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Do hamsters hibernate?
Some wild hamsters do, pet hamsters should not. PDSA explains that some species of wild hamster hibernate for months through the winter, while others, Syrian hamsters among them, may drop into a short hibernation-like state called torpor. A wild hamster spends the autumn building a burrow and a huge food store for this. A pet hamster has done none of that.
That is why the RSPCA keeps hamsters indoors: the weather outside is too cold for them, and indoor housing stops them slipping into torpor. As the RSPCA puts it, domestic hamsters do not have enough fat reserves to survive without food for long. A hamster that goes torpid in a cold room is not resting. It is running down.
What is torpor in hamsters?
Torpor is a survival shutdown. The hamster's heart and breathing slow right down and its body temperature falls well below the normal 37 to 39°C (98.6 to 102.2°F), so it burns as little energy as possible. PetMD says it typically lasts a few hours or days, and that a long spell can be fatal through dehydration or hypothermia (a body temperature too low to recover from on its own).
| True hibernation | Torpor | |
|---|---|---|
| Who does it | Some wild hamster species | Any hamster that gets too cold, Syrians included |
| How long | Weeks to months, through winter | A few hours to a few days |
| Planned for? | Yes: fat and a food store built in autumn | No: an emergency response |
| Safe for a pet? | Pets should not do it | No: risk of dehydration and hypothermia |
People often use the two words for the same thing. For a pet owner the difference does not matter much: either way, a pet hamster should be warmed up and woken.
What temperature makes a hamster go into torpor?
Cold is the main trigger. PetMD names temperatures under 5°C (41°F) as the most common cause, and lists fewer hours of light and too little food as other triggers, with draughts making it more likely. In practice a hamster can get into trouble well before the room reaches 5°C, because a cage by a window or door can be several degrees colder than the middle of the room.
Sources give slightly different comfort ranges. PDSA says a steady 18 to 21°C (64 to 70°F), and PetMD says about 18 to 24°C (65 to 75°F), with the dwarf hamster care sheet setting a ceiling of 27°C (80°F). We'd aim for 18 to 22°C (65 to 72°F), where the two overlap, and keep it steady day and night. Our hamster temperature guide covers heat as well as cold.
Put a cheap room thermometer at cage height, next to the cage, not on the other side of the room. The coldest point is usually the early hours, so check it first thing on a winter morning.
Signs your hamster is in torpor
A torpid hamster looks very deeply asleep, or even dead. PetMD describes a hamster that feels cold, with a very slow heartbeat and very slow breathing. Check for these:
- Curled up and still, and does not wake when you open the cage or gently touch it
- Feels cool to the touch, especially the ears, feet and belly
- Breathing so slow and shallow you have to watch for a minute or more to see it
- Body still soft and floppy, not stiff
- Cage area feels cold, or the heating has been off, or a window was open
- Food bowl empty, or the room has been dark for long stretches
Hamsters are deep sleepers through the day, so a sleeping hamster in a warm room is usually just asleep. Torpor is the combination of cold body, very slow breathing and a cold room. Our guide to hamster behaviour explains what normal sleeping looks like.
Is my hamster dead or hibernating?
A body that is soft and floppy, with any breathing or heartbeat at all, is alive. To check the heartbeat, PetMD suggests feeling the chest just behind the front legs and counting for 15 seconds, then multiplying by four. A normal hamster runs at about 200 to 500 beats a minute, so in torpor you are feeling for something much slower and fainter. Feeling cool alone does not mean a hamster has died.
PetMD says to get a vet straight away if the hamster does not react when you touch its whiskers and cheek pouches, does not wake once it is warm, or is stiff and rigid. Never bury or dispose of a hamster you found cold until it has had several hours of gentle warming, or until a vet has checked it.
How to wake a hamster from torpor
Slowly and gently. PDSA says to check the room has not fallen below 20°C (68°F) and to raise the temperature gradually. PetMD adds that your hands or a slightly warm cloth are safer than heaters, which warm a hamster too fast.
- Warm the room. Turn the heating up or move the cage to a warmer room away from draughts, aiming for about 20 to 22°C (68 to 72°F).
- Hold the hamster. Pick it up gently and cup it in your palms, or wrap it loosely in a soft cloth warmed to body heat. Keep it close to you.
- Be patient. Keep it warm and quiet. PetMD says most hamsters wake within a few hours if the torpor has been short.
- Offer water and food. Once it is moving, offer water from its bottle or a shallow dish and some of its usual food. Do not force fluids into a hamster that cannot swallow.
- Put it back to a warm, stocked home. Fresh deep bedding, a full food bowl and fresh water, in a room that stays warm overnight.
- Ring a vet if it does not wake. If it stays cold, limp and unresponsive after a few hours of warming, or was torpid for a day or more, ring a vet the same day.
Never put a cold hamster on a radiator, heat pad or hot water bottle, in front of a heater, or in warm water. Fast heating can burn it or send it into shock. Warm it with body heat and a warm room only.
When to take a hamster to the vet after torpor
PetMD advises a vet check for any worry about hibernation or torpor, and immediate care for a hamster that will not wake once warm, does not react to touch on its whiskers and cheeks, or is stiff. Book a check within a day or two even if your hamster wakes and seems fine, if it was torpid for long, is old, or is not eating and drinking normally afterwards. A long spell of torpor dehydrates a hamster, and PetMD notes that a hamster that is still not moving once torpor is ruled out may be ill, injured or dehydrated.
Our hamster health guide lists the other signs that need a vet, and how fast.
How to stop your hamster going into torpor
Keep their world warm, steady, lit and well fed. Everything here comes from the same few triggers: cold, draughts, short days and too little food.
- Room kept at a steady 18 to 22°C (65 to 72°F), day and night, including when you are away
- Cage away from outside doors, windows, air conditioning and heating vents
- Out of direct sunlight, but in a room with natural daylight
- Never kept in a garage, shed, conservatory or unheated porch
- Deep bedding, at least 25 cm (10 in), so it can burrow down into warmer layers
- Plenty of hides and soft paper nesting to build a snug nest
- Food and water always available, every day
- Thermometer at cage height, checked on cold nights
Our guides to safe hamster bedding and hamster hides cover how to give them a warm nest, and the hamster cage setup guide shows where everything goes.
Winter holidays and heating timers catch many owners out. If your heating switches off overnight or while you are away, set it to keep the hamster's room above 18°C (65°F), or move the cage to the warmest room in the house.
Do older hamsters go into torpor more easily?
Hamster hibernation questions
At what temperature do hamsters go into torpor?
PetMD names temperatures below 5°C (41°F) as the most common cause, but a hamster can start to struggle well above that, especially in a draught or with little bedding. PDSA advises checking the room has not dropped below 20°C (68°F) if you think your hamster is torpid. Keep the room steady at 18 to 22°C (65 to 72°F).
How long can a hamster stay in torpor?
PDSA and PetMD both say torpor usually lasts from a few hours to a few days. In a pet that is already too long: a hamster has small fat reserves and cannot drink while torpid, so dehydration and dangerously low body temperature set in. If your hamster has been torpid for a day or more, or does not wake within a few hours of warming, ring a vet.
Is my hamster dead or in torpor?
A torpid hamster feels cool and looks lifeless, but its body is still soft and floppy, and you will find slow breathing and a heartbeat if you watch and feel for a full minute. A hamster that is stiff and rigid, or that stays limp and cold after a few hours of gentle warming, needs a vet straight away to confirm.
Do dwarf hamsters hibernate?
Pet dwarf hamsters should not hibernate or go into torpor any more than Syrians should. Every pet hamster is at risk in a cold room, and small dwarfs lose heat quickly because of their size. The same rules apply: a steady room temperature, no draughts, deep bedding and food and water always available.
Can I use a heat mat or heat lamp for my hamster?
Not to wake a torpid hamster: PetMD warns that heating elements warm them too fast, and your hands or a slightly warm cloth are safer. For everyday warmth, heat the room rather than the cage. A hamster cannot move away from a heat source in a closed cage, and PDSA warns that a cage that gets too hot can cause heatstroke.
Should I wake my hamster if it looks like it is hibernating?
Yes, gently and slowly. Torpor is not a healthy rest for a pet hamster, because it has nothing stored to live on. Warm the room, cup the hamster in your hands or wrap it loosely in a warm cloth, and offer water and food as it rouses. Do not shake it, bathe it or put it on a heater.
Can a hamster go into torpor if it runs out of food?
Yes. PetMD lists a lack of food as a trigger alongside cold and shorter days, and RSPCA notes pet hamsters do not have the fat reserves to go without food for long. Keep a full food bowl and leave their hoard alone, so a cold night never comes with an empty larder.
