Hamster bedding depth

Hamsters are a complex and interesting animal who can often feel like a mystery to humans. What kinds of enrichment do they actually like, and how on earth does this mimic their natural environment if they come from the desert?! We'll explore the whys on bedding depth in this article.

One of the most important factors to improving a hamster's environment and wellbeing is providing bedding depth, and it's often the most neglected area of #properhamstercare, even from owners providing excellent care in all other areas.

So what do we know about hamster bedding depth?

8 inches/20cm minimum deep safe bedding is imperative for a hamster to display their natural burrowing behaviours. In Behaviour of golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) kept in four different cage sizes (2007) study, Syrian hamsters' burrows were observed in the wild. The mean depth was between 17.6cm and 64.8cm.

Maximum rates of sustained metabolic rate in cold-exposed Djungarian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus): the second wind (2010) shows that 1m burrows were often fully utilised by winter white dwarf hamsters. And, while some may believe that roborovski hamsters can live in smaller and shorter enclosures because they're the smallest species of hamster, it has been found in Convention on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats (2008) that roborovski hamsters will utilise up to 2m deep burrows.

Also in the 2008 study, it has been found that typical hamster burrows in general consist of a diagonal tunnel and one or more vertical ones. These tunnels have a variable length of several meters and lead to a nesting chamber in a depth of up to 2 m. Food chambers are usually directly connected or near to the nest. Short, dead end tunnels are often used for toileting. The complexity of a hamster burrow depends on its age as well as how long the hamster inhabits that particular burrow.

Simple shallow burrows with only one or two tunnels are typical for younger hamsters (under 6 months old). Later on the burrow becomes more and more structured, deeper and complex. The maximum tunnel length observed was 26.2m.

While active, Syrian hamsters use several burrows. Depending on the time of year hamster burrows are commonly classified as winter burrows and summer burrows. "Winter burrows" are inhabited solitarily from September/October to April/May and are in general deeper than "summer burrows". They contain the winter food supply stored in up to as many as 9 chambers. In spring the hamsters often leave their winter burrows and occupy summer burrows which are used for reproduction and shelter until autumn. Summer burrows were found to be less robust and intricate, and were found in less suitable sandy or stony soil types and localities like road verges, gardens, parks and dams.

This supports our recommendation to maintain bedding depth even when you think your hamster isn't a fan of burrowing. It may be that they haven't felt the need to just yet.

It has also been found in the 2008 study that hamsters don't always build their own burrows, so providing a burrow starter and multichamber hide could be the ultimate difference between them choosing to burrow or not.

In The influence of bedding depth on behaviour in golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) (2006), hamsters were observed with 10cm, 40cm and 80cm deep bedding. The hamsters kept with 10cm deep bedding showed significantly more bar biting, and with 80cm deep bedding, bar biting was never observed. In this study, the researchers showed that cages with at least 40 cm of bedding seemed to enhance the welfare of golden hamsters.

So a recommendation of just 20cm minimum bedding depth is the least we can offer, and we should always aim to deepen their bedding where possible.