Hamsters are recognised for being cute and cuddly critters that make terrific pets. However, there are also occasions where hamsters can display bizarre and even unsettling behavior, such as eating their own babies. It may surprise many people to learn that hamsters occasionally engage in this behaviour, but it is actually completely normal, but why?
First and foremost, it’s crucial to recognise that hamsters are prey animals, and as such, they are trained to prioritize their own survival above all else. This means that a hamster may resort to eating their own young in order to protect themselves and preserve its own resources if it feels threatened or if it senses that its young are in danger.
If hamsters notice that their offspring are sickly or weak, they may also eat them. Hamsters in the wild will cull their young to guarantee that the strongest ones survive since they cannot afford to spend resources on offspring that are unlikely to survive. A mother hamster may consume her young if she believes they are not healthy or strong enough to survive, even though domesticated hamsters do not encounter the same challenges as their wild counterparts do.
It’s also important to keep in mind that hamsters occasionally hurt their young when attempting to move them or take care of them. If a young hamster is hurt or killed, the mother may consume the remains to keep predators away and to stop disease from being transmitted.
It’s crucial to keep in mind that this behaviour is instinctive and normal, despite the fact that seeing a hamster devour her own young may appear harsh and disturbing. It’s crucial to offer your pet hamster a safe, secure environment where she feels at ease and isn’t stressed if she has recently given birth. Make sure she has adequate of bedding, food, and drink, and refrain from disturbing her or touching the infants excessively. Consult a veterinarian for guidance if you observe any indications of suffering or strange behaviour, such as a mother hamster moving her young frequently or neglecting them entirely.
When their offspring are endangered, hamsters can become very protective of them and exhibit violent behaviour, including biting and attacking. A hamster may turn to devouring its young if it believes they are in danger in order to shield them from real or imagined threats.
When the mother hamster is touched, she could get stressed, agitated and protective, and she might even decide to consume her babies. Touching the newborns may not always cause this behaviour, but in general, unless absolutely essential, it is preferable to keep your distance from young hamsters. It’s crucial to provide the mother hamster with a peaceful, uninhibited environment in which to raise her babies.
The father will make an effort to attract the mother’s attention and may do so by eating or harming the infants. It is preferable to remove the father from the cage because hamster fathers are not nurturing and won’t accept the offspring for very long.
If you don’t want any more babies for the moment, it’s best to separate the male and female hamsters – particularly as hamsters can mate again right after birth.
To sum up, hamsters may consume their own young for a number of reasons, including as a need to protect themselves or save resources, a need to weed out weak or unwell offspring, or unintentional harm or injury. Although it may appear terrifying, hamsters occasionally display this behaviour as a natural reflex. It’s crucial to offer your pet hamster a safe and secure habitat and to keep a close eye out for any symptoms of discomfort or strange behaviour in both the mother and the young.