Are Hamsters Sensitive To Sound?- (A Guide To Hamster Care)

If you are looking for a cute, cuddly tiny pet, you can never go wrong with a hamster. You keep them in a tank, and they don’t require a lot of attention. But you do need to keep it quiet around the tiny furry ball.

Now you may wonder, are hamsters sensitive to sound? Well, yes. Hamsters are quite sensitive to noise, especially sudden noises that surprise your pet and cause them a lot of stress. They are also very sensitive to high-pitched sounds and cries.

But what if your hamster gets exposed to loud noises? Is it harmful to their health? How to keep them safe? To get all these answers, let’s dive into the following piece to learn everything about hamsters’ noise sensitivity.

Why are Hamsters so Sensitive to Sound?

Humans mostly rely on their vision to navigate their daily lives. Although we have other senses, including hearing, smell, and touch, we rely on our eyesight more than any other sense. We, therefore, have weak hearing and smelling senses.

So, we are not particularly affected by loud noises and potent scents. However, it’s the opposite for hamsters. They have low vision. They must therefore rely on their other senses in order to survive.

Their other senses have improved as a result and are now fairly good. Notably, their hearing is extremely acute. Hamsters are, therefore, perceptive to sound.

It is your responsibility as a hamster owner to be aware of the sounds that may be harmful to your pet hamsters in order to provide a secure and comfortable environment for them. However, in order to do that, we must first determine which sounds our hamsters can hear.

How Sensitive Are Hamsters To Sound?

Hamsters are pretty sensitive to sounds like a loud laugh, someone clapping their hands in another room, or moving furniture. When compared to humans, hamsters have a great sense of hearing Hamsters have a wider range of audible frequencies than humans, from 96Hz to 46.5kHz. As a result, they are able to hear sounds that are not even audible to us.

Hence, hamsters are extremely sensitive to noise, particularly unexpected noises that can shock your hamster and cause them a lot of stress. This includes high-pitched sounds and howls.

Initially, the sensitivity to sound may appear to be a significant disadvantage for hamsters. However, hamsters actually benefit from it since it enables them to ignore low-frequency noises produced by ambient noise and their own movement. And they concentrate solely on the high-frequency sounds produced by a predator. It helps the hamsters to survive in the wild.

Can Sudden Noise Scare Your Hamster?

Yes, definitely. Although we have rather good hearing, it is not vital to our survival. So, a lot of these sounds are now being subconsciously disregarded by humans. So we might not be at all frightened by the sound of a refrigerator door opening, a floorboard creaking, or a noisy motorcycle passing by.

However, a hamster’s hearing is crucial to survival. He, therefore, listens for any tiny noise that can warn him of the approach of predators. If you suddenly produce a sound, your hamster might halt what he was doing and stop with his ears raised.

You shouldn’t be concerned about it, though. It simply implies that your hamster picked up a suspicious sound or odor. He is, therefore, quiet, listening intently and smelling keen to determine the presence of any nearby predators.

Can Loud Noise Kill Your Hamster?

No. Your hamster won’t perish from the noise alone. However, your hamster will become stressed out if they are constantly startled, frightened, or awakened from sleep by loud noises. And if you have a dwarf hamster, you may wonder, “Are dwarf hamsters noise sensitive?”

Sure they are. But can it kill them? Well, if your hamster experiences too much stress, it may contract fatal diseases like wet tails. According to research, a loud noise or fast movement might make hamsters feel threatened and cause them to go into panic mode.

When hamsters experience that state of panic, they may:

Freeze

Your hamster may freeze in place and make an effort to blend into its surroundings if it senses danger in order to avoid being spotted or drawing attention. It will wait patiently for its predator to leave.

Flight and Aggression

If a predator comes nearby, it will cause the hamster to run away from the situation. The hamster will turn violent and struggle for its life if the predator manages to capture it. If you hear your hamster growling, then possibly it’s getting prepared to attack its predator.

Play Dead

A hamster under extreme stress or fear may pretend to be dead. The hamster will remain vigilant and, if it so desired, could stand up and flee. The dorsal immobility reaction is what this is known as.

Ghost Hamster Mode

Sometimes you may not notice hamsters in their cages because they abruptly vanish if they are very anxious or afraid. Usually, this is the trait of a particular species called Ghost Hamsters. When in shock or fear, you can notice the same trait in your pet hamster as well.

When it is time for the next feeding, you won’t witness them eating, but you will realize the food is gone. And when you’re around, they won’t show up. Ghost hamsters are this species of hamster.

Therefore, even while loud noises won’t harm your hamster directly, the tension they generate may. Your hamster will, at the very least, lead you to believe it is deceased.

Do Hamsters Like Music?

Yes, they sure do. Hamsters enjoy music, anything that causes them to react, and stimulus in general. You must be careful with the volume, though, because hamsters can become very stressed out by loud noises, so keep it at a low setting.

Many animals, not just hamsters, but many animals in general, appreciate music that is soft and instrumental. Your pet might even go to sleep while listening to this genre of music. The senses of your hamster can be calmed and entertained by classical music.

The animal kingdom like classical music because it stimulates the mind and aids with anxiety reduction. When dealing with outside stressors like thunderstorms, children playing, barking dogs, and other loud noises, this kind of music might be helpful.

How to Keep Your Hamster Safe from Loud Noise?

It is pretty evident by now that you have to keep your hamster away from loud noises to protect your pet from any harm. And in case you don’t know what to do about it, we have put together a bunch of things you can follow to save your pet.

Let’s read below to find out.

Install the hamster cage in a peaceful area without a window looking out into a street, a building site, a carpentry workshop, etc.
When your hamster is present, refrain from turning up the TV’s volume; instead, wear headphones when listening to music on your smartphone.
Take your hamster’s cage out of the room when you’re cleaning, or at the very least, cover it if you must use the vacuum or any other instruments.
If there are kids in the house, don’t let them scream or play with noisy toys like police cars, guns that only create noise, fireworks, etc., around the hamster.
Give your hamster a tiny piece of fruit high in vitamin C if you are worried that he will be exposed to a stressful sound during the day. It will help him cope with the stress.

Parting Wisdom

Hamsters are your perfect choice if you are a person who likes to keep it quiet and peaceful. As hamsters don’t do well in a chaotic environment, don’t go for adopting one if you are a heavy metal fan or live around a loud neighborhood.

You can keep your hamster safe and sound by keeping it in a quiet room and playing occasional classical music at a tolerable volume. But if you see your tiny pet getting upset despite the calmness, no need to worry. It’s possibly getting ready to attack a predator.

Hope my article helped you find out if hamsters are sensitive to sound. Now that you have learned a lot, you can think about getting one.