Having a pet hamster has the potential to be a whole lot of fun, but it isn’t always going to be easy. If you’re just now getting used to caring for a pet hamster, then you might find it a bit annoying if your new friend seems to poop on you all the time.
It would be a nuisance if every single time you interact with your hamster it seems to make a mess. Is there a specific reason that this happens or is it normal?
Keep reading to get information about why hamsters might poop on their owners. You’ll learn more about hamsters, how their digestive systems work, and what you might need to take into consideration.
This might seem like a bit of a problem right now, but it doesn’t have to be a huge deal. Once you know more about the situation, you’ll be able to decide how to move forward.
Is the Hamster Sick?
Some might be worried if the hamster is sick if it’s going in unusual places. Why would a hamster poop on a person when it should be pooping in its cage?
In all likelihood, your hamster is just fine. It’s actually very common for hamsters to poop in various places.
Read the information below to get a greater understanding of what’s happening. If you were worried about your hamster’s health, then you can rest easy that what’s happening is almost surely completely normal.
Hamsters Poop Rather Frequently
One thing to consider is that hamsters actually poop rather frequently when compared to many other types of pets. The digestive system of a hamster is substantially different from the digestive system of a dog or cat.
Hamsters are rodents and these creatures poop a lot more often than typical pets. It seems like they don’t have as much control over when they poop as many other creatures do.
When a hamster needs to poop, it’s just kind of going to do it no matter where it happens to be. This means that if you’re holding the hamster or playing with the hamster, then it might wind up pooping on you if it needs to relieve itself.
You might not be able to stop this from happening, and this is especially true if the hamster has eaten recently. There might be certain times of the day when hamsters won’t poop as much because they haven’t eaten as recently, though.
Hamsters Might Poop When They’re Scared
It’s also possible that hamsters might poop when they’re scared of certain things. When hamsters are still getting used to their owners, it might wind up causing them to feel frightened when they get picked up.
If your hamster always seems to poop when you pick it up, then it’s quite possible that it is afraid of the interaction. This fear might pass over time, and your hamster might grow accustomed to you as you care for it.
Just keep in mind that hamsters also don’t have great control over when they poop. Sometimes the pooping might be because they’re scared, but if it happens when the hamster clearly isn’t scared, then it might just have been normal.
Those who find hamster’s pooping habits to be very annoying might not wish to keep taking care of pet hamsters. This isn’t really something that you can completely solve because of the way that hamsters are.
Young Hamsters Are More Likely to Poop on You
It’s notable that young hamsters are going to be more likely to poop on you than mature ones. If your hamster is still pretty young and you recently got it from the pet store, then it might not have good control at all.
You already know that hamsters aren’t known for being able to control when they poop super well. They do have some control, but they develop it over time.
More mature hamsters are capable of holding it a bit more, and this means that the older your hamster gets, the less likely it will be to poop in unusual places.
Hamsters will get used to pooping in specific spots in their cages, but young hamsters might not be there yet. A young hamster will likely not hesitate to poop on you at all.
Hamsters Can Be Trained to Poop in Their Cages
You can take the time to train your hamster to poop in its cage in a specific spot. Most people who care for hamsters will set up a litter box type area in the hamster cage where hamsters can handle their business.
New hamsters will not be used to doing this and will likely just poop all over the cage. Over time, you’ll be able to train the hamster to start pooping in the spot that you have designated so that things will stay cleaner.
Luckily, once hamsters understand that they’re supposed to use the box for their poop, it’s going to be rare for them to go in other places. This should make the pooping incidents outside the cage less frequent as well.
Most of the time, hamsters will poop in the box that you have placed in the cage. There will be accidents due to hamsters not having amazing bowel control, but it will be a vast improvement.
Keeping Your Hamster Out of the Cage Too Long
If your hamster knows that it’s supposed to poop in the box that has been set up in its cage, then it’ll do its best to go there. However, what’s going to happen if it can’t make it to the box?
When you keep your hamster outside of its cage for too long, then it’s eventually going to have to poop. Hamsters don’t have the greatest control over when they poop, and this means that it isn’t unusual for hamsters to poop on their owners even once they’ve matured.
The best way to avoid this is to not keep your hamster out of its cage for super long periods of time. If you play with your hamster for hours, then it’s far more likely that it’s going to poop on you at some point.
Sometimes you will get wrapped up in playing with your hamster and lose track of time. Don’t be mad at the hamster if this happens because they really can’t help it when they poop on you.
This is likely going to be an occasional issue for as long as you’re caring for hamsters. It’s something that will be bothersome, but it doesn’t have to be a big deal that causes you to get angry or stressed.
Take Care of Your Hamster
Do your best to take care of your hamster, and try not to worry so much if it does accidentally poop on you. It’s definitely wise to train your hamster to poop in the box that you placed in its cage, but mistakes are going to happen.
You now know that hamsters don’t have incredible bowel control, and young hamsters have even less control over when they poop. Hamsters will even be more likely to poop on you when they get scared or startled by something.
Even a random loud noise could be enough to trigger the hamster to poop, but it’s just something you’re going to have to accept as a possibility. Your hamster will be fine, and you should be able to limit how often this happens by understanding what causes hamsters to poop on people.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Film/Video/Media Studies, as well as an associates degree in Communications. I began producing videos and musical recordings nearly 15 years ago. I am a guitarist and bassist in Southwest MI and have been in a few different bands since 2009, and in 2012 I began building custom guitars and basses in my home workshop as well. When I’m home, I love spending time with my three pets (a dog, cat, and snake) and gardening in my backyard. I also like photographing wild birds, especially birds of prey.