Thank you for your concern… just to let you know, the purpose of them swimming was to give them a bath because the are very stinky hamhams. The water was warm and they had dry land (the other end of the bath) to escape to if they were not happy. They actually seemed to enjoy themselves – they liked to swim over to where the shower head was and stand under it.
OK – so I looked it up on the Internet and you are right. The internet says that it is not a good idea to let hamsters swim. In my defense these are Thai hamsters, they live in a hot climate, we used warm water and dried them afterwards with towels. I don’t think their body temp would have dropped enough for them to get pneumonia. They looked happy, they went towards the water and wadded over to the shower head for a dip under a waterfall.
Secondly… they aren’t my hamsters they are my stepsisters and I was simply observing their bath time and thought it was amusing. I did NOT put them in the bath just to see if they can swim. The hamsters stink so that’s why she baths them occasionally. I will forward your concerns to her, I will also recommend she cleans their cage more often so they become less stinky.
ps – the badgers and moose comment by Megan was a joke. We do not have any plans to see if badgers or mooses can swim.
Moose are good swimmers, they can move through water at speeds of 6 mph for up to 2 hours.
Badgers on the other hand, most do not like swimming, they can only swim in an ungainly manner. Doing something like the “doggie-paddle” badgers can make progress across slow-moving rivers, canals and small lakes or tarns. Mostly, though, they will prefer to walk round.
this is stupid leave this girl alone i have two chinese dwarf hamsters and i bath them like once a month and they love it its done them no harm at all and yes hamsters are from hot country’s but they they are breed in my country and dnt go outside they are in my house!! i live in scotland and scotland isnt a hot country so leave this girl alone she was only showin you that hamsters can swim it doesnt mean u have to do it in your house with you hamsters plus hamsters love swiming and it is good for them because it gives them exercise
I wonder what other sorts of exercise hamsters could do? Possibly a spot of tai chi or some hopscotch. If they are good swimmers maybe aqua jogging could be fun. I think Dougal should see if he can encourage his 2 hamsters to get into synchronised swimming. They might even be good enough to make it to the Olympics – who knows?
Hop scotch is not good for hamsters – they have trouble balancing on one leg and are never sure which paw to pick up the stone with. Tai chi on the other hand promotes flexibility and we all know how inflexible hamsters are, especially ones from Thailand. In fact I think Tai chi is named specifially for Thai hamsters. Chinese hamsters prefer Chai Tea – milk, no sugar.
Ok, so on your recommendation I took my Hamster swimming. On reflection this was not a good idea. At first he found the river to be quite relaxing and his rubber ring held up quite well. It wasnt until we arrived at the rapids that the trouble occured. Hammy was thrown quite badly out of the rubber ring and had to be rescued by the coast guard. They worked diligently to save him and after 3 long months in a coma he came home. We then decided to get back on the saddle and went for a swim, starting small, this time in the bathtub. It went well, but I probably shouldnt have put him in the dryer. RIP Hammy.
Why whould you put the poor hamster in the bath thats sooo cruel its really mean. I think that you treated this poor hamster horribly and i hope it finds a better home!!!!!!!
its kinda how you do it you know… my hamster has her own little pool in his cage:P en he go’s in up to her paws.. and then washes her self:P and i keep the water on temp zo it never gets to cold
but she is a chinese dwarf to:P but i agree they can swim.. but if neccecery…
Hi Ryan and Brian – use shallow water when bathing hamsters and be aware of the risks (pneumonia, drowning and being called ‘mean’ on the internet).
When we bathed Pats hamsters we had the deep end of the bath filled with luke warm water (2 inches deep max), the shallow part of the bath was dry. We put them on the dry part and let them explore – they enjoyed swimming and would go under the nozzle of the shower head.
I like Brian’s idea of having a little pool in the cage, another option is giving them some sand to wash in (you can buy it at the pet store).
PS – I am no hamster expert, the ones I watched take a bath were not even mine!
Sheesh, people, get over it! The folks that let the hamsters swim were not trying to hurt them, and the hamsters initiated it. If they didn’t like the water, they wouldn’t go near it. I have one, and he loves the water. He’s been swimming since we got him, at age 6 months, and he’s almost 3 years old now.
Hmmm.. Julia.. I think using shallow water is good advise – more of a wade rather than a swim. Perhaps to prevent the hypothermia they could wear Hamster togs or to those northern hemisphere bloggers ” bathing suits’ – maybe you could set up one of those charity knit-a-thons for Hamsters that are bathed by their owners. or should they be tye- a- thons -seeing as its a thai hamster.
PS. The sand wash idea – sounds gritty and uncomfortable – then they would definately need togs and maybe jandels too cause the sand would get very hot in Thailand and may burn his paws
I just wanted to make a comment about can hamsters swim…I let my hamsters out alot at night while we sleep so they can get some exercise and then in the mornings we find them and put them back in there cage. Well last night we let them out and this morning I found one in the toliet dead. So i just wanted to let everyone know that let there hamsters out at night to put the toilet seat down please. It was an awful sight and hurt me alot.
In memory of “Spider Man”
11-30-2008
Why would you put a hamster in water it could get wettail and die! That poor thing! hamsters clean themselves you don’t clean them just their cages and other things! your poor hamster i just hope and wish that it finds a MUCH better home! Shame on you!!!!!!! ~l (
Thank you for your condolences regarding my ex hampster. The tributes have been coming in and i have been overwhelmed by the good wishes. Its amazing to realise how many people Hammy touched in his short life.
It has been a full year since the “incident” and while the memory and hurt never quite goes away, we are starting to move on. I am thinking about welcoming a Lemur into the family soon… Im told they can skydive.
I like this concept. I think we could do a large scale scientific experiment here.
Look out for episode 2 – “Can badgers swim?” followed by episode 3 – “Can moose swim?”
He he…. well, I know where I can find a moose… but a badger!?! Might have to ask Ian to help us on that one
they can but that is mean
Thank you for your concern… just to let you know, the purpose of them swimming was to give them a bath because the are very stinky hamhams. The water was warm and they had dry land (the other end of the bath) to escape to if they were not happy. They actually seemed to enjoy themselves – they liked to swim over to where the shower head was and stand under it.
No hamsters were harmed in this blog post.
hamsters lived in sakhara they hate water,and they could die from flu if they get wet….you are so mean ….
OK – so I looked it up on the Internet and you are right. The internet says that it is not a good idea to let hamsters swim. In my defense these are Thai hamsters, they live in a hot climate, we used warm water and dried them afterwards with towels. I don’t think their body temp would have dropped enough for them to get pneumonia. They looked happy, they went towards the water and wadded over to the shower head for a dip under a waterfall.
Secondly… they aren’t my hamsters they are my stepsisters and I was simply observing their bath time and thought it was amusing. I did NOT put them in the bath just to see if they can swim. The hamsters stink so that’s why she baths them occasionally. I will forward your concerns to her, I will also recommend she cleans their cage more often so they become less stinky.
ps – the badgers and moose comment by Megan was a joke. We do not have any plans to see if badgers or mooses can swim.
For the record I have done some research.
Moose are good swimmers, they can move through water at speeds of 6 mph for up to 2 hours.
Badgers on the other hand, most do not like swimming, they can only swim in an ungainly manner. Doing something like the “doggie-paddle” badgers can make progress across slow-moving rivers, canals and small lakes or tarns. Mostly, though, they will prefer to walk round.
Hmm…. very interesting. But what is the likelihood of them getting pneumonia, athletes toe or herpies as a result of this experiment?
Only 6.74%
this is stupid leave this girl alone i have two chinese dwarf hamsters and i bath them like once a month and they love it its done them no harm at all and yes hamsters are from hot country’s but they they are breed in my country and dnt go outside they are in my house!! i live in scotland and scotland isnt a hot country so leave this girl alone she was only showin you that hamsters can swim it doesnt mean u have to do it in your house with you hamsters plus hamsters love swiming and it is good for them because it gives them exercise
I wonder what other sorts of exercise hamsters could do? Possibly a spot of tai chi or some hopscotch. If they are good swimmers maybe aqua jogging could be fun. I think Dougal should see if he can encourage his 2 hamsters to get into synchronised swimming. They might even be good enough to make it to the Olympics – who knows?
Hop scotch is not good for hamsters – they have trouble balancing on one leg and are never sure which paw to pick up the stone with. Tai chi on the other hand promotes flexibility and we all know how inflexible hamsters are, especially ones from Thailand. In fact I think Tai chi is named specifially for Thai hamsters. Chinese hamsters prefer Chai Tea – milk, no sugar.
Ok, so on your recommendation I took my Hamster swimming. On reflection this was not a good idea. At first he found the river to be quite relaxing and his rubber ring held up quite well. It wasnt until we arrived at the rapids that the trouble occured. Hammy was thrown quite badly out of the rubber ring and had to be rescued by the coast guard. They worked diligently to save him and after 3 long months in a coma he came home. We then decided to get back on the saddle and went for a swim, starting small, this time in the bathtub. It went well, but I probably shouldnt have put him in the dryer. RIP Hammy.
I feel as if this question as been answered and we should focus on the more important question ‘Can Fish Swim?
Define ’swim’
Why whould you put the poor hamster in the bath thats sooo cruel its really mean. I think that you treated this poor hamster horribly and i hope it finds a better home!!!!!!!
How sollow do you want the hamsters to swim in
How Shallow do you want the water to be for the hamsters to swim in?
its kinda how you do it you know… my hamster has her own little pool in his cage:P en he go’s in up to her paws.. and then washes her self:P and i keep the water on temp zo it never gets to cold
but she is a chinese dwarf to:P but i agree they can swim.. but if neccecery…
Hi Ryan and Brian – use shallow water when bathing hamsters and be aware of the risks (pneumonia, drowning and being called ‘mean’ on the internet).
When we bathed Pats hamsters we had the deep end of the bath filled with luke warm water (2 inches deep max), the shallow part of the bath was dry. We put them on the dry part and let them explore – they enjoyed swimming and would go under the nozzle of the shower head.
I like Brian’s idea of having a little pool in the cage, another option is giving them some sand to wash in (you can buy it at the pet store).
PS – I am no hamster expert, the ones I watched take a bath were not even mine!
Sheesh, people, get over it! The folks that let the hamsters swim were not trying to hurt them, and the hamsters initiated it. If they didn’t like the water, they wouldn’t go near it. I have one, and he loves the water. He’s been swimming since we got him, at age 6 months, and he’s almost 3 years old now.
Hmmm.. Julia.. I think using shallow water is good advise – more of a wade rather than a swim. Perhaps to prevent the hypothermia they could wear Hamster togs or to those northern hemisphere bloggers ” bathing suits’ – maybe you could set up one of those charity knit-a-thons for Hamsters that are bathed by their owners. or should they be tye- a- thons -seeing as its a thai hamster.
PS. The sand wash idea – sounds gritty and uncomfortable – then they would definately need togs and maybe jandels too cause the sand would get very hot in Thailand and may burn his paws
Here is a little known fact for you, if you cut a Hamster in Half it turns into 2 Squirrels… its quite amazing. Try it!
aaaahhh I think you are onto something here, is this how we got the rare skiing squirrels – nurtured as bathing hamsters and once cut in half … http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1231728/water_skiing_squirrel/
Julia – you really started something here! Big sympathy to Justin’s ex-hamster. RIP
Important to remember to remove their life jacket before making the cut. Trust me on this one.
I think you “Hams” are just having a “Stir”
Now Hamster stew maybe thats something that could stir up this blog.
I just wanted to make a comment about can hamsters swim…I let my hamsters out alot at night while we sleep so they can get some exercise and then in the mornings we find them and put them back in there cage. Well last night we let them out and this morning I found one in the toliet dead. So i just wanted to let everyone know that let there hamsters out at night to put the toilet seat down please. It was an awful sight and hurt me alot.
In memory of “Spider Man”
11-30-2008
when you give your hampster a bath will it hurt them
Why would you put a hamster in water it could get wettail and die! That poor thing! hamsters clean themselves you don’t clean them just their cages and other things! your poor hamster i just hope and wish that it finds a MUCH better home! Shame on you!!!!!!! ~l (
Thank you for your condolences regarding my ex hampster. The tributes have been coming in and i have been overwhelmed by the good wishes. Its amazing to realise how many people Hammy touched in his short life.
It has been a full year since the “incident” and while the memory and hurt never quite goes away, we are starting to move on. I am thinking about welcoming a Lemur into the family soon… Im told they can skydive.