You’ve got a new friend ! You brought your hamster home, but now he needs a name. But what should you name your hamster ? I had the name picked out for my Teddy even before I got him, but sometimes it’s not that easy.
I’ll help you pick out a name for your hamster, and give you a few tips on interacting with him as well. But first…
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Do hamsters know their name ?
No, hamsters don’t really recognize their name. Some of them can recognize their owner in some cases, but that’s it.
So what does that mean ? You can name your hamster whatever you like !
He won’t mind, or notice at all. You can opt for silly names, or fairly serious/normal pet names. You can even give your hamster especially complicated and long names, it will be the same.
Whatever name you end up giving your hamster, you need to interact with him often. Not necessarily to pick him up often (some hamsters do not like that at all) but to talk to him and feed him a couple of treats. Spend time with him. Create a sort of bond between you two.
And a name you like and feel like it fits the hamster will help a lot in that way. Let’s see a few examples.
List of hamster names, for female hamsters:
- Abby
- Annabelle
- Amelia
- Arya
- Amethyst
- Azura
- Buttercup
- Butterscotch
- Bambi
- Cotton
- Candy
- Camelia
- Camel
- Dolly
- DaQueen
- Eve
- Eggy
- Emma
- Evelyn
- Faye
- Fig
- Fawn
- Frisky
- Funny
- Gwen
- Goldie
- Ginger
- Hiccup
- Iris
- Ivy
- Ice cream
- Junie
- Jackie
- Juniper
- Kylie
- Kesha
- Krispy
- Layla
- Lizzie
- Lady
- Leeloo
- Madeira
- Minnie
- Mocha
- Maab (as in Queen Maab)
- Nina
- Namira
- Nora
- Olla
- Olive
- Okie
- Pepita
- Pam (Pamela Hamsterson)
- Peanut
- Poppy
- Pufferina
- Pearl
- Queenie
- Rey
- Ruby
- Rose
- Shiloh
- Sasha
- Sansa
- Trixie
- Turnip
- Tabby
- Tiny
- Tinkerbell
- Umbra
- Umbriel
- Vanilla (in honor of the late Vanilla HamHam)
- Viking
- Willow
- Wololo
- Xena
- Ygritte
- Yasmin
- Zelda
List of hamster names, for male hamsters:
- Ace
- Alduin
- Adam
- Anthony
- Arnold
- Bucky
- Balthazar
- Boy
- Brutus
- Bob
- Bear Grylls
- Boo
- Biscuit
- Boomer
- Basil
- Conan
- Coco
- Commader Whiskers
- Chewie
- Chico
- Disco
- Dexter
- Danzig
- Drax the Destroyer
- Danny
- Dunkirk
- Damon
- Eeyore
- Elvis
- Elmo
- Eddie
- Fry
- Cheese Fry
- Furball
- Gerry
- Guy
- Ghandi
- Guillermo Del Hamstero
- Gizmo
- Gary
- Grizzly
- General Napkin the Second
- Honey
- Hannibal
- Hector
- Hamish
- Hunter
- Hamlet
- Ham
- Hachiko
- Hammy
- Ian
- Ice
- Iggy
- Jericho
- Jasper
- Jack
- Jumbo
- Kirk
- Kirby
- Larry
- Leo
- Leonardo Da Hammy
- Leopold the Skittish
- Lightning
- Mascot
- Mo
- Maury
- Mickey
- MJ
- Munchkin
- Messi
- Napoleon
- Napkin
- Oscar
- Ozzy
- Piggy
- Pooh
- Quentin
- Ripley
- Rami
- Rasputin
- Radagast
- Rhubarb
- Randall
- Rudy
- Randy
- Ruckus
- Rambler
- Steve
- Sparky
- Spot
- Shaggy
- Scooby
- Small Guy
- Scaramouche
- Shorty
Teddy - Taz
- Tippy
- Thunder
- Uncle
- Usain
- Vic
- Vladimir the Restless
- Vandal
- Whiskers
- Wolfenstein
- Wolf
- Wiggy
- Wolverine
- Xavier
- York
- Yogi the Bear
- Zoomer
- Zayn
Talking and interacting with your hamster
Whenever you talk to your hamster, name sure to use a soft, low voice. Be as soothing as you possibly can, since these creatures are very skittish. Using a calm, soothing voice will help relax the hamster.
Now, hamsters are almost never calm and collected, but you can still try. Also be aware that hamsters have very sensitive ears and hearing, and as such speaking to them in a soft, low voice will be easy on their ears and they won’t shy away from you.
Always use the hamster’s name as often as you can when talking to him, and try to spend as much time as you possibly can. Tell him about your day and feed him a couple leaves of parsley.
Give him a small bit of cooked plain chicken and ask him if he slept well last night. Of course he won’t be able to piece together anything you’re saying, but he will understand that you’re interacting with him. In time he will learn to associate you with food, and with good times and safety.
If you’ve very patient, this can lead to a great bond between you and your hamster.
Please remember though that the hamster’s taming can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. It depends on the hamster’s personality, and your patience. Sometimes even after the hamster’s tamed he still won’t be the friendliest or cuddliest furball.
That’s okay, each hamster is different.
(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.)
Letting your hamster pick his own name
If you’re not very decided, you can let the hamster pick out his own name. We got this idea from Pethelpful.com and thought it’s actually a great way to let fate decide. Kind of.
You can do this several ways. For example you can chose a few hamster names and write them out on a paper plate or tray. Make sure they’re evenly spaced out, no more than 3-5 names.
Then, place bits of food or hamster treats on top of each name – like a piece of carrot, a peanut, a bit of cooked chicken, or something else from this safe foods list. Whichever food/name the hamster first goes for, that’s his name !
Another way is to place the hamster in his exercise ball, and stick a few sticky notes with the names written on them. Let the hamster roam the house in the ball, and whichever note falls off first, that’s the name.
You can also make a maze our of an empty egg carton. Cut a few holes in it, as exit holes. Assign a name for each hole. Whichever hole the hamster exits the maze through, that’s going to be his name.
A word from Teddy
I hope you found what you were looking for in this article. I know us hamsters are cute and you have a hard time naming us, but I’m sure you’ll find a great one for your friend. My owner knew my name long before he picked me up, and I think Teddy suits me great.
If you want to know more about us hamsters you should check out the related articles below. You’ll learn how to keep us safe and happy, and what we need for a good life.
