Fresh, clean drinking water is vital for all living things. Household pets depend on their owners to provide them with this every day.
Hamsters can go three to four days maximum without water. However, they can start to become dehydrated within forty-eight hours. Hamsters typically need between ten and thirty milliliters of water a day. You should keep track of your hamster’s water intake daily to ensure they’re drinking enough.
This article will explain how long a hamster can go without water, what happens if they do not have enough water, how much water they need, and how to ensure your hamster is appropriately hydrated.
How Many Days Can a Hamster Go Without Water?
Like with any other pet, hamsters need to drink water every day. Even a day or two without water can greatly impact their health. The maximum time they can survive without water is only three to four days.
Domesticated pet hamsters descend from wild species found in dry climates in Europe and Asia. While these wild hamsters are more resilient to harsh environments and lack of resources, your pet hamster is much more sensitive. Pet hamsters are easily affected by changes in temperature and how much food and water it consumes.
What Happens if a Hamster Goes Too Long Without Water?
Since hamsters can only survive a few days without water, they quickly and easily become dehydrated. Dehydration is fatal to hamsters and should be avoided at all costs. Luckily, if you know the signs and address them quickly, hamsters can recover from dehydration and remain healthy.
The following signs may indicate that your hamster is suffering from dehydration.
- Sunken eyes
- Loose skin
- Weakness
- Lethargy
- Heavy breathing
- Dark-colored urine
How Much Water Should Hamsters Drink?
The daily amount of water your hamster needs will depend on its size.
Hamsters require about one-third of a fluid ounce (ten milliliters) of water for every three and a half ounces(one hundred grams) of body weight.
The average hamster weighs between one to ten ounces (thirty and three hundred grams); this will vary depending on your hamster’s age and breed. Generally, the ideal range is between 0.34-1.01 fl oz (ten to thirty milliliters) of water per day.
Can a Hamster Drink Too Much Water?
Dehydration has many risks and should, of course, be avoided. What about the opposite? Similar to how hamsters can overeat, they can also overdrink. Water toxicity occurs when a hamster (and even humans!) consume too much water.
There can be a few explanations for excessive drinking, including the following.
- Diarrhea: Hamsters lose a lot of water when experiencing loose stools. This loss will make them need to replenish these lost fluids. Diarrhea can also cause your hamster to become dehydrated and is often a symptom of illness and digestive issues.
- Overheating: Although wild breeds of hamsters are native to desert-like climates, your pet hamster is much more sensitive to heat and moisture. If your hamster is kept in a room that is too hot, it will drink more water to try and cool down.
- Excessive exercise: Hamters require plenty of enrichment and exercise to stay healthy. However, if your hamster has a wheel they run on, it can easily tire itself out and need a lot of water to cool down.
- Pregnancy and birth: If you have a female hamster living with a male, there is often a chance for it to become pregnant. During pregnancy, your hamster might consume more water than usual to regulate its body temperature. It will also drink a lot of water after giving birth to produce enough milk for its babies (called “pups”).
Tap Water Versus Bottled Water
Many pet owners simply go to the kitchen sink to fill their pets’ water bowls and bottles. However, this may not actually be the best option.
Depending on where you live, tap water may not always be the safest to drink (for humans and animals alike). If you are lucky and live in an area with clean tap water, it can still pose a small risk for your hamster.
Unfiltered tap water often has added chemicals like chlorine that kill bacteria and keep it clean. The concentration of these chemicals is not a big deal for humans, but it can harm small animals like hamsters if consumed in large quantities.
Bottled distilled water is the best choice for your hamster. It has no added chemicals or minerals that could cause health problems. If you are concerned about constantly buying several plastic bottles, you can use a water purifier to filter tap water and make it a little safer.
Water Bottle Versus Water Bowl
Providing small animals like hamsters and mice with a sipper water bottle in their cages is typical. You may think that placing a bowl in their cage would make it easier for them to drink, but this isn’t exactly true.
Water bowls can pose a series of problems. Unless they are secured to the cage’s floor, the bowl can fall over and spill its contents. This kind of falling not only wastes water but makes a big mess.
If the bowl is big enough, your hamster might accidentally fall in trying to get a drink. You must avoid any possibility of your pet falling into the water since hamsters should not get wet; water can strip their coats of the natural oils that keep them clean.
How Do I Make Sure My Hamster Is Getting Enough Water?
You can measure how much water your hamster is drinking by using a marker or pen to measure on its water bottle (I recommend increments of ten milliliters). This way, you can see how much water is gone at the end of each day.
Even if your hamster’s water bottle is still quite full by the end of the day, you should replace the water daily. This replacement will ensure it is clean, and your hamster will be more incentivized to drink. Water that is dirty or stale will not taste as good, and your hamster will be less likely to drink it.
Investing in a high-quality water bottle that will not leak is also important.
Glass bottles tend to last longer and be more durable than plastic bottles. Ensure that the wires or other attachments in place are not loose or unstable to prevent the bottle from moving out of place or falling over.
Check that the cap is screwed on tightly so that water only escapes when your hamster uses it. A leaky bottle wastes water, and if it gets into your hamster’s bedding, the moisture can become a breeding ground for mold and mildew. Mold can put your hamster at risk for infections.
Final Thoughts
Hamsters need to drink water every day to stay hydrated and healthy. They can go three to four days without water, but this should be avoided. Dehydration can be fatal to hamsters and set in as quickly as two days. On average, your hamster should consume between 0.34-1.01 fl oz (ten and thirty milliliters) of water a day.
Bottled or distilled water is safest since tap water can have excess minerals. Check your hamster’s bottle daily to ensure it is not leaking or falling over so your pet can always easily drink.