A hamster rubbing its nose

A Hamster Health Checklist

Trying to understand hamster behaviour is hard.

When I first had Flamey I would be on Google every 30 seconds. What does it mean that he made a squeak when in his burrow? He ate more of one food than another, is he OK? He seems to be grooming more than normal is that OK? He’s avoiding parts of his cage. Why isn’t he using his sand? Why is he using his sand too much? Is it normal that he’s peeing in his sand….. You get the gist. They’re not predictable animals and because they’re non vocal most of the time, it’s hard to interpret their behaviour. Add to this that hamsters are renowned for hiding sickness and ill health due to being pray animals, and it becomes really hard to know if there’s something wrong with your fur baby. Even vets say hamster care is difficult:

“Even when hamster species are presented for veterinary care, the limited evidence base on their common disorders, and often limited experience by veterinary professionals in handling hamsters, can often make delivery of high‐quality veterinary care challenging. In addition to their reputation for biting and being difficult to handle for clinical examination, hamsters are prey animals that have evolved to hide signs of illness therefore early recognition of problems is often challenging.”

D. G. O'Neill

It’s not like you can just take your hamster to the vet if you suspect something may be up. Even if money is no object, taking your hamster to the vet can be a stressful experience for you both. Many hamster owners will want to minimise vet visits to those that are necessary.

I’m going to do my best in this article to provide any well researched evidence that I can. But the fact is, hamsters are not that well studied, especially when it comes to their behaviours, so a decent portion of this article may be anecdotal, but it is all based on stuff I’ve read repeatedly from different sources, including blog posts, hamster forums and from talking to vets and other hamster owners.

Here is a checklist you can run through, you can also scroll down to read more about each checklist item and what you need to be looking out for:

Your hamsters ears are lying flat

We may as well jump straight into one of the signs that has a thousand meanings! It is not unusual to see a hamster’s ears lying flat. The reason this is a behavioural sign that something ‘isn’t quite right’ is because hamsters generally have perky ears, their eyesight is bad, but this is compensated for by their sense of smell and hearing. Their perky ears allow them to listen out for threats around them so this behaviour is normal. If their ears are down, they can’t listen out for threats and so it’s an indication that something is wrong. However, there’s a huge list of things that could be going on with flat ears:

Sleepy - hamsters often sleep with and wake up with flat ears

Scared - hamsters may flatten their ears when scared

Loud noises - if they’re in a loud environment they may flatten their ears to reduce sound input

Infection or mites - ears flatten to reduce pain or itching

On their own, flat ears aren’t really an indication of ill health, if they’re flattened for extended periods of time it’s more of a worry, but there are anecdotal reports of some hamsters having flat ears nearly all the time.

Flat ears are more of a worry if you see them in conjunction with any of the other warning signs.

Your hamster is shaking their head continuously

Hamsters love to groom, and from time to time you may see them shaking their head, similarly to how a dog shakes its head when having a bit of a scratch. This is perfectly normal behaviour. However, if your hamster is shaking their head a lot more than normal or doing it continuously this is a sign that something is wrong.

Usually issues that affect the ears lead to head shaking, such as ear infections, ear mites or other ear related issues.

Your hamster has lumps in their cheeks or elsewhere on their body

Hamsters are unfortunately susceptible to cysts, abscesses, and tumours, so if you notice any lumps at all on your hamster’s body it’s something that needs to be checked out. Dwarf hamsters are more susceptible to tumours than Syrian hamsters.

Tumours in hamsters

Tumours don't always mean cancer. Sometimes they can be benign lumps that can be removed or treated if they cause issues. Lumps and tumours are more commonly found in the glands (thyroid and adrenal).

When it comes to cancer. A large proportion of cancers observed in hamsters are skin cancers. These can often be treated if caught early enough and if they haven't spread.

When checking your hamster for lumps, check in the cheeks or pouches (feel them gently from the outside - if you feel lumps make sure it isn't food!) on the back along the spine and on the tummy.

If your hamster has tumours you will likely notice other symptoms as well such as digestive issues, lethargy, depression, weight loss, hair loss, and changes in mobility.

Abscesses in hamsters

Hamsters can sometimes get abscesses on their bodies, usually when they have become injured. If they've walked into or fallen on something sharp, had a fight with another hamster or animal or gotten trapped somewhere. An abscess occurs when the injury becomes infected it swells and fluid builds up in the area forming an abscess.

Because abscesses are usually caused by bacterial infections, if they burst, they can be dangerous to your hamster.

Abscesses can be treated by a vet. Usually the abscess will be surgically burst, cleaned and then your hamster will be given antibiotics to prevent infection.

It's usually quite easy to spot abscesses they tend to be lumps under the skin. Symptoms vary depending on the size of the abscess, what's caused it and how long it's been present. If you notice an abscess on your hamster it requires immediate veterinary treatment.

Cysts in hamsters

Cysts are different to abscesses. While abscesses are usually caused by bacteria or fungi following an infection, cysts aren't necessarily filled with fluid, they're cavities in the body that are caused by a disruption to the cells. When you look up cysts in hamsters, it seems as though it's not common to just get one cyst. Instead they get lots of cysts which is known as Polycistic disease.

Polycistic disease is common in hamsters older than one year. It's common for this to start in the liver. It's so prevalent that, according to the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, 76% of hamsters over the age of 1 have them. Though I would take that with a pinch of salt because there are no linked studies to back that up and clearly not every hamster in the world has been scanned for cysts.

I've read a few studies on this and it seems the only real indication of these cysts is distention of the hamster’s stomach. This is where the stomach looks swollen or bloated. It can be diagnosed by x-ray or ultrasound.

As far as I can tell there aren't many treatment options for cysts, but affected hamsters are often given anti inflammatory medication to help manage any pain.

Your hamster has discharge from the eyes or nose

Hamsters aren't supposed to leak. So if you notice discharge from the eyes or the nose it's an indication that your hamster is unwell or has an infection that needs to be treated.

Discharge from the eye is often an indication of infection, the discharge can be watery and clear, or it may become creamy white, green or yellow which are more serious indications of infection.

There are lots of potential causes including issues with teeth, irritation from toxic materials (think cedar wood or pine), bacterial, fungal or viral infections.

There is less information out there on runny noses, it looks as though it is less common but still happens. A hamster can get a runny nose as a result of a respiratory infection, like a cold. Since hamster noses are quite small, you're less likely to notice a runny nose and more likely to notice a crusty buildup around the nose, red nose or more laboured breathing from your hamster. If your hamster is showing any of these symptoms, it's a sign that they need medical treatment.

Needless to say, if your hamsters nose is bleeding, that's also something that requires attention.

Your hamster’s eyes are red

Eye infections appear to be fairly common in hamsters, while I’ve read that in a few blog posts, I couldn’t find any evidence to back it up. Infections can be caused by the eye being scratched while they’re playing or foraging, but there is also a chance that they can get an eye infection from the ammonia vapours in their bedding if it isn’t regularly cleaned.

Another totally anecdotal issue is that when hamsters get in their wheels, if they take any rogue substrate with them, which they almost certainly will, it can end up bouncing around the wheel and irritating their eyes, so choose the substrate around your wheel carefully. I once had sand around Flamey’s wheel, it was great at first and he seemed to like it, but his wheel used to get full of sand and it bounced around and made his eyes sore, so now I use beech chips or coco chips because they're heavy enough to just fall out of the wheel if they end up in there and they don’t bounce around and hurt his eyes.

The whites of a hamsters eyes should be white not red. Sometimes I’ve noticed Flamey’s can be a bit pink, but the vet has assured me this isn’t a problem and I should only be worried if it is accompanied by any swelling or bulging in the eye or if he has a discharge or crusty build up around his eye.

Red eyes are worth a vet consultation, especially if it is accompanied by any kind of discharge. Eye issues are usually treated easily unless there are underlying dental or tumour problems.

Your hamsters eyes are squinted

This one can be tough to notice, but if your hamster is in pain or is sick it’s likely they will squint their eyes. This actually has scientific basis if we look at the Mouse Grimace Scale. Just like mice, hamsters are rodents, so they share some similarities in behaviour and body language. One of these similarities is in the way they show pain. While hamsters may not be able to tell us when something is hurting, they do have subtle ways of showing it which is where the Mouse Grimace Scale comes in.

If you notice your hamster grimacing or holding their ears flat when they’re trying to accomplish things like climbing, eating, running etc, it could be a sign that they’re hurting. I don’t want to reproduce the full image here, but if you want to see the Grimace Scale for yourself you can click here to look at it.

The Mouse Grimace Scale was developed by a team of researchers led by Dr Jeffery S Mogil, a prominent neuroscientist known for his work in pain research. They wanted to be able to assess pain levels in laboratory mice in a non invasive way. They developed the scale based on rigorous testing and analysis of varying pain levels in mice. The Grimace Scale was ground breaking and is now used by many scientists world wide. The great thing about this work was that it not only revolutionised the field of pain assessment in animal research, but also paved the way for understanding and compassion in the care of laboratory animals.

It is important to remember that hamsters eyes may look squinted when they’ve just woken up, or if they’re crunching down on something particularly hard. Just like the flat ears section, there are sometimes totally normal reasons for your hamster to have flat ears! So if using the grimace scale to judge whether or not your hamster is in pain, it’s more likely to be something you see in conjunction with other behaviours in this checklist.

Your hamster is not eating or drinking as normal

This is obviously a huge indicator that something is wrong. I’ve had my fair share of scares with Flamey, especially when his behaviour changes, but this is always my go-to check. Have I seen him eating and drinking? If the answer is yes then it’s likely a behavioural change is just another unfathomable hamster event. Of course, if your hamster is eating and drinking, it doesn’t necessarily mean that everything is totally fine with them, but it’s a good sign that things aren’t too seriously wrong.

If your hamster stops eating and drinking it’s a bad sign and they require veterinary care immediately.

As hamsters get older, or if they’re sick with something more serious, you may notice their appetites change. They may eat less hard foods and you might need to supplement their diets with food replacement like Emeraid or with softer foods - or both. You shouldn’t do this without prior vet consultation because altering your hamster’s diet is a big deal.

Your Hamster isn’t weeing or pooing or is weeing and pooing too much

Hamsters aren’t always predictable, but when it comes to peeing and pooping, they can usually be relied on to follow certain patterns. Hamsters usually pee in the same spots all the time. There are exceptions. Some hamsters will have several pee spots. It’s not uncommon for them to pee in their wheels either. When it comes to poop they will go anywhere and everywhere. They will also eat their poop, usually the poops they do in the evening are softer and they will eat these to re-absorb nutrients.

Hamster pee should be mostly clear or yellow in colour and it usually dries a sort of white colour. Wee that is any other colour is a sign of illness. Poop should be dark brown and mostly hard. Poops done in the evening tend to be a little looser. If poop is a different colour or if it’s too loose it’s a sign that something may be wrong.

Needless to say a hamster that isn’t peeing or pooping needs to see a vet, or a hamster that is peeing too much or pooping too much should also see a vet.

When it comes to your hamster’s pee and poop there are some specific conditions to watch out for:

  • Peeing too much - This can be a sign of diabetes or kidney issues as the hamster will attempt to drink more water to flush the kidneys.
  • Dark pee - can be a sign of dehydration.
  • Red pee - Either your hamster has eaten beetroot or other red fruits or vegetables or they may have an infection or something more sinister going on.
  • Loose stools all the time - your hamster may be getting too much water in their diet, this can happen if they’re fed a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables.
  • Diarrhoea - Is a serious issue in hamsters and needs intimidate medical attention.
  • Wet tail - This is a condition in hamsters caused by bacteria, it is worse and more persistent than diarrhoea and it is fatal if not treated really quickly.

If your hamster is dehydrated, you may also notice sunken or dry eyes, a reduction in the amount they pee, their pee may be much darker and have a stronger odour. They may appear confused, irritable, their fur may look ruffled, greasy or unkempt and they may stop grooming. They may loose weight rapidly if the dehydration gets worse. If you pinch their skin gently at the back of the neck, it should return to its normal position very quickly. If it doesn’t, then your hamster is likely dehydrated.

Your hamster is vocalising a lot more than normal

Hamsters are normally very quiet creatures. That doesn’t mean that when they make a sound something is wrong, but it should definitely spark a few questions for a hamster owner about why the hamster is squeaking or making more noise than normal.

Hamster squeaking and what it means

They squeak when they’re happy, sad, scared, sneezing, mad and injured, so squeaks should be investigated but aren’t necessarily a sign of illness. Persistent vocalisation is more problematic than occasional vocalisation.

Happy - happy squeaks tend to be on the quiet end of the spectrum and usually happen when the hamster is doing something that’s a lot of fun. They sound more like little chirrups.

Sad - sad squeaks tend to be a bit louder and can occur when the hamster is showing stress behaviours such as bar biting. I have sometimes heard Flamey doing what I assume are sad squeaks in his sleep.

Sneezing - when hamsters sneeze it sounds like they’re squeaking and the sneeze sounds very similar to the happy and sad squeak. The main difference is that it’s a bit more continuous. If you hear lots of squeaking constantly then it’s a sign your hamster is having some respiratory irritation and you should see a vet if it continues. Here’s a video of a hamster sneezing which I have personally referenced a bunch of times!

 

Mad or scared - when a hamster is mad or scared they’ll squeak. Usually this is a lot louder and more insistent than a happy chirrup or a sneeze or a gentle sad or sleeping squeak. If you’ve ever had to pick up your hamster against their will you’ll likely know what this sounds like.

Injured - If a hamster is injured it may vocalise more. What that sounds like will depend on the severity of the injury. If your hamster has hurt itself recently and you notice more vocalisation its likely in pain and should be seen by a vet.

Hamster screaming and what it means

If a hamster is mad or scared, their squeaks become louder and more insistent. Often if you pick them up against their will they’ll squeak at you, but if they feel very threatened or they’re very angry, say you ignore the squeak the first time, they’ll get more insistent and it can sound a bit more like screaming. You’ll know it if you hear it. If you are treating your hamster well and respecting their boundaries this should be a very rare occurrence.

If you hear a hamster making a loud insistent scream type noise it’s best to find out if anything in their environment is causing them to feel threatened or angry. I’ve seen Flamey do this once. He was going through an episode of stress, climbing the bars of his cage. I put my hand under him to remove him from the bars and prevent him falling and he screamed, he was obviously annoyed and my presence wasn’t making things easier for him.

I don’t know if there’s a video of this and I don’t really want to find it if there is. Honestly you will know if your hamster screams.

Hamster clicking noises and what they mean

Clicking is not to be confused with teeth chattering which is quite common in hamsters. A clicking noise which seems to be in time with your hamster’s breathing is usually a sign of a respiratory infection or fluid on the lungs. Clicking noises (that aren’t teeth chattering) are a sign that your hamster needs to see a vet. This video gives a good indication of what that sounds like:

Hamster chittering or teeth chattering noises and what they mean

Hamsters make chittering or chattering noises with their teeth all the time it’s called bruxing. Every hamster is different, but for Flamey there are three kinds of bruxing.

  1. I’m just happy or curious - light teeth chatter
  2. I’m having a really good groom and it’s making my teeth chatter - light teeth chatter accompanied by furious scratching
  3. You are getting on my last nerve and I want you to leave me alone - loud and insistent teeth chattering

Bruxing isn’t generally a sign of illness. But I wanted to include it here because it can sound similar to a respiratory infection. This YouTube short will show you what bruxing sounds like.

Your hamster falls accidentally or falls a lot

This one really surprised me when it happened to Flamey. He was going about his usual hamstery business, and he fell off a platform in his cage. It was a platform he had been on and navigated hundreds of times before. I wouldn’t have thought anything of it if he had been fine afterwards, but he fell awkwardly and hurt himself, which resulted in lethargy, flat ears and reduced appetite.

I took him to the local vet who said he’d likely just hurt himself when he fell, gave us some anti-inflammatory medicine and sent us on our way.

He had a little re-bound and I thought he was getting better for a little while, but after about a week and a half he just didn’t seem to be getting back to his usual self.

I had a vet consultation online to see whether this was normal after a fall or whether I should take him to an exotic vet, the online vet told me that hamsters don’t tend to just fall. For all that they can look and behave a bit dopey from time to time, they’re actually incredibly agile and accidental falls should be regarded as suspicious. Hamsters having accidental falls is an indication that something else is going on.

I took Flamey to an exotic vet who also agreed that hamsters don’t just fall off things, after further examination, the vet discovered that Flamey unfortunately had a tumor in his spleen and an enlarged liver.

Flamey has always been a fan of yeeting himself off relatively high places purposely. But he’s never yeeted inside his cage on purpose, so if your hamster seems to fall off ledges and has accidental falls while going about their usual business it’s a sign to get them checked out.

Even before Flamey fell of his platform, he had been falling quite often off a little swing I set up for him. I always assumed this was because the swing moved, and there was a soft pile of bedding underneath it so it wasn’t a problem when he did fall. Knowing what I know now, Flamey had been falling for a while I just hadn’t realised it was an indication that something might be wrong.

Your hamster is limping

Limping is a sign of injury and should be taken seriously. it may be that your hamster has hurt themselves falling, has trapped their leg somewhere. it could be broken or dislocated. Another reason for limping is bumble foot. Or it could be that they’ve hurt their back.

Your hamster is lethargic

Lethargy is serious enough on its own to warrant medical attention. If your hamster is spending a lot of time sleeping, or sitting staring into space or seems reluctant to move, it can be a sign that something isn’t right with them. If any of the other flags in this list are present it is often not a good sign and medical intervention is better sought sooner than later.

Another thing to check is that their environment is OK. I’ve only seen Flamey lethargic twice, once was during a particularly long hot summer and his room was getting up to 25°c every day for a week or so. During that time he slept more and seemed more lethargic, he was still eating and drinking just fine, it was just a bit too warm to do anything! The other time was right after his fall and I took him to the vet immediately. So if your hamster seems lethargic, double check that their room isn’t too hot or too cold.

Your hamster seems hyperactive

Hyperactivity and repetitive behaviours are an indication that your hamster is stressed. Sometimes there’s an obvious reason for this. For instance, Flamey may have a day or two of hyperactivity after I’ve cleaned his cage. I once had to take a stash away because it was old and he’d stashed something he shouldn’t have, it was a tiny stash and he had plenty of other stashes, but it sent him into a frenzy and he spent three days madly collecting seeds and food to re-build his stash. However, if there’s no obvious reason for the hyperactivity, or it doesn’t calm down after a few days or after you’ve tried a few stress reduction techniques you should go to a vet.

Hamster care and health is difficult to navigate. Every hamster is different and it’s not easy to find answers to your questions when so many things about hamsters just aren’t known or studied. The best thing you can do for your furry friend is to keep an eye on the things mentioned in this post. Use them as red flags to indicate that something might be up with your hamster. If you have any concerns, it’s worth the vet visit. Changes in behaviour, especially for prolonged periods of time should be checked out.

If you suspect your hamster is ill, time is of the essence, they’re small and their metabolisms are fast, so when something goes wrong it has the potential to escalate quickly.

I hope you’ve found this article enlightening. Please share comments, suggestions or corrections using the contact details on my contact page. I’m here to build a world of accurate, well researched and trustworthy information for hamster owners and I’m open to any contributions that will improve this article.

I donate 10% of my profits to hamster rescue charities and I’m on a mission to make hamster care better, more trustworthy and more accessible to everyone. If you want to support me to help give me more time to create stuff like this, please buy something from the store. It absolutely isn’t necessary. I want to share all this stuff online for free for anyone to be able to read. But the financial support really helps to give me more time to write and publish well researched articles as they take hours and hours to write and research.

Back to blog