Hamsters in the wild gather food in their cheek pouches and empty them when they arrive at the safety of their nesting places. This is a common trait developed for survival as eating in the open could make them susceptible to predators.
Domesticated hamsters continue to hoard food in their cheek pouches as a survival instinct even when they may not necessarily need to. They often do this when they’re unsure of when the next food will arrive.
Discovering your hamster hoarding food in its cheeks can be entertaining at first. However, the food can get stuck over time, leading to significant discomfort.
How long do hamsters keep food in their cheeks? Hamsters may store food in their cheek pouches from a couple of hours to a few days. They often empty the cheeks for later consumption of the stored food. However, the food may sometimes get stuck in the cheeks for several days and begin to rot.
Table of Contents
How Long Do Hamsters Keep Food in Their Cheeks?
A hamster’s cheek pouch is designed to hold food for a few hours to a couple of days. Longer periods could often be a sign that the food is stuck and your hammy is probably in significant discomfort.
When mountains of food continue to pile up in the hamster’s cheeks, they may get stuck together when signs of rot set in. This can make it harder for the cheeks to be emptied, causing what is termed as an impacted cheek pouch.
The stuck food can result in the cheeks appearing puffy and abscess-like. An energetic hammy may slow down all of a sudden and begin displaying signs of discomfort as a result. It is not uncommon for hamsters with food stuck in their cheeks to turn blue too.
In some cases, lethargy and breathing difficulties can even occur when the hammy’s cheeks are filled with hoarded food. This can often be a sign that the hamster has literally bitten more than he can chew and needs help.
What Causes Hamster Cheek Pouch Impaction?
Cheek pouch impaction in hamsters is often caused by stuffing excessive food. But hoarding certain foods can also increase the risk of your hammy suffering the condition. For instance, the little rodent may struggle to remove sticky foods naturally from the cheeks.
Here are common foods that can get stuck in your pocket rodent’s cheeks:
- Bananas
- Blueberries
- Sweets
Can Hamsters Get Food Stuck in Their Cheeks?
Excessive quantities of hoarded food in a hamster’s cheeks can be difficult to remove. There’s only so much the cheeks can contain at any point. However, these creatures may continue to stuff in more food even when the space capacity has been reached.
Cheek pouch impaction due to over-hoarding typically occurs when the little guy is unsure if and when the next meal will arrive. This may also be triggered by new surroundings they’re not too familiar with.
Either way, it is common for your hamster’s cheeks to get stuck with nuts, fruits, vegetables, and other foods when overstuffed. Hamster cheeks may also get stuck with other materials such as bedding or even paper towels.
Hamster Impacted Cheek Pouch Symptoms
Cheek pouch impaction is common in hamsters. Several symptoms can be a clue that your favorite pocket rodent is suffering from the condition. Here are a few common hamster-impacted cheek pouch symptoms.
- Swollen head and neck
- One or both cheek pouches appear and remain full for a long period
- Excessive saliva
- Abnormally low body weight
- Dull demeanor
Why Does My Hamster Empty His Cheeks on Me?
Your hamster may have emptied his cheek pouches on you due to fear or nervousness. These small-sized pets get easily agitated and may empty the content of their cheek pouches on the spot as a natural reaction.
This is in no way an indictment of your pet parenting methods. You do not necessarily have to be the cause for a nervous hamster to empty his cheeks on you. This behavior is common in hamsters who’re yet to get used to new environments.
How to Empty Hamster Cheek Pouch
Hamsters naturally empty their cheek pouches by pushing the food forward and out of the mouth via their two front paws. This is often a slick move executed to perfection as they grow.
The average hamster can hoard up to 20 percent of his overall body weight in stored food in the cheeks. However, greed can cause your little pet rodent to hoard excessive amounts of pellets, fruits, and vegetables.
The food may stick together over time as the hoarding continues. This can impede the hamster’s ability to empty the cheeks naturally and some sort of human intervention may come in handy.
Ideally, you want to take the little guy to the vet as soon as you suspect excessive hoarding of food in the cheeks. Failure to do so can result in cheek pouch prolapse which is an even more serious problem.
However, if you live in the middle of nowhere or cannot afford a vet, there are effective ways you can get the hamster to push out the stuffed food for relief. Here’s how to intervene to get a hamster’s cheek pouch emptied.
No Food and Toys
Hamsters thrive on lots of physical activity so protecting them from boredom is always appreciated. However, when a hamster’s cheek pouch is full, creating artificial boredom in his environment can lead to positive results.
Removing exercise wheels, hamster balls, and other toys from the cage may result in significant boredom which causes the little guy to begin emptying his cheek pouch by himself. This can be an effective move but only if the food has not been hoarded for too long.
Offer Big Food Chunks to Empty The Cheek Pouch
Offering large chunks of food can also tempt hamsters into emptying their cheeks to accommodate the new food. Bread and apples can be solid options to achieve this feat as the rodents love both.
These mesmerizing little creatures can be greedy when it comes to food due to their natural foraging habits. Those in the wild survive by carrying as much food as possible whenever they go out to search. Whatever they gather is emptied into their nests to meet their feeding needs for a significant period.
They only forage for another round when their food resources are on the verge of getting depleted.
Massage The Cheeks Gently
Massaging your hamster’s cheeks gently can help remove stuck food particles and nesting material. While this may sound delicate, it is possible to achieve effective results without putting the hamster through too much pain.
However, massaging the cheeks can be a bit uncomfortable so do not be surprised if the hamster screeches in pain a few times. Just take a couple of breaks in between each session and try to be as gentle as possible.
After massaging for a bit, introduce a q-tip through the mouth to scoop out the block of stuck food.
The food typically begins disintegrating which is usually accompanied by a foul stench as the hoarded food particles will probably be showing signs of rot by then. Your hamster will likely be calm at this point and allow you to remove the stored food due to the resultant relief from the cheeks being emptied.
Always use the cotton end of the q-tip to protect the little guy’s cheeks from cuts and injuries.
Flush Out With Saline Solution and Eye Dropper
An eyedropper and mild saltwater saline solution combo may provide relief for hamsters suffering from cheek pouch impaction. The saline solution makes life easier by disintegrating the stuck food particles for manual removal by the eyedropper.
A DIY saline solution can be made by dissolving a teaspoon of iodized salt into 8-12 ounces of water.
Vet
A vet is your best bet to treating cheek pouch impaction in a hamster if any of the above solutions have failed to provide the right results. If you’d rather not personally try any of them for fear of injuring your furball, a vet can also be a solid option.
Vets may use a combination of tools such as tweezers and a q-tip to remove the stored food from the cheeks. Your hammy may be put under local anesthesia to minimize discomfort from the procedure.
Hamster Cheek Pouch Infections
Hamster cheek pouch infections come in many forms. Knowing the differences and the underlying reasons can help you put in the right preventative measures. Here are a few cheek pouch infections common in hamsters.
Hamster Cheek Pouch Abscess
Hamster cheek pouch abscess may occur when impaction is allowed to go on for too long. An abscess results from the accumulating of pus in the hamster’s cheeks. As the hoarded food stays in there for a long period, the inner walls of the hamster’s cheeks begin to crack especially when exposed to sharp food such as seeds.
The bacteria from the rotting food infects the resultant wound from the cracked cheek walls resulting in the accumulation of pus which may eventually explode. The ingestion of the pus after explosion can expose hamsters to the risk of suffering Sepsis.
Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that results in tissue damage as the hamster’s body fights an infection.
Abscesses may also occur when overgrown teeth rip into the hamster’s cheeks or when the little guy tries to put a sharp object in his mouth.
Everted Cheek Pouch
An everted hamster cheek pouch happens when the hamster’s cheeks flip inside out. It is often characterized by a pinkish bulge dangling out of the mouth with the affected hamster struggling to eat or even drink.
Everted cheek pouches can cause debilitating pain for hamsters which is why immediate attention from an exotics vet is recommended. Your vet may conduct surgery to replace the cheek pouch.
Everted hamster cheek pouch surgery costs can range between $150 to $500 depending on the anesthesia, time, and skills of the vet as well as which city you reside in.
Cheek Pouch Tumors
Cheek pouch tumors may also be common in hamsters especially as they get older. These tumors are usually cancerous but often do not spread to other body areas. They typically pop up in one of the pouches causing a lot of discomfort for the affected hamster.
Do your pocket rodent’s cheeks feel firmer and fuller than when it is usually filled with food? Is it affecting his ability to eat in comfort? This could be a sign of a cancerous tumor. Unfortunately, surgery may be the only way to treat tumors.
How Long Hamsters Keep Food in Their Cheeks? Conclusion
Hamsters may keep food in their cheeks naturally from a few hours to several days. When a hamster suffers cheek pouch impaction, hoarded food may be kept for days to weeks resulting in rotting and related stink.
Sticky food such as bananas and blueberries often get stuck in the cheeks and hamsters are unable to remove them by themselves. You can manually remove the stuck food via a q-tip, flushing a saline solution down the cheeks to break up the food, or removal with an eyedropper.
If you’re unsure of how to go about it, a visit to an exotics vet can be the smartest move. Your vet will remove the stuck food and identify any cheek pouch infections such as abscesses, everted cheek pouches, and tumors. The right treatment will then be provided.