Hamsters are extremely popular small rodents for people to keep as pets. They are often considered to be beginner pets for children, but they are becoming increasingly popular with experienced keepers and adults.
Due to their small size, short lifespans, and classification as rodents, hamsters are often thought of as unintelligent animals with no loyalty or recognition of their owners. Can they actually recognize their owners, though? Yes, hamsters do recognize their owners. Here’s what science tells us.
Do Hamsters Recognize Their Owners?
This recognition requires socialization and trust, though. Hamsters can be shy animals that are untrusting of new people. When you first bring a hamster home, you can expect it to be uncomfortable and scared during the initial socialization period. It can take days to weeks for your hamster to get used to you.
It’s unknown how exactly hamsters recognize their owners. Hamsters have poor eyesight, so it’s believed that they likely don’t recognize people via visual cues, although they may be able to differentiate the patterns within faces when up close. The most likely way that hamsters recognize their owners is via smell, and they are intelligent enough that they can learn to differentiate between sounds and tones. This means that hamsters can likely determine who someone is by the sound of their voice.
Hamsters are most likely to learn to recognize the people who care for them the most. The person who feeds, cares for, and handles them the most is likely the person they will develop the closest bond with. It’s possible that hamsters also recognize people who mistreat them, but mistreated hamsters are likely to become frightened and jumpy with all people, not just the person who mistreats them.
Socialization of Hamsters
The key to helping your hamster recognize you is by socializing them, which is a process that requires patience and gentleness to build trust with your hamster. The first step to helping socialize your hamster is to keep them in an area where they can get used to your sounds and scent. They shouldn’t be kept in high traffic and noisy environments, but keeping your hamster in your bedroom or office where they will be able to be around you in a quiet environment can help build trust.
Handling your hamster and allowing them time outside of their enclosure every couple of days can help get them used to being handled, as well as being near you. Make sure your hamster is in a secure location away from other pets and that won’t allow them to go missing. Ideally, your hamster should already have some level of trust in you before you attempt to handle them. Handling a stressed and fearful hamster has the potential to make them feel less confident with you. Always handle your hamster very gently to prevent stress and injuries.
Providing treats and being the one to refill food, clean the enclosure, refill the water, and provide toys can help socialize your hamster and get them acquainted with you. This requires a commitment on your part to provide this care for your hamster on a very regular basis to ensure the trust is built.
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In Conclusion
Hamsters are more intelligent than they are often given credit for, but they are prey animals that can be fearful and distrusting. While they can recognize their owners, it’s likely by scent and sound. Building trust and socializing your hamster will allow them to become well acquainted with you and help them feel safe when being handled or cared for by you.
Featured Image Credit: Attila Bódis, Pixabay
