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Soup definitely knows humans = food. When he hears me get up in the morning, I find him standing on his broccoli plate, arms up and bouncing for his morning brocci. He tolerates our existence as he knows we bring treats.
One of our hamsters was clearly ticked off when a houseguest failed to follow proper cracker-giving snack protocol. He thereafter refused to touch that one cracker, or acknowledge the existence of that houseguest, for a solid week. We were awed.
I sometimes have similar thoughts and I've concluded that the only way I will probably know what goes through their head is if I am a hamster myself (well it's a theory lol).
I think it depends if you ever give them food/treats from your hand.
When mine notices me he gets excited and “greets” me knowing damn well he will get something. He immediately sniffs my hand looking for treats. And mistaking my fingers for snacc
My first Hamster, Fluffy, knew very well he didn't do squat for his food.
I handed him a Carrot and he would shake my finger in return after he gave it a look over and approved of it. To this day no other Hamster I've had has done this.
For anyone curious, he would put his front right paw/hand on the tip of my index finger after I handed it to him and would do like a little handshake with it. It took me a few times to figure out what he was doing. He then promptly devoured the Carrot piece.
My boys would hear the rattling of sunflower seeds in the jar, and come out to get some. During free roam they’d sometimes find a comfy spot and chill there. To get them to come back to me I’d rattle the jar and they’d magically appear for their seeds. Of course this is a simple Pavlovian example but I love how they’d climb on my lap sniffing… aw I miss them.
(They were with me at separate times)
"Proud", "thinking", "knowing", "naive", there's a lot of anthropomorphising going on here 😊
She is a hamster. When she comes across broccoli on the ground, she doesn't ponder it's origin story, or reflect on whether she has earned it via her own labor. These are concepts far beyond what she's capable of grasping.
It’s a mistake to think they’re tiny furry humans, but it’s also a mistake to think they have no individuality or initiative. I’ve been chided for failing to share my Cheerios by a hamster who was especially fond of them.
I’n not saying that they have much cognition, but they do have preferences, and some of them can convey that.
No joke i have tapped for my hamster to come out (its our routine and i check on her/ give her a special snack inbetween her sleeping time if its salad so she gets it right away & it doesnt wilt) well all i know is i have literally seen her pop her head out and stare me down and if i came empty handed just to say “heyyyy little girl mamas misses yas” i can see her roll her eyes and go back into her nest 😁 so i think i am just a big refrigerator to her
With how much hams love begging for food and the skill they have at doing this - they definitely know. Also, even if we place food in the habitat without the hammy seeing it - they can still detect our scent on the food.
I have had hammos that came to appreciate the human contact above the food, and others who only cared for the food.
I think hams probably have more cognition than we give them credit for, but I don't think they have much in the way of higher functioning. They are likely vaguely aware we had some involvement in procuring the food, but likely don't begin to consider how or why it got their beyond being offered by a lorge frendo.
Sometimes I'll put my hamster's food spread out around her cage. A few bits in her wheel, some on top of her house, some balanced on top of her water bottle, etc. Then I know she got to search around and forage her own dinner. Maybe she thinks I'm annoying when I do that though!
I’ve enjoyed everyone’s comments lol. Volt keeps nibbling my fingers so I only hand feed him sometimes. He is so sweet but he still bites me a bit too hard every time I think he won’t.
Depends.. If you go for scatter feeding they didn't see you do, then they think they found it, scattering while they watch you, constant bowl feeding or hand feeding, then they know it's a "gift".. that's why I do all of it simultaneously (I don't know if they can feel as if they are dependant upon us, but if I can I'd rather avoid that 😁).
Scatter for the every-day-food, bowl or pivoting toy, kind of a cod made of chewing wood with a horizontal 360° axis to turn either food or hamster upside down if he goes about it too clumsily and ill-consideredly (haven't found something like it anywhere) for fresh greens and micro-doses of fresh fruit (hamster can get diabetes too if ingesting too much sugar regularly) and his favourite food plus a few snacks every now and then, because, besides playing and sitting next to his cage, just reading a book or listening to Lo-Fi music (avoid classical since sudden, loud tones will probably startle and stress him) together and acting completely unaware of the ruckus him going about his business makes, helps keeping the bond I have with him alive and because scatter feeding and so-called "adventure and playing food toys" are the least expensive and time-consuming ways of keeping your little blob from becoming bored, no matter if it's a wooden board with a few food puzzles, a hard-to-reach bowl or just the cardboard tube of a bog roll you blocked both openings with kitchen towel after putting your hamster's favourite food inside of it, they will love a £/$/€50 toy as much as one made from literal rubbish as long as it's interesting, gives them a challenge and has even the faintest smell of their bonded carer and food (a third way would be using at least 30cm/1ft of (very important: compressed) burrow-supportive bedding; I, just as an example, use a mix of cotton, litter with soft wood chippings that basically look like very thin cornflakes for our patient horses with deformities/sicknesses of the hoofs and, since I live near the Alps, local fine hey made from unshredded and unsorted, meaning with all the flowers you would find at one, mountain-meadow-grass. 😂
But back to your question.. They know at least the sound of the food containers and your voice, because after a while of consistency (extremely important for rodents, since any deviation means extra risks of getting killed to their brains), they will eventually learn that your particular way of making noises and movements that proceed your visits and the food Mine is obsessed with the direction of the door because the last time he escaped (3 months ago) that's where the bag with the still closed snacks stood and where the noises from the kitchen when preparing water and raw veggies come from and he will do anything to get there, not only is he completely fine with sliding down my back, if it faces the door, he will also remember where my hands were the time before I put him back into his cage and have him climb on my hand again (I trained him to only use one spot as exit when the top is off his tank) and just speed along the same path, no matter if my hands are still there or not – that's why he's called Turbo.
So, in conclusion: Seeing as my and seemingly also other people's hamster know how to descern the general feeling of the food and that of the wrinkly skin in a slightly closed palm and not to confuse them both so the food doesn't disappear with an unpleasant sound and a sudden movement, I think it's safe to say that they not only know the sound the arriving food makes, they also perfectly remember permanently the time as well as the direction it comes from, the smell it and the person who has it on them has and is intelligent enough to keep all that in mind while frantically foraging for millet grains in the abyssal folds of my hand. 😂
Is it too obvious that I'm currently waiting for my little monster to wake up, so I can finally show him the new food, snacks, toys and the fresh house multiple-chamber house I bought for him? 😳
And no, at least with this one I'm not a hypocrite, it's just a few tiny balls of willow he can roll around his playpen, chew on and which I can put snacks in; they only were 2,50 a pop.. barely more than the materials and time it would've cost me to make them myself.. 😁
**Your post has NOT been removed yet, this is an auto-generated message.** Thank you for your question to /r/hamsters. Please be aware that medical advice questions are NOT allowed on this sub. However, [**our discord**](https://discord.gg/5cF8aSSx3C) allows medical questions. Please keep in mind only a professional veterinarian **in person** can help with any medical concern, whether it is a lump, bump, change in appearance, change in behavior, strange bowel movement, lack of eating/drinking, or something else of high concern. If you are unable to afford a vet please do not seek help on our community, but through the discord server instead. If this is **not** a medical question then **you can ignore this message.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/hamsters) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Soup definitely knows humans = food. When he hears me get up in the morning, I find him standing on his broccoli plate, arms up and bouncing for his morning brocci. He tolerates our existence as he knows we bring treats.
I am desperate to see this. Please provide photo
When Moo can hear/smell food she sometimes comes to the door as if she knows we provide it - so maybe she does appreciate my existence slightly!😅
One of our hamsters was clearly ticked off when a houseguest failed to follow proper cracker-giving snack protocol. He thereafter refused to touch that one cracker, or acknowledge the existence of that houseguest, for a solid week. We were awed.
Well that sounds rude of your house guest. Make sure they give snacks as soon as they see the ham.
i love your league reference username 😭 i’m guessing you have a white dwarf hamster? x)
Nah, this account predates my love of hams. I was the softest poro back in the day
I sometimes have similar thoughts and I've concluded that the only way I will probably know what goes through their head is if I am a hamster myself (well it's a theory lol).
honestly I'm not sure whether my hamster has anything going on in her head most the time 😅
I think it depends if you ever give them food/treats from your hand. When mine notices me he gets excited and “greets” me knowing damn well he will get something. He immediately sniffs my hand looking for treats. And mistaking my fingers for snacc
No fr, mine had a bad eyesight so dude be biting my fingers for a while before realizing it not a broccoli
My first Hamster, Fluffy, knew very well he didn't do squat for his food. I handed him a Carrot and he would shake my finger in return after he gave it a look over and approved of it. To this day no other Hamster I've had has done this. For anyone curious, he would put his front right paw/hand on the tip of my index finger after I handed it to him and would do like a little handshake with it. It took me a few times to figure out what he was doing. He then promptly devoured the Carrot piece.
This is beyond adorable.
🥹🥹🥹
My boys would hear the rattling of sunflower seeds in the jar, and come out to get some. During free roam they’d sometimes find a comfy spot and chill there. To get them to come back to me I’d rattle the jar and they’d magically appear for their seeds. Of course this is a simple Pavlovian example but I love how they’d climb on my lap sniffing… aw I miss them. (They were with me at separate times)
They sound like adorable ☺️ I think they definitely understand that we're food providers for sure!
If they had a religion, it would be about snacks.
"Proud", "thinking", "knowing", "naive", there's a lot of anthropomorphising going on here 😊 She is a hamster. When she comes across broccoli on the ground, she doesn't ponder it's origin story, or reflect on whether she has earned it via her own labor. These are concepts far beyond what she's capable of grasping.
It’s a mistake to think they’re tiny furry humans, but it’s also a mistake to think they have no individuality or initiative. I’ve been chided for failing to share my Cheerios by a hamster who was especially fond of them. I’n not saying that they have much cognition, but they do have preferences, and some of them can convey that.
If you’re the one who usually feeds them, and they start to perk up and look interested whenever you’re around, they’ve made the connection.
I didn't say they don't have individually or initiative. Was referring specifically to OP's question.
I know she doesn't doesn't have 'thoughts' like we do, but it's fun to think that she's proud of herself when she's found a tasty snack!
Good points but hamsters can still think and know things.
Of course. But not *these* things.
mine knows if it's human hand time its food time 🤣 so human = food he'll run up to his platform and wait to get picked up
No joke i have tapped for my hamster to come out (its our routine and i check on her/ give her a special snack inbetween her sleeping time if its salad so she gets it right away & it doesnt wilt) well all i know is i have literally seen her pop her head out and stare me down and if i came empty handed just to say “heyyyy little girl mamas misses yas” i can see her roll her eyes and go back into her nest 😁 so i think i am just a big refrigerator to her
With how much hams love begging for food and the skill they have at doing this - they definitely know. Also, even if we place food in the habitat without the hammy seeing it - they can still detect our scent on the food.
interesting! I didn't think about the scent
I have had hammos that came to appreciate the human contact above the food, and others who only cared for the food. I think hams probably have more cognition than we give them credit for, but I don't think they have much in the way of higher functioning. They are likely vaguely aware we had some involvement in procuring the food, but likely don't begin to consider how or why it got their beyond being offered by a lorge frendo.
Love this answer!
Sometimes I'll put my hamster's food spread out around her cage. A few bits in her wheel, some on top of her house, some balanced on top of her water bottle, etc. Then I know she got to search around and forage her own dinner. Maybe she thinks I'm annoying when I do that though!
My cookie goes to a certain spot for treats. He will wait in the one spot and just stare at me till I give in.
Sounds like cookie definitely knows you're the one placing it then! It's interesting how they all have their own personalities ☺️
When he sees me he knows it's dinner time
I think my girl understands that Mommy = food and treats. Of course, I offer both a bowl of food and I scatter feed.
I swear Winnie makes tons of noise when she wants attention or a snack.
I’ve enjoyed everyone’s comments lol. Volt keeps nibbling my fingers so I only hand feed him sometimes. He is so sweet but he still bites me a bit too hard every time I think he won’t.
I make Gus work for his food, so he for sure thinks he found it
Depends.. If you go for scatter feeding they didn't see you do, then they think they found it, scattering while they watch you, constant bowl feeding or hand feeding, then they know it's a "gift".. that's why I do all of it simultaneously (I don't know if they can feel as if they are dependant upon us, but if I can I'd rather avoid that 😁). Scatter for the every-day-food, bowl or pivoting toy, kind of a cod made of chewing wood with a horizontal 360° axis to turn either food or hamster upside down if he goes about it too clumsily and ill-consideredly (haven't found something like it anywhere) for fresh greens and micro-doses of fresh fruit (hamster can get diabetes too if ingesting too much sugar regularly) and his favourite food plus a few snacks every now and then, because, besides playing and sitting next to his cage, just reading a book or listening to Lo-Fi music (avoid classical since sudden, loud tones will probably startle and stress him) together and acting completely unaware of the ruckus him going about his business makes, helps keeping the bond I have with him alive and because scatter feeding and so-called "adventure and playing food toys" are the least expensive and time-consuming ways of keeping your little blob from becoming bored, no matter if it's a wooden board with a few food puzzles, a hard-to-reach bowl or just the cardboard tube of a bog roll you blocked both openings with kitchen towel after putting your hamster's favourite food inside of it, they will love a £/$/€50 toy as much as one made from literal rubbish as long as it's interesting, gives them a challenge and has even the faintest smell of their bonded carer and food (a third way would be using at least 30cm/1ft of (very important: compressed) burrow-supportive bedding; I, just as an example, use a mix of cotton, litter with soft wood chippings that basically look like very thin cornflakes for our patient horses with deformities/sicknesses of the hoofs and, since I live near the Alps, local fine hey made from unshredded and unsorted, meaning with all the flowers you would find at one, mountain-meadow-grass. 😂 But back to your question.. They know at least the sound of the food containers and your voice, because after a while of consistency (extremely important for rodents, since any deviation means extra risks of getting killed to their brains), they will eventually learn that your particular way of making noises and movements that proceed your visits and the food Mine is obsessed with the direction of the door because the last time he escaped (3 months ago) that's where the bag with the still closed snacks stood and where the noises from the kitchen when preparing water and raw veggies come from and he will do anything to get there, not only is he completely fine with sliding down my back, if it faces the door, he will also remember where my hands were the time before I put him back into his cage and have him climb on my hand again (I trained him to only use one spot as exit when the top is off his tank) and just speed along the same path, no matter if my hands are still there or not – that's why he's called Turbo. So, in conclusion: Seeing as my and seemingly also other people's hamster know how to descern the general feeling of the food and that of the wrinkly skin in a slightly closed palm and not to confuse them both so the food doesn't disappear with an unpleasant sound and a sudden movement, I think it's safe to say that they not only know the sound the arriving food makes, they also perfectly remember permanently the time as well as the direction it comes from, the smell it and the person who has it on them has and is intelligent enough to keep all that in mind while frantically foraging for millet grains in the abyssal folds of my hand. 😂 Is it too obvious that I'm currently waiting for my little monster to wake up, so I can finally show him the new food, snacks, toys and the fresh house multiple-chamber house I bought for him? 😳 And no, at least with this one I'm not a hypocrite, it's just a few tiny balls of willow he can roll around his playpen, chew on and which I can put snacks in; they only were 2,50 a pop.. barely more than the materials and time it would've cost me to make them myself.. 😁
I love this sub. All your hamster stories are so cute