Baby hamsters are super cute and they have some very unique qualities about them. Who knew they would be banned from an entire state? Or that their teeth may have stem cells? There are so many interesting things to learn about the baby hamster!
#1: A Baby Hamster is Called a Pup!
Hamsters are called pups when they’re babies!
©iStock.com/Mikhail Davidovich
A baby hamster is called a pup, while a mother hamster is called a doe and a father hamster is called a buck. A group of baby hamsters is actually called a horde! A litter of hamsters usually consists of anywhere from eight to ten pups.
#2: Baby Hamster’s Teeth Never Stop Growing
The hamster pup has no roots to its incisor teeth, so they can just go on growing out forever. Pet hamsters manage their teeth by gnawing on chew toys that help keep them ground down. In the wild, hamsters chew on wood to manage their teeth.
Recent research has uncovered the possibility of hamster teeth containing stem cells. If this is the case, they could be useful for tooth regeneration operations that could change dental arts as we know it! Dental researchers are actively experimenting with hamster teeth to explore this possibility.
#3: A Baby Hamster is Born Completely Defenseless
Hamsters cannot defend for themselves as newborns and depend on their mothers to do so.
©iStock.com/Manatchon
While most babies are very vulnerable when born, the hamster pup is especially in danger. These babies are born hairless, which makes it difficult for them to regulate their body temperature. They’re also born blind and deaf since their eyes and ears are both sealed shut.
Hamster pups stay near their moms to stay safe and well-fed until they gain more independence with age and strength.
#4: Baby Hamsters are Nocturnal
Hamsters are solitary creatures, even as babies.
©iStock.com/Liudmila Chernetska
Baby hamster pups prefer being alone. Oftentimes, their size and the fact that they’re solitary causes them to be prey to many animals. Consequently, baby hamsters are nocturnal. Being awake all night gives them an advantage over their predators who will have a harder time seeing them or being able to catch them. They’re able to gather food and other resources they may need all while being protected by the cloak of darkness.
#5: Hamsters Hibernate
Hamsters hibernate between one day and one week at a time!
©iStock.com/Yuliya Taba
Baby hamsters will grow up to hibernate as adults. One way they protect themselves during hibernation is by building tunnels with lots of doors in case an enemy decides to break in. They can quickly avoid the predator by exiting in one of the many doors they’ve made.
Hibernation can last anywhere from one day to an entire week. Hamsters hoard food, which comes in handy for the day-long naps these little creatures like to take.
#6: Baby Hamsters are Illegal in Hawaii
It’s
illegal to own a pet
hamster in Hawaii.
©iStock.com/Olga Skred
Hawaii has a beautiful, warm climate that is incredibly similar to the one that a hamster thrives in. Hamsters breed very fast in the right climate conditions, so this leads to them being made illegal in Hawaii. Hawaii’s wildlife population is extremely fragile, so they cannot risk a hamster getting loose in the wild and creating whole colonies that would throw this population off.
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