Are Hamsters Smart? [Scientific Proof]
You have heard that guinea pigs and rats can find their way out of a maze. They do this by using their smart cognitive abilities.
But, are hamsters smart as well? Well, the answer is simple. Hamsters are smart enough to recognize individuals and their spatial surroundings. They can use certain tools and opportunities to escape their confinements. Plus, they can also recognize a source of food based on cognition, smell, and memory. So, they are indeed smart!
Now, is there any scientific backing behind this theory? Yes, there is. Just keep reading below to know more about it.
Are Hamsters Smart? In-Depth Explanation
![Are Hamsters Smart](https://caringtinypets.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Are-Hamsters-Smart-1.jpg)
According to a 2012 study on animal intelligence, the definition of being smart for animals includes the ability to readjust according to the change in the surrounding environment.
That means, if your hamster can change its behavior and readjust its activities according to the changes around its habitat, it’s a smart animal.
Now, let’s find out below if hamsters can indeed make their own decisions when faced with different situations and adversities.
Based on concrete evidence and reliable studies done on hamsters, they are smart animals for sure. Now, let’s check below why hamsters can be termed as “smart.”
1. Hamsters Use Spatial Memory:
One of the most basic activities that prove that an animal is smart is the ability to recognize a particular place every time they see it. In scientific terms, this is called spatial recognition.
And hamsters are well capable of using their brain for storing spatial memory. According to a study done on hamsters in 1990, hamsters use spatial memory to visit particular places for foraging for food.
In simpler words, hamsters can remember a particular place where they found delicious food. By remembering the exact location of that place, the hamster can revisit that spot again and again.
2. Hamsters Avoid Places Where Food is Depleted:
When a particular place has food for hamsters, it will revisit the place again and again until that location is fully depleted of food (according to the earlier-mentioned study in 1990).
This behavior proves that hamsters can discern whether it needs to revisit a place based on their own need. This clearly indicates that hamsters are smart enough to make their own decisions based on the environmental changes around them.
3. Hamster Can Find Their Way Out of a Maze:
When you put a hamster in a radial maze, it can find itself out of the maze using its cognitive abilities. In a 2019 research on the psychology of hamsters, we can see that hamsters can remember a particular path in the maze that they previously visited.
It avoids revisiting the same paths again and only seeks to visit new paths that are yet to be discovered. In this process, a hamster can find itself out of a maze by using its decision-making capabilities.
Now, let’s see how a Hamster finds its way out of a maze.
4. Hamsters Can Recognize Human Individuals:
One of the most common cognitive demonstrations by pet hamsters is that they can recognize their owner. That means if you bring a hamster to your house as your pet, it will recognize you as its owner and interact with you from time to time.
However, it’s unrealistic to expect a hamster to recognize/bond with you within one or two days. But you will definitely see that your hamster is attracted to you as you spend more and more time with it.
More specifically, whenever you walk by the cage of your pet hamster, you will see that it stands on its hind legs and gazes at you. It can demonstrate this behavior because it recognizes you as its food provider, and it expects to receive food from you.
So, this behavior clearly proves that your hamster is smart enough to discern and recognize certain individuals.
5. Enhanced Smelling Capabilities (Olfactory Capabilities):
When a hamster is born, it is nearly blind because its eyes have negligible vision-processing abilities at that stage. So, from the moment of birth, a hamster has to rely on its olfactory senses for coordination and recognition.
That’s why you will see your hamster using its smelling abilities for many purposes. For instance, a hamster can remember the smell of a particular food. And it can also use its smelling abilities to avoid eating rotten food.
Not only that, hamsters emit certain types of hormones through their special glands. By doing this, they can mark a certain location, so they can revisit this place by tracing it back. They do this by smelling.
As you can see, this behavior shows that a hamster can use its smelling abilities to solve the problems of remembering its surroundings. So, it’s a smart animal.
6. Extraordinary Utilization of Hearing Abilities:
Hamsters have very sensitive ears. That’s why they can easily hear even the tiniest sound from a very far distance. Not only that, but hamsters also make ultrasound waves to communicate with each other, which we humans cannot hear.
Now, if you want proof of whether your hamster can use its hearing abilities intelligently, do the following. Notice your hamster and its behavior when a sudden sound or noise is generated.
You will notice that when a sudden noise occurs around your per friend, it moves its ear in different directions and can easily determine which way the sound is coming from.
After discerning the direction of the sound source, you will see it trying to judge whether it’s a threatening sound or not. In most cases, your hamster will deem the sound to be threatening, and it will attempt to get away from the source of that sound.
This behavior is a clear indication of intelligent behavior, which proves that hamsters are quite smart.
7. Fully Retentive Memory:
Along with all other abilities, hamsters have a really retentive memory as well. You can get practical proof of this if you try to train your hamster to do a certain thing.
When you train something new to your hamster, you will see that it learned that activity quite easily. For instance, when owners attempt to train their hamsters to defecate in a designated litter box, it only takes a week for the hamster to learn it.
That means that a hamster is meritorious enough to process new things and learn them very quickly. This feature, no doubt, makes it a smart animal.
How Smart Are Hamsters Compared To Humans And Other Animals (Chart)?
![How Smart Are Hamsters Compared To Humans And Other Animals](https://caringtinypets.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/How-Smart-Are-Hamsters-Compared-To-Humans-And-Other-Animals.jpg)
At this point, you might be wondering, exactly how smart are hamsters? Well, let’s take a look at the chart below to have a better understanding:
Humans | Hamsters | Cats and dogs | |
Recognizing threat | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Fast reaction | ✓✓ | × | ✓✓ |
Recognizing places | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Problem-solving abilities | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Caring for the young | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Preparing food | ✓ | × | × |
Quick threat perception | ✓✓✓ | × | ✓✓ |
Using tools | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Short-term memory | ✓ | × | × |
Long-term memory | ✓✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Creative thinking | ✓✓✓ | × | × |
As you can see from the chart above, the intelligence level of hamsters is likely to be less than other house pets.
So, are hamsters smarter than dogs? No, it likely has less intelligence than dogs because its reaction time is slower.
Moreover, are hamsters smarter than cats? No, they are less smart than cats because they have slower threat perception ability than cats.
And finally, are hamsters smarter than humans? No, humans are way smarter than hamsters and other animals.
Are Hamsters Smarter than Rabbits?
It’s unclear whether hamsters are smarter than rabbits. It’s because, while rabbits are smart escapers, it’s nearly impossible to train rabbits to do new activities.
On the other hand, hamsters are not as demanding as rabbits and they can take care of their own most of the time. So, it’s really impossible to deliver a verdict on which of these two animals is smarter in comparison.
Are Hamsters Smarter than Guinea Pigs?
No, hamsters are not smarter than guinea pigs. Because hamsters have a smaller “gray matter” in their brain, compared to guinea pigs. So, guinea pigs are smarter than hamsters.
It’s also the reason why guinea pigs are used in laboratories for experimenting, rather than hamsters.
FAQs
Here’s a list of common questions people ask regarding the smartness of hamsters.
1. Are hamsters smarter than rats?
The intelligence levels of hamsters are not as up to the mark as rats. It’s because rats are easier to train than hamsters. That’s also why you will not see hamsters being used for experimenting in scientific labs very often.
2. Are hamsters smarter than mice?
In terms of memory tasks, mice are more advanced than hamsters. They also have a faster reaction time compared to hamsters. Plus, training mice is an easier process compared to hamsters. So, hamsters are not smarter than mice.
Final verdict
Well, there you have it. Are hamsters smart? They, definitely are smart creatures. But, they’re not smarter than their other rodent counterparts like rats, mice, and guinea pigs. It’s because hamsters have the smallest gray matter in their brain among all other common rodents. However, it doesn’t mean hamsters are dull and emotionless creatures. In fact, they are quite intelligent. So, you shouldn’t underestimate them at all!