Did your ever hear your hamster fart ? Did you ever wonder if he does ? I never did, until someone asked us if Teddy can pass gas and I honestly had no idea at first.
So I went around, looking for answers and marveling at the fact that no one really answered this with a clear yes or no. Well, here I am to solve this haunting mystery.
Table of Contents
So do hamsters fart ?
Yes. Yes they do. Hamsters fart. They’ve rarely been heard by anyone to actually pass gas, but after some research, I’ve concluded that they do.
If you want a veterinarian’s opinion on the matter, you should check out this article. Lewis (author) is a vet who majors in exotic animals, and hamsters happen to fall into that category.
The little evidence I could find that hamsters can pass gas
If you got here then you probably googled whether hamsters fart or not. And I think you’ve seen the amount and quality of results Google can offer.
Mostly I’ve found forums where no one was very decided on the matter, and some videos on Youtube of people scaring hamsters and adding fake fart sounds.
Aside from Lewis’ blog (linked a few rows above), there’s no other clear evidence I’ve found that hammies can pass gas. There are some foods that might cause gas, like broccoli, or cauliflower, and you can try with those to see if your hamster ends up breaking wind.
But honestly hamsters are so tiny you might not even hear it.
I have no idea where this search came from, and how it got to be. But it shows us that we’ve still got a long way to go before we can say we truly know hamsters.
Here’s the real question though:
If your hamster farted, but you weren’t there to hear him… did he really fart ?
Does a hamster’s fart smell ?
Well, again, there isn’t much evidence pointing yes or no. But I will give my two cents here.
Farts smell because they’re the product of bacteria from the stomach breaking down the food particles. As such, they release methane gas. Which, on its own does not smell, but it’s always combined with carbon dioxide and sulphur.
However when it comes to hamsters, their farts are so… small, I’d say, that I think you’d have a hard time registering it.
Unless you’ve fed the hamster something with a high protein content, like chicken, boiled egg white, and maybe even a peanut. Then maybe you can smell them faintly.
If you want a more detailed and coherent list of safe and unsafe foods for your hamster – check out this article right here.
It’s the protein that breaks down in the gut that gives farts the terrible smell.
So to sum it up:
A hamster’s fart can smell, but it’s so small that you probably won’t be able to smell it.
(If you like this article so far, you can pin it to your Pinterest board by clicking the image below. The article continues after the image.)
Hamsters can’t burp, though
The way a hamster’s stomach is made makes it impossible for them to burp.
You see, a hamster’s stomach is split into two sections. That split makes it physically impossible for the hamster to release gas upwards.
As far as I know, rodents in general have no gag reflex. They also can’t vomit, since their stomach are a bit different than ours.
This also means that for most rodents, a poison or food that produces a significant amount of gastro-intestinal gas can possibly be lethal.
Mostly because while most mammals can fart, burping is also a mechanism to release trapped gas. So if they can’t burp to release the gas, they will have less chance of survival.
About the hamster’s digestive system
In that their stomach can process almost the same kinds of foods as us humans.
They’re alright with meat, but only some kinds.
Hamsters can eat cheese and a couple of other dairy products, but with much more caution than us.
Hammies can even eat fruits, although some should be avoided. And they can also eat some kinds of vegetables as well.
However their stomach is a bit different than ours. It’s structured into 2 different parts, that do different things. The first stomach, or the first part of the stomach, is meant as a primary digestion. But it can’t get all of the nutrients out, in one go.
So, there came the need for the second part of the stomach. Which, in itself can extract more nutrients, and also produce them – like some certain vitamins.
But those vitamins, while very important and crucial to your hammy’s health, can only be ingested in the first part of the stomach.
This is how your hamster ends up eating its poo sometimes, since it needs those nutrients.
A word from Teddy
I hope you found what you were looking for here. I know us hammies look like the cuddliest, fluffiest creatures. But we do fart sometimes. It’s just that we’re shy and we’d rather you didn’t know about it.
If you want to know more of our secrets, like why we sometimes get scared of you, or why we need to run so much, check out the articles below.