Hamsters are active for 18 hours a day. However, how long they can survive without food depends on various factors including the age and weight of a hamster.
Hamsters can go without food for several days (maybe even a week) if they are healthy.
Hamsters that weigh more than 2 pounds need to be fed every other day and hamsters that weigh less than 1 pound need to be fed daily.
Hamsters that weigh between 1 and 2 pounds are best fed every other day. Hamsters that weigh between 2 and 3 pounds are best fed daily.
However, hamsters that weigh more than 3 pounds need to be fed every day.
How Long Can A Hamster Go Without Food?
Contents
Hamsters have very fast metabolisms. This means that they can eat a lot and go without food for a long time.
However, this doesn’t mean that you should leave food out for hamsters all the time. Hamsters need food to survive, so it’s best to feed them once a day.
However, you can safely leave a hamster only with water for 24 hours with no ill effects.
If you do leave a hamster without food for too long, it will start to eat its bedding and poop, which is a sign that you need to feed it.
Since hamsters are desert animals, they have the survival instinct to go without food for a few days before dying.
However, take aware that their metabolism is very slow and that they will die if they do not eat for a few days.
Hamsters only have enough food in their stomachs to last them about a day and a half to two days at a time, but they can go much longer without eating before starving to death.
How Long Can A Hamster Live Without Water?
Hamsters have a reputation for being hard to take care of. However, that reputation is slightly undeserved.
Hamsters are actually pretty easy to take care of and can live for up to one week without water.
Hamsters can survive without water because they store electrolytes in their body.
However, when deprived of water for long, hamsters often die of dehydration. If you want to keep your hamster alive as long as possible, make sure to give it plenty of water.
Given that they depend on the size and quality of their diet for their survival, you should make sure that you feed your hamster a balanced diet full of vitamins and minerals.
Typically, it’s 10 ml for every hour they are awake and up to a total of 100 ml per day – though this will vary according to the hamster’s size and the humidity of the environment they live in.
Things To Remember When Leave Your Hamster Alone For A Few Days
Make sure to give your hamster a combination of food and water each day when you aren’t around to feed it.
Do not give sugary drinks like fruit juice or soda to your hammy – sugary drinks contain too much sugar for their tiny bodies to process!
Also remember that if you go on vacation or leave your house for a while during the day or overnight, you will need to provide both food and water for your little friend to avoid it going hungry or thirsty.
Additionally, ensure sure your hamster has somewhere to hide from predators, such as cats and dogs, as well as somewhere to hide from bright sunlight when you aren’t around to monitor its needs.
What If You Stay For A Longer Time?
You must carefully assess the size of your pet’s cage to ensure that it has enough space and food to last for the time you will be away.
A good rule to follow is to double the amount of food and space required for the time you will be away – for example, if you are going away for a week, make sure that there is enough food and space for a fortnight.
When you return home, check to make sure your little friend is still alive and well.
Because hamsters won’t hoard water the way they do food, you need only provide 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup of fresh water daily for your hamster.
A typical single dish of water for a dwarf gerbil should be no more than about an inch deep – any deeper and you risk drowning your pet!
And 2 to 3 tablespoons of dry food for your hamster should be sufficient. Hamsters can’t go long periods without eating – so if you go away for a weekend or longer, make sure your pet has adequate supplies of food for at least a week.
In addition , you will need to ensure that your pet has somewhere to hide from predators – either a dark room or somewhere covered with a heavy blanket or towel – as well as somewhere to hide from intense sunlight.
A hamster can survive for a long time without food, but it won’t make it. Instead, your hamster will need to eat when it is hungry.
Hamsters often eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. However, they know the difference between night and day and eat at different times depending on the time of day.
Once You Get Home, Check on Your Hamster.
When you get home, the first thing you should look at is the health of your little friend – especially if it has been alone for some time.
If your hammy seems listless and unmotivated to move around when you approach its cage, it might be suffering from an illness or other problem that needs to be dealt with immediately!
Also Read: Why My Hamster Fell And Froze?
Conclusion
Leaving your hamster alone for longer periods of time is not a good idea because sometimes it can get lonely and depressed.
However, if you are at work all day or out running errands, then the occasional time away can be a good thing for your hamster’s health.
The only need is that you pay attention to your little friend to make sure it is healthy enough to spend extended periods of time on its own.
Additionally, the small pet might chew through the bars of its cage and cause injury or even death.
However, the ideal choice is to take your hamster with you wherever you go.
A healthy and happy hamster will be waiting for you when you get home.
