Why do hamsters eat their poop. It’s one of the most common questions that hamster owners ask when they notice their pet eating poop.
There are several possible reasons for this behavior, and it can be triggered by different things in different situations.
Why do hamsters eat their poop
Hamsters eat their own droppings because of how they are equipped in the digestive process. If a hamster eats something that is alive or well-prepared by itself, then that food does not need to go through digestion if it’s already been pre-digested for them as a convenience. It might sound funny but it’s actually fascinating!
Coprophagia
Simply instinctive behavior hamsters have. It’s normal behavior for them to eat feces (usually from other animals), because it serves as a form of “natural recycling.” You may not like it, but your hamster has no reason to stop-it’s perfectly natural!
processed grains Food
Another cause could be that your hamster hasn’t got enough fiber in its diet. When you buy commercial food for your hamster, it usually contains a lot of processed grains and not much fiber.
Contrary to popular belief, fiber is very important for hamsters (and all animals). It increases the movement of their intestines and helps prevent problems such as diarrhea. If your hamster isn’t getting enough fiber in its food, then it will try to get more from other sources (such as its own feces).
Attract predators
When a female has babies she stops eating her feces immediately- the mother’s scent on the feces could attract predators who would want to eat her babies! If you have a female with unweaned babies still living with her mother, this might explain why your pet eats its own poop.
sign of dominance
In male hamsters, eating poop is a sign of dominance. If you have two or more hamsters in the same cage, and they start eating each other’s feces, it means one of them is trying to show who’s boss and is not willing to back down!
Intestinal problems
Eating poop can be caused by an illness such as intestinal problems or parasites. If your pet has any of these conditions then it might eat its own feces out of instinct (because their body is telling them they need the nutrients in the poop).
lack of attention
On occasion, some people claim that coprophagia may also be caused by boredom or lack of attention from their owners.
However, there isn’t much evidence to suggest this is true- most experts believe coprophagia actually stems from instinctive behavior hamsters have.
If you notice your pet eating its own feces, the first thing you should do is take it to a vet and get it checked out.
It’s especially important to do this if your hamster is very young or has any other existing health problems- these conditions may be causing coprophagia and need to be treated as soon as possible.
In most cases of coprophagia, all you’ll need to do is improve your pet’s diet and give them more exercise so they don’t feel the urge to eat their poop.
Don’t worry about their behaviour
When looking through the various reasons why hamsters eat their own poop, you might think it’s quite strange behavior.
However, it’s perfectly natural for them, no matter how disgusting we find it! If your hamster eats its own doo-doo then don’t worry too much about it- just improve their diet and give them more exercise and they should be fine.