Have you ever looked into your hamster’s cage and noticed that there’s poop everywhere.
It can seem like every time you clean up their poop they just poop some more. So why do hamsters poop so much?
Hamsters poop so much because they eat constantly throughout the day and have a fast digestive system. Hamsters that are on a high fiber diet and eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables will also poop a lot as well.
Most of the time this is very normal behavior for a hamster but you should always check their poop to make sure that it looks healthy.
Table of Contents
Why Do Hamsters Poop So Much?
If you think your hamster is pooping more than usual there can be a few reasons for that.
The first reason is hamsters constantly eat throughout the day and they have fast digestion. So when they eat continuously the food will go through their digestive system rather quickly and that can cause them to poop a lot.
Hamsters can also poop more often when they eat a lot of fresh foods like fruits and vegetables.
So if you feed them food like cucumber or lettuce often then you may see them poop more than usual. Another reason hamsters poop so much is when they’re fed a high fiber diet.
This can be from store-bought food that’s marketed for hamsters that usually isn’t the best for them.
The high fiber content of the food mixed with the fact that they are constantly eating and have fast digestion can really make them poop a lot.
Hamsters will also poop more than usual when they’re stressed or scared of something.
You’ll usually notice this after you’ve adopted them and brought them home for the first time. So if they’re still not used to you or their new environment yet, you’ll most likely see them poop a lot.
How Normal Is It For A Hamster To Poop A Lot?
When your hamster poops a lot it’s natural to wonder if that’s normal behavior for them or not.
In most cases, if your hamster seems to act normally without any bad symptoms and their poop looks healthy then it’s normal. But how much poop is normal though?
Hamsters don’t usually have a set amount that they will poop every day that can be measured. However, it’s normal to see them poop all throughout the day and night.
So you’ll see them poop randomly all throughout their cage as the day goes on, and you should also be prepared to see more of their poop when you wake up as well.
It’s even normal for hamsters to randomly poop on you if they get the chance to do it.
But this usually happens when your hamster is comfortable enough with you to let you pick them up outside of their cage.
So if you see your hamster poop a lot either inside or outside of their cage, it’s usually very normal. However, if their poop does not look normal then it might be time to take some action.
When Your Hamster Poops A Lot Make Sure It’s Healthy
As their owners, we have a responsibility to make sure that they’re as healthy as possible and that includes checking their poop often.
Hamsters poop very often and knowing if their poop is healthy or not is really important. So when it comes to their poop you should know the difference between healthy hamster poop non-healthy poop.
Healthy hamster poop will be:
- Small.
- Solid.
- Dark brown or black in color.
So if your hamster’s poop looks like this, then that’s a good thing and there’s usually not too much to worry about.
Hamster poop that’s not healthy will usually be:
- Soft.
- Watery.
- Light in color.
If your hamster’s poop looks like this then there might be a problem, but not always though.
Sometimes if their poop is occasionally moist then it could just be from feeding them a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables.
So if that’s the case, you can stop feeding them that for a couple of days and then check their poop to see if it looks normal. If their poop goes back to looking normal then there wasn’t really an issue.
However, if you notice that their poop consistently doesn’t look normal then it might be time to take them to the vet.
Especially when their poop isn’t normal and you start to see bad symptoms like if they’re losing a lot of weight very quickly and they’re moving slower than usual.
That way you can get a professional opinion on what might be wrong with your hamster and they may even be able to help resolve the situation.
Getting Your Hamster To Not Poop So Much
If your hamster starts to poop a lot more than usual, then there are a few things that you can try to get them to not poop so much.
The first thing that you can try is to switch their diet to a diet that is lower in fiber.
When a hamster has more fiber in their diet they will poop more often, so removing a lot of the fiber that’s in their diet can reduce how much they poop over time.
This can be done by slowly switching the brand of food that you get for them. Not all food that’s marketed for hamsters will actually be good for them and their health.
So if you check the back of the package that the food comes in and the one that you’re currently using has a lot of fiber, it might be time to switch it out.
The next thing that you can try is to cut back on some of the fresh fruit and vegetables that you give them.
Fresh fruit and vegetables can sometimes go through their digestive system a lot quicker than dry food which can cause them to poop more than usual.
That being said, you don’t have to completely stop giving them to your hamster, you can just reduce the amount that you give them daily or give it to them only every now and then.
The last thing that you can try to get your hamster to not poop so much is to make sure that you help keep them calm so that they’re comfortable.
Hamsters are nervous poopers, so when they’re comfortable with you and their surroundings that can greatly reduce them pooping because they’re stressed.
All of these ways can help you with getting your hamster to not poop so much.
However, pooping a lot his normal for hamsters so there’s not too much to worry about if they still poop often.