster isn’t getting enough nutrients that it needs from its diet, this can cause it to eat another hamster, although this is rare. When hamsters are fed an unhealthy and unbalanced diet, specifically if they are fed too much corn, this leads to a lack of vitamins that can cause cannibalism in hamsters.
A study published in The Royal Society involved feeding hamsters four different diets to see how it affected their behavior. Female hamsters that ate corn weren’t maternal and ate their babies.
The same study also found that the hamsters who experienced a lack of Vitamin B3 displayed symptoms such as:
- Running around in circles
- Pounding on their feeders
- Signs of dementia
- Swollen tongues
The researchers in the study all confirmed that these symptoms displayed a Vitamin B3 deficiency.
Tips for Feeding Corn to Hamsters
Although a diet primarily filled with corn can be hazardous to hamsters, you can feed your pet hamster a bit of corn as a tasty treat. However, you should restrict how much corn you give your hamster to a few pieces per week.
This is because feeding your hamster too much corn can cause health conditions such as diabetes or obesity. You should never feed your hamster canned corn as it contains a lot of sodium, which is unhealthy for your hamster.
Hamsters Don’t Get Enough Resources
Hamsters in the wild forage for resources such as water and food. As long as there are enough resources to go around, hamsters won’t turn on each other or eat each other.
The issue with hamsters kept in captivity is that they rely on the resources provided for them by humans. If there’s a lack of resources, this causes the hamsters to feel stressed, and they could become aggressive with other hamsters.
Hamsters eating each other due to a lack of resources is commonly seen in the pet trade. In this setting, hamsters are kept in large groups in cages and are put in the highly stressful situation of having to fight each other for resources such as food and water.
Some Hamsters Are Territorial
Some hamster species are highly territorial, with an example being Syrian hamsters. These hamsters like to spend time alone. Female hamsters are more territorial and aggressive than males.
This is why Syrian hamsters should never be put in a cage with other hamsters. It’s not uncommon for these hamsters to attack and bite other hamsters — they might even kill them.
Now, if you combine this issue with other triggers, such as overcrowding or a lack of food, this can lead to cannibalism.
Can Dwarf Hamsters Eat Each Other?
Dwarf hamsters can eat each other, but this is a rare phenomenon because these hamsters are quite docile as compared to other species. Dwarf hamsters also like to have friends in their cages, as they’re friendly with other pets.
That said, in extreme situations, dwarf hamsters can become aggressive and eat each other in captivity. However, the latter is a rare occurrence and requires serious contributing factors, such as a prolonged lack of food.
To prevent aggression in dwarf hamsters, you should ensure that you follow some healthy practices when housing your hamsters. This includes keeping them in same-sex pairs if they’ve been raised together.
If your hamsters are of different sexes and haven’t been raised together, it’s better to keep them in separate cages to prevent territorial or aggressive behavior from occurring.
Why Hamsters Sometimes Eat Their Babies
Sometimes female hamsters that have given birth will eat their live young. There are various reasons why this happens.
Hamsters Kill Their Dead Babies To Prevent Predators
In the wild, female hamsters who have given birth to hamsters that have died might sometimes eat the babies. Although the reason for this isn’t clear, it’s thought that hamsters do this to prevent the smell of the deceased hamster from attracting dangerous predators in the area.
Hamsters Kill Babies When They’re Disrupted
Another reason female hamsters can eat their babies is if they were disturbed while raising their babies, such as if their nest was handled by humans. Similarly, if the hamster is in captivity and humans don’t provide enough resources for the mother, such as enough food and water, this can also cause the mother to eat her babies.
Female hamsters who don’t get enough food or experience a lower body weight during pregnancy are also more likely to eat their young.
Hamsters Kill Their Babies if They’re Stressed
The journey of pregnancy and giving birth is stressful for hamster mothers. Sometimes this stress can cause the hamster to feel overwhelmed. She has to give birth and look after the newborn babies by finding food for herself and them. Or, she might feel stressed about her environment, such as if there’s a lot of noise in it.
These situations can cause the hamster to eat her babies to protect them from the dangers — even though this means ending their lives.
Final Thoughts
Hamsters can attack each other, but in some situations, they can also eat each other. This is an extreme and rare occurrence, but it can occur for a variety of reasons, such as:
- Hamsters are being forced into cages with other hamsters.
- Hamsters are not getting enough resources, such as food.
- Hamsters are not getting enough vitamins because they’re fed a corn-based diet.