Hamster Lifespans

Keep in mind, while hamsters can be great pets, you have to be prepared for your furry friend to pass away pretty quickly. Hamsters live (on average) for about 2-3 years. The oldest living hamster was only 4.5 years old.

Most of the time, there is no real way to tell if your hamster is near the end of his/her life, so don’t feel bad if your hamster passed away when you thought he/her was fine.

Normal Behaviors

Some normal hamster behaviors are burrowing, going to the surface of their cage late at night, getting nesting materials (such as bedding, toilet paper, and paper towels) , drinking water, and foraging for food.

Passing

Dealing with a hamster’s death is very hard and it is normal to express death in different ways, so don’t feel weird if you don’t cry when your hamster passes away. If you want to donate or reuse some of your hamster’s old things, it is very important to clean those items first because if you don’t know why your hamster passed away, it could be contagious and all over their items. Even if you do know why your hamster died and it wasn’t a disease, it is still very important to clean his/her belongings before using them again just because they may have urine on them, or just smell like another hamster which could freak out the next hamster using them. You should clean a hamster’s items with vinegar water and wipe them down vigorously. You can also bake *wooden objects* at around 200°F for 30 minutes. This helps by killing any other bacteria that you did not get with the vinegar water. Please do not bake any other materials. You should always keep an eye on the oven and no, it does not endanger you by putting your hamster’s things in the oven. Just make sure to wipe them down before you do so.