Content

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• Part 1 of 3: Determining if your hamster is hibernating
• Part 2 of 3: Waking your hamster from hibernation
• Part 3 of 3: Preventing hibernation from now on
• Tips

Many animals have developed the ability to hibernate as a natural way to increase the chances of surviving the long, cold winter season. In the wild, hamsters usually hibernate during the winter, when the temperature falls below 4.5 ° C. As a hamster owner, it is important to know how temperature sensitive hamsters are.

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Part 1 of 3: Determining if your hamster is hibernating

1. Know what the signs are. It can sometimes be difficult to determine if your hamster is hibernating or has in fact died. Hibernating hamsters can appear quiet and lifeless; their breathing and heart rhythm slows down and they cannot even eat anything for weeks. Their small bodies can often make it difficult to spot the subtle signs of life during hibernation.
2. Watch for movement. Hamsters move very little during hibernation. Sometimes, however, they can have a sleep phase, in which the hibernation is less deep and in which they often shake and move their heads back and forth. If you notice this type of movement, it is a good indication that your hamster is hibernating.
3. Check for signs of breathing. During hibernation, your hamster's breathing will be slower than normal, but not absent. Hold your hamster in your hand and listen carefully for the sound of a breath. You can also place your finger near his mouth to try to feel an exhalation.
4. Feel the body heat. A hibernating hamster will maintain a warm body temperature, although it will be slightly lower than normal. A hamster that is really dead loses all body heat. So a warm hamster is probably a hibernating hamster.

Part 2 of 3: Waking your hamster from hibernation

1. Try body heat. Pick up your hamster and hold it in your hand against your body. Use your own body heat to provide heat to your hamster. Hold him close to you for at least 30 minutes and see if there are any changes in behavior and if he becomes more alert.
2. Warm up your hamster with a hot water bottle. Wrap your hamster in a towel with a pitcher full of hot water. Make sure the hamster does not come into direct contact with the water bottle and that it does not get too hot. This will help warm up his body and wake him from hibernation.
3. Use a heat pad. Try to place your hamster on a heat pad with a temperature of about 32 ° C for 30-60 minutes. This will help your pet to warm up quickly and get out of hibernation.
   • If you don't have a heat pad, you can try placing your hamster on a towel on a radiator. This has the same effect. Just make sure to keep a close eye on your pet and make sure the heat doesn't get too much for him.
4. Give your hamster warm milk. Once your hamster becomes more alert, even if it is only slightly alert, you can try giving it warm milk with a pipette. Warm the milk in a microwave or on the stove, but test it first to make sure it is not too hot. The milk should feel warm, but not hot on your skin. Then give it in a bowl or in the water bottle.
   • You can also try giving your hamster plain water, water with sugar, or pedialyte with a pipette. Anything you can do to get the hamster to drink water is good. Rehydration will help your hamster get out of hibernation.

Part 3 of 3: Preventing hibernation from now on

1. Make sure your hamster always has plenty of food and water. Sometimes hibernation is caused by a lack of food or water to save energy. To prevent your hamster from hibernating, make sure it always has access to plenty of food and water.
2. Provide adequate heat. The bedding in your hamster's cage will help insulate and protect him from the cold. Make sure your hamster has enough bedding to avoid hibernation. If your hamster does go into hibernation, you can try adding more bedding to prevent it from happening again.
3. Feed your hamster a fattening diet. Having more fat in your hamster will help keep it from hibernating. Try feeding him more fattening foods such as sunflower seeds, peanuts and avocados. Just be careful with the fatty foods, just a little bit goes a long way for a small hamster.
4. Be proactive in the winter. During the cold winter months, you can pay more attention to the hamster's behavior and keep an eye on whether it is warm enough. Give your hamster some extra bedding in the winter and no more fatty food than usual. Monitor your pet to make sure it stays safe and alert during the cold season.

Tips

• Never leave a hamster unattended on a radiator.
• If your hamster does not respond to these methods, consider taking it to the vet.
• Hamsters are small and have good hearing. If you talk to him, he will start to recognize your voice. This can also help bring him out of hibernation.