How Fast Can Hamsters Run?

Anyone with a pet hamster can attest to the sound of the rotating wheel waking them up at night. They have seemingly endless energy, and running is the best way they know how to expend it, but how fast do they go?

Hamsters can run between 3 to 6 mph (5 to 9.6 kph), which applies to all 20 breeds of domesticated hamsters. Because hamsters are native to wild environments, their ancestors had to outrun predators. Your pet hamster feels compelled to stay on its tiny toes to escape the now-absent danger.

Have you ever wondered how fast and long your little furry friend can run on its wheel or in an exercise ball? You’re in the right place, as we’ll talk about everything speed as far as hamsters are concerned.

How Fast Can Hamsters Run on a Wheel?

Hamsters need a hamster wheel, which keeps them occupied, and allows them to exercise, which is vital for their health and development. And if you’ve seen how frantic it can get when it’s on its wheel, you’d understandably wonder how fast it’s going.

Hamsters can run at 3 to 6 mph (5 to 9.6 kph) on a wheel. Running fast lets them cover all the ground they’ll need for food storage and community building. They also need to expend a lot of pent-up energy.

Hamsters Are Fast To Outpace Predators

Hamsters come in all shapes and sizes, but one of the things they have in common is that their ancestors were born in the wild, where the food chains dictated that they were prey with a wide variety of predators.

To survive in these dangerous environments, they had to be quick and intelligent.

It was great to achieve speeds of up to 6 mph, but their predators, including carnivorous birds and canines, can be much faster. This is why they had to complement their pace with tact.

You may have noticed your pet hamster taking breaks between its breathless runs on its wheel. By doing so, it’s recalculating its route and finetuning its evasion strategy. It takes a moment to determine if it’d be better off hiding, ducking, or picking up its pace.

Of course, there are no imminent predators in your little one’s current home, but it can be hard to shake off the habits that kept its ancestors alive for so long. As they say, “You can take the hamster out of the wild, but you can’t take the wild out of the hamster.”

Territorial Impulses Make Hamsters Run Fast

Once a hamster sets up its nest, it marks its territory, which was especially vital for hamsters back in their wild days. Even now, living in their little nest in your home, they still tend to do this. The ability to run fast meant that they survived longer, especially when going for food or attracting mates.

Running Fast Means Hamsters Have Food

Hamsters, like their fellow rodents, are gatherers. When they were in the wild, they’d stock up on fresh food when it was readily available in preparation for when it wasn’t. A fast hamster was a well-fed hamster because it could get food quickly to reduce its exposure to predators.

Running and Moving Fast Meant the Survival Of Their Species

Hamsters instinctively know that they’ll need to mate for the survival of their species. Having a well-established burrow goes a long way in ensuring a hamster finds a mate and can house its kids. Being able to quickly “build a home” safe for starting and raising a family was an evolutionary imperative.

How Long Can Hamsters Run?

Given how active hamsters are, it’s natural to wonder when they’ll relent, either because of exhaustion or after realizing no hungry dogs are lurking around. You might want to get used to your hamster’s wheel squeaking throughout the night, as their endurance is long-lasting.

A hamster can run 5.6 miles (9 km) a night, but it will take breaks to recharge itself for more running. Eventually, it tires itself out, falls asleep, or finds some other activity to keep itself busy.

Why Do Hamsters Run This Long?

Hamsters get this infinite energy from the foods they love, such as sunflower seeds, which are rich in sugars, making our little friends antsy to burn off that extra energy. Running is a perfect way for them to do so quickly and effectively.

Running for extended periods is also one of the ways hamsters get plenty of exercise, especially since they live in a cage most of the time.

Unlike their wild ancestors, pet hamsters don’t have the privilege of having access to large swaths of land to explore and conquer. They’re not digging burrows in the ground to create homes and gather their food.

As a result, your hamster will seek alternative ways to fulfill its biological urge to keep its body healthy and agile. This is one of the multiple reasons why a hamster wheel is essential to your little friend’s health and well-being.

How Fast Can Hamsters Run In a Ball?

Ideally, we’d let our hamsters free roam in a safe space, but these tiny rodents can easily hurt themselves or disappear if you haven’t hamster-proofed the area you’re releasing them into. You can get your hamster a hamster ball to get the best of both worlds.

Hamsters run between 3 and 6 mph (5 and 9.6 kph) in a ball, as its spherical form rolls it along and aids the hamster’s movement. Don’t roll the exercise ball manually when your hamster is in it. This will compel it to move faster than normal and could create burnout in your little friend.

This tool is excellent for letting your hamster move outside its cage without running the risk of losing track of it, but it’s not without its disadvantages and vital caveats.

Safety Tips for Hamster Exercise Balls

Hamsters might love running in an exercise ball, but it can get rather exhausting quickly, especially if the sphere is always moving. Their limbs are rendered useless as the space around them has adopted a navigation capacity of its own.

They also have no food or water within their enclosed space. So how can you keep your hamster safe as they play in their exercise balls?

Limit their time in the ball to 20 minutes: Doing so will allow them to take a breather and get food and water in before they continue playing. Letting them run indefinitely will exhaust them or lead to overheating.
Tightly secure the ball’s lid: You don’t want your hamster accidentally falling out of the ball and hurting itself.
Place the ball on a flat surface: If there are stairs within your space, you’ll need to prevent your hamster from accessing that area, as it can injure itself by falling down the stairs while within the ball.
Get a clear ball: Hamsters don’t have the best eyes, so a clear ball will help them better see the surroundings they are navigating.

Despite abiding by all these safety guidelines, your hamster may still not take to an exercise ball.

Studies have shown that hamsters find these exercise devices more stressful than fun. If your little friend indicates that they’re not having a good time playing in a ball, remove them from it immediately.

One textbook sign of distress is constant jerky movements. They also might experience stress and discomfort while in their exercise ball. You might want to consider a hamster playpen instead.

What Is the Fastest Hamster?

Roborovski dwarves are the fastest among the five most common pet hamsters originating from deserts in central Asia, where the habitats have an endless barrage of predators.

Robo dwarves are small but have incredible stamina, and they’re faster than their larger cousins with sturdier limbs, which is a testament to their athleticism.

They’re so fast and fidgety that they’re not ideal for families. They’re less into being cuddled than Syrian hamsters, and they’re often on the move so frequently that many prefer watching them to keeping them as pets. If you’d prefer a cuddly hamster, you may want to leave this one in the pet shop.

Furthermore, they have unrivaled agility. If you observe them as they get those miles in on their wheels, you’ll notice them running almost gracefully, shifting their little bodies around as if dodging invisible barriers.

We can tie this movement back to their ancestors’ need to evade predators rapidly breathing down their necks.

Conclusion

Hamsters can pick up the pace readily and impressively, especially considering their small sizes. Running fast helped their wild predecessors escape fast predators. Frequently, speed was not enough of a tool, and they had to tap into their considerable smarts to stay safe.

Modern domesticated hamsters don’t have any predators to escape from, but they still run around to exercise and burn off excess energy. They prefer getting this workout on hamster wheels, but exercise balls are good alternatives for your hamsters to explore a larger area.