All animals have a certain smell to them, as do humans. Some animals might have a stronger scent than others, while some may even have a slightly unpleasant odor. The majority of animals are clean by nature, and only have to live in dirty conditions when they are forced in small
enclosures, which are then not adequately maintained and looked after.
You cannot predict if an animal will end up having a strong odor. You cannot adopt any pet if you are not prepared to live with whatever odor it may come with.
Hamsters are naturally clean animals. However, they can still emit a distinct odor. If your male hamster smells particularly bad, this may be due to several reasons.
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Why Does Male Hamster Smell So Bad?
There can be a number of reasons why your male hamster smells bad. You might be talking about the smell of the hamster himself, or the smell of the enclosure.
Do Male Hamsters smell Worse than Female Hamsters?
There is no definitive answer to this question, as each hamster will have its own unique scent. However, it is generally noticed that female hamsters, female Syrian especially, can have a stronger and noticeable smell when they are in heat. Every 4 to 5 days, you might notice a stronger smell, even more noticeable on younger females.
Poor Ventilation of the Enclosure
All hamster enclosures need good air flow. If you have a bar cage, it won't be too much of an issue, but if you have a bin cage or a glass tank, you must make sure the air can circulate. If there is not enough air flow, the smell of your hamster will become more pronounced, and above all, it makes it for very unpleasant let alone dangerous living condition for your hamster.
Drilling a few holes in a lid is nowhere near enough. The enclosure needs to be safe and secure to avoid evasion, but the lid needs bars, or mesh , to give the hamster enough fresh air.
Poor Cage cleanliness
One of the main reasons why male hamsters may smell bad is because of their poor cage cleanliness. Hamsters are very clean animals and they will not hesitate to groom themselves constantly if their living environment is clean. However, if their cage is dirty, they will not be able to keep themselves clean and this will result in an unpleasant odor.
To avoid your hamster's cage from becoming dirty and smelly, you must make sure to clean it regularly.
It is also important to disinfect the cage every once in a while with safe products to kill any bacteria or germs that may be present.
Give your hamster sand bath, which most hamsters then use as a litter, and spot clean every day or couple of days. Also spot clean the areas where you hamster urinate.
Hamster Pee and Poop
Hamsters are desert animals, so have adapted and drink relatively little amounts (they must have access to fresh water at all time of course) , so produce relatively small amount of urine but it's very concentrated and the build up of bacteria when left in contact with the air will cause an unpleasant smell.
Hamster droppings do not actually smell. In fact, hamsters produce 2 different kind of droppings: soft ones that they need to re-eat to absorb all the nutrients, and the ones you will find in their enclosure, small and dry, with no nutritional value.
In itself, these droppings are not a problem in their enclosure. Of course you can remove as regularly as you spot clean, but they do not cause smell and do not need to be cleaned out more often than once a week.
Hamster Illness
Sadly a bad smell may very well be the sign of a health issue, and that you need to book an appointment with a vet for immediate health check of the animal.
Diabetes
Hamsters are prone to diabetes, Dwarf hamsters likely to suffer the most, which can also cause a stronger smell from them. Diabetes will make your hamster produce large amounts of sugar in their urine, which will attract bacteria and cause an unpleasant smell.
If you experience a strong smell from your hamster and you are concerned about diabetes, then it would be advisable to take him or her to the vet for a checkup immediately
Diarrhea
Hamsters are omnivore, but have a fragile digestive system and an inappropriate diet can cause them to suffer from diarrhea, which will of course make the cage smell very bad. Simply giving them fresh fruits and vegetables in too large quantities can cause this problem, as well as completely unsuitable food: greasy processed food, ice cream etc.
If your hamster has diarrhea, it is essential that you take him or her to a vet as soon as possible so that the correct treatment can be given.
Wet Tail
Diarrhea can also be the sign of the dreaded wet tail (but not all diarrhea are wet tail).
Wet Tail is the term used to describe a bacterial infection, which sadly has a 90% mortality rate but can be treatable only if you rush the infected animal to an exotic animal vet.
Studies have shown that it ONLY Syrian hamsters between the ages of 3-10 weeks are affected by this, it seems they grow resistance against the bacteria past that age.
The symptoms and effects are diarrhea, dehydration, loss of appetite, weight loss, and eventually death. The poor affected animals obviously show signs of discomfort and the smell from the cage will be particularly bad if the infection is left untreated.
Food in Hide Outs
Hamsters are natural hoarders, and use their pouch to transport food back to their hiding outs. This is a completely natural behavior and should not be discouraged. However, it can sometimes cause an unpleasant smell if the food is not eaten and begins to rot. If this happens, it is important to clean the cage and remove the spoiled food as soon as possible.
It is also important to be careful of the kind of food you allow them to pouch. Dry food, seeds, grains, dried flowers etc are perfect . However, when you give them fresh fruit or vegetables every few days as a snack, you need to stick with small portions. They are safer and will not cause digestive troubles, and they will be eaten immediately , thus avoiding any food becoming bad in the enclosure.
Marking the territory
Hamsters male or female, especially Syrian, are territorial and will mark their enclosure with their scent glands to show it is theirs. This behavior can cause a very strong odor, usually described as "musky", which may be unpleasant for some humans but not dangerous or unhealthy for the hamster. They also use their scent glands to mark the path to find their way home when they go exploring, as hamsters can run up to 5 miles a night!
In conclusion
Hamsters can be a joy to own, but they do require some regular maintenance. Thankfully, most of the tasks that need to be carried out in order to keep them healthy and happy don't involve much work and don't cause an unpleasant smell. However, if you experience a strong smell from your hamster, it is important to investigate what might be causing it as soon as possible in order to get appropriate treatment. Common causes might be diabetes, wet tail, diarrhea or marking their territory. If you have any more questions about hamster health and hygiene don't hesitate to contact your veterinarian.
By attending to these potential issues promptly, you will ensure that your pet enjoys a long and happy life with you! Enjoy the time spent with your hamsters.