Hamsters are really fun pets to own, but that doesn’t mean that every aspect of owning one is going to be a walk in the park. In fact, you might look into your hamster’s cage and notice that there’s poop all around.
It’s somewhat remarkable how much one little animal can poop in a short period of time. To many new hamster owners, the amount of excrement produced by a hamster will seem almost comical.
Sadly, it’s going to get annoying to have to keep cleaning up hamster droppings after a while. Why do hamsters poop so much anyway?
Keep reading to get information about why hamsters seem to poop as much as they do. You’ll gain a greater understanding of this issue and will be able to figure out how to move forward as a pet owner without things being too much of a hassle.
It’s Mostly Normal
The important thing to understand straight away is that hamsters pooping a lot is pretty normal. Generally, hamsters are going to poop a lot because that is just how their little bodies work.
Hamsters have an absurdly fast digestive system when compared to many other types of animals. They’re going to digest food and poop it out way faster than you ever would yourself.
It’s also true that hamsters eat a lot of food and this causes them to constantly be digesting food. Most hamsters will eat pretty much constantly throughout the day, and they’ll be pooping a lot due to how often food is getting digested.
So if you’re worried that something is wrong with your hamster, then it’s likely that what you’re seeing is completely normal. However, there will still be some things to look out for.
Hamsters Will Even Poop on Their Owners
Once a hamster has become comfortable with its owner, it’s going to be hanging out and being handled more often. People hold their hamsters and sometimes allow the hamsters to crawl around on them.
If you notice that your hamster poops on you sometimes when you’re handling it, then you shouldn’t think much of it. Hamsters just poop a lot and don’t always control where they poop super well.
Some hamsters will poop everywhere when they’re young, and they often don’t care where they poop when outside their cages. If a hamster is crawling around on you, then it’s possible that you could get pooped on at any time.
It really is hard to tell when a hamster will have to defecate, and this means that you just kind of have to put up with it. Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to clean up hamster messes, and it shouldn’t put you off too much.
As hamsters get older, they get a bit better about trying to poop and pee in one spot inside their habitats. Hamsters can definitely be “litter trained,” so to speak.
Owners will often have litter areas in their hamster cages so that hamsters can handle all their business in that one spot. Keeping the poop confined to one area of the habitat makes it that much simpler to clean up, but understand that young hamsters might need some time to get used to going in one spot.
Very High Fiber Diets
When hamsters eat very high fiber diets they might wind up pooping a bit more than usual. This means that hamsters eating a normal amount of fiber will still poop a lot, but hamsters that are on high-fiber diets will poop even more.
Try to examine your hamster’s diet to determine if what you’re feeding it could be contributing to the high poop levels. Perhaps you’re feeding it too much fiber and that’s making things even messier than usual.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it will mean that you’ll be cleaning up hamster poop a lot more often than you’d like. Perhaps a better diet would cut things down to a more manageable level.
Diets that contain a lot of fresh vegetables and fruits can make hamsters poop more often, too. You should probably stop and think about how much the food that you’re feeding the hamster is contributing to the issue.
If you need dietary advice, then it’s always advisable to speak to your veterinarian about what’s going on. They can talk to you about everything so that you can determine the best way to move forward.
Bad Store-Bought Food
There are many different types of hamster food on the market that you can purchase. Sometimes you might buy a product that is labeled as high-quality hamster food that isn’t actually all that good for them.
Some pet stores might carry brands that have hamster food that isn’t the healthiest stuff. It might be too high in fiber or it could be off in some other way.
If you’re seeing your hamster poop a lot more than you think is normal, then you’ll have to question if the food is the issue. There have been cases where hamster owners have needed to change food brands to fix issues that the hamsters are having.
You might have an easier time if you get food recommendations from an expert. Many people choose to ask veterinarians about balanced diets for their hamsters that will help them to thrive.
They might be able to point you in the direction of a specific food that they know to be good. If you like the convenience of canned hamster food, then a veterinarian might be able to help you with that as well.
Stress
Another thing to consider is that hamsters will poop more often when they’re stressed. Stress is something that can cause a hamster to start pooping, and many different things could cause a hamster to feel this way.
For instance, a hamster could get scared by another animal in the house. If you have a cat and the hamster sees the cat, then it’s understandably going to be very frightened.
The frequency of its bowel movements might increase out of sheer terror. Even if you don’t have other pets in the house, it’s possible for random things to scare your hamster.
Hamsters can get scared by loud and unusual noises coming from outside. A construction crew working outside could scare your hamster or your hamster could get frightened by an aggressive dog barking next door.
Basically, your hamster can easily get scared of random stuff that happens. If it starts pooping way more than usual, it might be due to being afraid of something or another.
If you just brought a hamster home, then it’s likely going to poop a whole lot due to the stress that it is experiencing. Hamsters will be nervous about the new environment and you might even scare the hamster at first.
This fear will subside over time and the pooping might slow down to just normal levels. Just keep an eye on your hamster and try to bond with it a bit so that it doesn’t stay afraid of you.
Tips for Helping Your Hamster Avoid Stress
There are some good ways that you can help your hamster avoid getting stressed. The first thing to consider will be other pets that you’re keeping in the house.
If you have dogs or cats in your home in addition to your hamster, then you’ll likely want to keep them in separate parts of the house. Cats can definitely scare hamsters, and your cat might get curious about your hamster.
It wouldn’t be unusual for a cat to get very close to a hamster’s habitat to try to scope it out. After all, hamsters are a type of rodent, and cats are known to hunt down and eat rodents.
Your hamster is going to be understandably afraid if your cat is leering at it, and it’ll be pretty natural for the hamster to start pooping more in response. If you keep the cat away from the hamster, then things shouldn’t be so bad.
Even if your cat is very well-trained and docile, it’s just best to keep it away from the hamster. There is no reason to scare your hamster because it just leads to more messes that you have to clean up later.
You should also consider the noises in the house and how they impact the hamster. Things such as loud television noises, loud music playing, and other such sounds could have an impact on the hamster.
If you keep your hamster in a room that is generally a bit more quiet and peaceful, then the hamster likely won’t get stressed. It’s not as if you need to tiptoe around your hamster to keep it happy, but excessive noise could bother a hamster a good bit.
Taking a few precautionary measures like this can really make a difference. Ensure that the hamster feels safe and happy in its cage and that it has everything it needs.
Also, you’ll want to be careful with how you’re handling your hamster. Hamsters won’t appreciate being handled roughly or improperly, and this could contribute to making the hamster feel stressed.
If you’re new to caring for hamsters, then it might be beneficial to look up information about hamster-handling. It won’t take long to learn what to do, and you’ll be able to get better results in no time.
Signs of Unhealthy Hamsters
There is a chance that hamsters could be unhealthy if there seem to be issues with how they’re pooping. You already know that hamsters poop a lot just because that’s how their bodies work.
However, there is a specific way that hamster poop should look if a hamster is healthy. Normal hamster poop will be small, solid, and either dark brown or black.
Sometimes unhealthy hamsters will poop in ways that look completely different. An unhealthy hamster might create stools that are soft, watery, and light-colored.
There could be issues if a hamster’s poop doesn’t look right, but it isn’t always serious. For example, a hamster might have softer stools if it has been eating many fruits and vegetables.
Consistently stool irregularities should be taken seriously, though. You should take your hamster to see the veterinarian to get advice about what’s happening.
Hamsters might have health issues that need to be addressed if the stool never looks right. Sometimes stool issues will be combined with other symptoms such as hamsters losing weight or being lethargic.
There are a number of things that could be wrong, but it isn’t fruitful for you to speculate yourself. You need a professional who understands how to help your hamster and ensure that it gets back to health.
There could be some type of condition that is causing your hamster to poop more often and have odd stools. This might be able to be fixed by giving the hamster medication or otherwise getting to the bottom of what’s wrong.
Just be prepared to listen to the advice that your veterinarian has for you. You’ll be able to turn things around in due time so that your hamster can feel better.
Final Thoughts
Now that you’ve learned more about hamsters and why they poop so often, it’s going to be simpler to understand what is going on. In all likelihood, the amount of poop that your hamster is producing is perfectly normal.
Hamsters poop a lot under normal conditions, but there are some things that will cause them to poop even more. Stress, high-fiber diets, eating lots of fruits and veggies, and more can contribute to high poop levels.
There isn’t a specified amount for how much hamster poop is normal, and this means that you just kind of have to put up with hamsters pooping a lot under normal conditions. You might be able to make some dietary changes to manage things a bit, but you shouldn’t worry too much.
Do what you can to keep your hamster safe and comfortable. This will allow you to have the best experience when caring for your hamster, and it should at least limit the amount that they poop somewhat.
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.