Every hamster owner ever has asked themselves this question. Why is my hamster freezing, and what does it mean ?
Well, my Teddy (fully grown Syrian hamster) does this regularly, and we’re here to let you know your hamster is probably fine. There are a few reasons he can suddenly freeze, and we’ll cover them right now.
So why does your hamster randomly freeze ?
Generally a hamster will freeze because he’s listening for something, or focusing intently to hear if there are predators around. Even if he’s lived his entire life with you safely, his instincts will kick in every now and then.
Other possible reasons could be that you’ve surprised your hamster by suddenly moving, or you’ve scared him. Hamsters scare easily and are very skittish, so they will do this even if you do your best to not startle them.
So for example if you wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and walk past your hamster’s cage, you’ll notice him staring at you blankly. Not moving at all, until you come close to him and try to interact.
I’ve seen Teddy do this often, and I’ve always wondered if there’s something wrong with him. Turns out he’s alright, he’s just being a hamster.
So your hamster could be listening for something, or he could be surprised, or scared. Or a combination of any and all of those 3. This happens less often over time, as your hamster learns every new sound that comes along.
As long as your hamster is not frozen most of the time when you see him, he’s fine.
What to do when your hamster is frozen
It’s important to let your hamster listen for a few seconds for what just happened. They learn and get used to new sounds as time goes on.
If he’s not coming out of it soon, you can try talking to your hammy. Keep in mind that he has sensitive hearing, so keep your voice low and soothing. You can bring him a small treat as well, to distract your hamster.
I’ve done this with Teddy, and while at first he doesn’t react, after a few seconds he comes closer to hear me out.
If you want to know what other foods you can give your hammy, check out my article here. I’ll also tell you about some other treat options that are safe for hamsters, and your hammy might love them !
Hamsters have very sensitive hearing and smell
So it could be that your hamster froze for no reason. But he heard something you didn’t. It might not be anything, it could be leaves falling or a clock ticking. To your hamster it might sound interesting or scary or important.
This is something hamsters do regularly, so do not worry. Your hamster is fine, he’s just listening for something.
For example Teddy will run and run and run in his wheel and then suddenly stop, get on his hind feet, and just stand there for a full minute. He’s done this when eating, or drinking water, cleaning himself as well. Basically anytime.
The main reason behind this behavior is that hamsters are prey, and they’re used to running away from everything. In time their instincts have evolved to get them to check for predators at all times.
Even if your hamster grew up in your home, safe and sound, he will still do this. It’s normal, and part of a hamster’s life.
Your hamster has very good hearing, to listen for any possible threat. But he also has very sensitive smell, so he will react to that as well.
If your hamster is used to you and your smell, and you go to pick him up after handling something he might not like (like citrus) he will scurry away from you long before your hand gets close to it.
When you do wash your hands, make sure it’s not with very floral or strongly scented soap. Otherwise your hamster will not want to get close to your hands.
Also be careful when handling food and then your hamster. It might mistake the smell of chicken wings on your fingers for actual food, and bite.
They don’t have very good eyesight, especially when compared to their hearing and smell. They’re very active at dawn and dusk, so crepuscular light is best for them.
Should you worry about your hamster freezing ?
Your hamster is alright, even if it might seem strange that it freezes suddenly.
He’s simply listening for something, and just following his own instincts. Unless your hamster freezes often and for long periods of time, there is no reason to worry.
However if you’re still worried, best to bring him to the vet, for a general checkup.
One reason your hamster seems to freeze often could be that he’s very scared of you. This is fairly normal when your hamster is young or new to the house.
For this it’s best to get your hamster slowly used to your presence, and feed him treats whenever you see him so he learns to trust you and get used to you. Limit those treats though, since an overweight hamster is not healthy and will develop serious health problems over time.
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Other hamster behaviors that might seem strange
These are things I’ve seen Teddy do, and seen other hamsters in videos do. Some of them have an explanation, and some of them are just… random.
Backflips. Hamsters react very suddenly when startled, so if you scare them and you’re very sudden, they might just do a backflip or jump to the side. Or just jump. Hamsters are kind of acrobats, and I’ve seen Teddy backflip and land safely.
This does not mean you should make your hamster do a backflip, ever. But they can do this, and although it looks funny for humans, it’s a sign of fear.
Sprints. Hamsters will sometimes suddenly sprint into their hideouts, or just through their cage. They can do this when they’re startled, or just because. I’ve seen Teddy do this for no apparent reason.
Climbing and falling off the cage. This is something I’ve never managed to understand, and I’ve found no relevant answers online either.
Teddy will sometimes scale the cage walls, and get a serious ab and back workout out of it. And then suddenly let go. He just falls. He lands on the bedding, and there’s lots of it, so he’s safe.
But no one I’ve spoke to about this knows an answer. I’ve seen Teddy do this with the top of the cage as well. It happened more often when he was younger, and had more energy.
For moments like these it’s important you get your hamster a very good cage, that’s also safe and large enough so he can run around.
Hamsters scaling the cage walls are a sign of extra energy and can you can provide your hamster with an exercise wheel, as they need to run to burn that energy.
Here is an in-depth look at the best hamster wheels, according to hamster breeds and budget.
I’ve taken care of that and provided him with a large cage and wheel anyway. But I still don’t know why my hamster suddenly falls of the cage walls.
You can make sure your hamster doesn’t hurt himself by giving him lots of bedding. To find out how much bedding a hamster needs, check out my article here.
And here you’ll find a roundup of the best hamster bedding options available.
Laying down slowly. It looks a lot like they’re melting or getting ready to sleep. As far as I’ve seen with Teddy, he slowly lays down near a corner of the cage, not in his house. He closes his eyes and drifts off. It’s like he forgot he has a house to sleep in.
It never lasts more than a few minutes, and he does react if I speak to him or tap the cage. But he will put his head back down and lay flat. Other hamster owners I’ve spoken to said it might just be a form of dozing off.
A word from Teddy
I hope this article was helpful to you, and you know why we can sometimes freeze. I used to do that a lot when I was a ‘kid’, until I learned most of the sounds in the house. Now I just freeze if someone walks by me at night when I know I’m alone.
If your hammy is doing the same, don’t worry. He’s probably curious about what’s happening and is focusing on figuring it out. Talk to him and he’ll come closer to listen to you instead.
Feel free to look around the blog, you might find more useful articles on hamsters. Like how to feed us, what kind of cage we need, and how much water we need.
