Do hamsters hibernate, or are our pet hamsters sick?

I don’t know much about hamsters, but I don’t remember them hibernating when I had some when I was a kid. we had some in the class room too and they seemed fairly active from what I remember. You might wanna pull the old switch-a-rue on your kid on this one. of course I’m kidding…. (unless you really wanna do that)

Technically it’s not hibernation, but they will slow down their body functions (they become “torpid”) if the room temperature of the room they are in gets unusually low, but shouldn’t just go into hibernation just because it’s the winter season. If your hamster reaches this state, in most cases do not to disturb them. Let them come out of it naturally. Golden hamsters become sluggish at about 14C and torpid at about 10C. Dwarf hamsters aren’t known to hibernate, and Syrian hamsters should be warmed to get them out of hibernation because they can die if they are in this state too long. Lack of water, and sudden temperature change can cause a sort of hibernation, and this is dangerous. Wake them up, and get them water, food, and warmth. I remember reading a post in the group about a family who put their hamster in the fridge, thinking it was dead, and then being surprised the next morning when the hamster was in the fridge chewing on veggies, as happy as can be! My point is, your hamster might not be dead, just hibernating. Check the whiskers, because on a hibernating hamster, they’ll be twitching.

@tennesseejac i was about to say…what type of hamsters do you have @augustlan… because some do hibernate don’t they… I’ve had quite a few hamsters in my time but tbh not been very good at keeping them…so i wouldn’t have taken any advice off me ;). luckily tennesseejac seems to have it..all wrapped up :-) pun intended

They are Siberian (not Dwarf, though). The one that died was a dwarf. The room they are in is the warmest room in the house, so it’s definitely not a ‘cold’ thing. Maybe a shorter period of daylight?

You mean they might have Seasonal Affective Disorder? Oh, poor things! I hope they’re up and bouncing around soon!!!

Ha :)

Semi hamster expert here, at one point growing up I had 37 of them at once. Hamsters don’t hibernate, they only live around 2 years so that would be a huge waste. When it gets cold out, they will most definitely spend a lot more time huddled in piles sleeping though. I would suggest possibly moving the cage somewhere warmer or putting an old towel over it (old cuz they will chew it up if they can reach it). Also, in case they ARE sick, you need to change the bedding, or at least the area where they go to the bathroom FREQUENTLY. Check the area where they’re sleeping too for any wastes or fluids, or things that aren’t normally in there (change if needed). If you have any spare cotton around, they like to use it as bedding. You also might try spoiling them on food for a bit, fruit (nothing too acetic like oranges though), veggies, carrots… the processed stuff they sell isn’t as healthy for them….. if it really comes down to it and they don’t make it though, the switcheroo as suggested before isn’t too hard to pull off, lol.

How are they doing?

Thanks for all the advice and concern. As of today (Sat 1/17) they are alive and well. We really don’t know what the heck the deal was, but my daughter woke them up regularly and now they’re quite chipper.

PS: I was mistaken about the type of hamsters they are up there^^. They are Teddy Bear hamsters, in case anyone was wondering.

Hmmm. Maybe they were just bored?

Glad they’re okay!!!

Hamsters would never slow down to hibernate.
I remember we had a couple and let them run in the garden.
Not worrying as they were not supposedly male and female?
They soon proved that wrong and the colony of two expanded rapidly to triple figures before we suspended the action.
Great wee pets though, and a nice meal in South America?

Mother, for one, please don’t call me “your girl” on Fluther. For B, They are still sleeping quite regularly, but I finally got around to cleaning their cage tonight, so that might help. :D Thanks for asking for me though. :)

well it may have wet tail disease, has it been having diarrhea? These can be the early symptoms of wet tail, you should take it to go get checked out before its too late