Wild hamsters live in rocky sparse habitats on the edges of deserts and pet hamsters live in cages so it is very unusual to see one in water. But can hamsters swim?
Yes, hamsters can swim if they have to but they are not good swimmers and do not enjoy it. Wild hamsters only swim to save their lives and their bodies are not buoyant or streamlined enough to move through water efficiently so they use up a lot of energy and get tired. Getting wet removes their ability to regulate their temperature and makes them very stressed.
Do Hamsters Enjoy Swimming?
No, they hate it. Whilst some rodents, such as rats, are good swimmers and choose to get in water, hamsters do not. Swimming causes hamsters to get very stressed. Hamsters would always choose running over swimming and only swim to save their lives.
Is It Safe to Put Your Hamster in Water?
No, it is not safe to put a hamster in water. They could drown, suffer from hypothermia, and at the very least will find it stressful. Hamsters rely on their thick coat to maintain their body temperature but it does not work when they are wet. A wet hamster cannot regulate its body temperature and can cool down rapidly. This can lead to hypothermia and a state of torpor and even death.
Another potential danger is stress. For a hamster, this is a lot more than feeling a bit worried and is potentially fatal. In the wild, hamsters will only swim when their lives are in danger. Therefore, your pet will associate being in water with a near-death experience. In the same way as humans, they produce cortisol and corticosterone in response to stressful situations. These little animals are very sensitive to stress and it can be life-threatening for them.
Why Aren’t Hamsters Good Swimmers?
Hamsters in the wild live in arid and warm environments where swimming is not a useful skill. Occasionally, they may be forced to swim if there is a sudden flood but this is unusual. Their bodies are not designed for being in the water. They have short legs and their bodies are not streamlined. They are also not very buoyant and have to work hard just to stay afloat. Their fur has natural oils but it is not designed to protect against water. Therefore, when a hamster gets wet, their fur sticks to them making it hard for them to keep warm.
Can You Bathe a Hamster?
Hamsters prefer sand baths to water baths.
©iStock.com/Conny V
There are very few circumstances where it is necessary to bathe a hamster or for a hamster to get wet at all! Instead, you should provide them with a sand bath. This is an area of sand where they can roll around and use the sand to clean their fur. This keeps their coat healthy and shiny. You can get special hamster sand but do not get sand that is too dusty or that contains calcium.
If your pet has something very sticky on their fur, it is best to spot-clean it. Use a soft towel dabbed in warm water and gently rub at their fur. Make sure that you keep them warm afterward if you have made their fur wet. Speak to your vet if your hamster is so dirty that you think you need to bathe them. They may be able to provide you with some special products.
8 Important Precautions to Take When Putting a Hamster in Water
Ideally, your pet hamster will never get wet but accidents can happen. If your hamster has accidentally gotten wet, perhaps because they fell in some water as they were exploring, here are 8 important precautions that you should take.
Hamsters need to get warm and dry if they have fallen in water.
©Alex Milan/iStock via Getty Images
- Get your hamster out of the water as quickly as possible – they are not enjoying it!
- Stay calm – your pet will already be stressed and if you scream and shout it will only make it worse.
- Wrap them in a warm and soft towel.
- Place a hair dryer a few feet away from your hamster and put it on a low (but not cold) setting. Take great care with this because putting your hamster too close to the hair dryer can burn and frighten them.
- You could also hold your hamster against your skin so that your body heat warms them up and dries them.
- If you have a reptile heating pad, place this in your hamster’s cage so that it warms up before you put your hamster back in.
- Never put a wet hamster back in their cage until they are completely dry and warm.
- Put the cage in a warm room and away from drafts. Let your hamster rest to recover from their ordeal!
The photo featured at the top of this post is © Mary Swift/Shutterstock.com
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