Hamsters are small and gentle animals that have tails, but they are very small and a little harder to see.
Can Hamsters Break Their Tails?
Yes, hamsters can break their tails when falling from a height, when fighting with other hamsters, as well as because of getting stuck in tight spaces.
Since the tails of hamsters consist of small and tiny bones, it can easily happen that they break the tail.
In today’s article you will find out what are the reasons for breaking their tails, do their tails grow back, how to notice when they have a broken tail, and other related questions.
Can Hamsters Break Their Tails?
As we said at the beginning, hamsters can break their tail very easily, because they have small bones and delicate skeletons.
Hamsters break their tails most often for the following reasons:
- due to the negligence of the owners
- when they are getting grooming
- getting stuck in a tight space
- when falling from a height
- fight with other hamsters
All these reasons that we have listed can cause their tail to break, so it is best to explain them in detail.
Due to the negligence of the owners
It doesn’t take much to break a hamster’s tail, especially when we hold them in our hands.
Sometimes if we hold him too tightly or when we move him with our hands to another place if we squeeze him harder it can break his tail.
That’s why every time we play and stroke the hamster, it’s best to stroke it with one or two fingers, but not with the whole hand, and we should be as gentle as possible.
When we hold him in our hands, we should hold him with an open hand so that there is no accidental pressure on his body and tail.
Always avoid putting too much pressure on the hamster’s neck and tail area.
When they grooming
Sometimes hamsters break their own tails without us touching them.
This happens when they are being groomed, because then they have to bend to a certain extent to be able to clean and groom themselves everywhere, and they can break their tails.
Hamsters are known for cleaning and grooming themselves and they do it really well.
Hamsters are most likely to break their tails when they are over a year old, as their bones become more brittle and weaker as they age, which is a normal natural process.
Getting stuck in a tight space
Hamsters are always on the move and enjoy exploring their surroundings in or out of the cage.
They like to enter tunnels, tubes, and all kinds of other shelters, but then there is a danger of breaking their tail.
We must pay special attention to the tunnels we buy for them, because as the hamster grows it becomes heavier and bigger and can get stuck through the tunnels, so we have to be careful if they need bigger tunnels.
When a hamster gets stuck in the tunnels it will start to get nervous and want to escape and may break its tail or other bones in its body.
Even when we let them out of the cage to run, if they get into a crack or hole they can get stuck and break their tail.
Therefore, before letting the hamster out of the cage, check and protect all possible places where it could get stuck.
When they fall from a height
Hamsters constantly climb wherever they can, mostly in their cage.
If the cage has bars, it is ideal so that they can easily climb on it, because hamsters like to go to the top of the cage, they can fall and break their tail.
This is especially true for smaller dwarf hamsters because they don’t have the strength to hold on for a long time when climbing, unlike Syrian hamsters are stronger and they rarely fall from the top of the cage.
During such falls, hamsters may break their tails or limbs. Therefore, it is best to have deeper bedding to soften the fall and reduce the chance of fractures.
Also, when you let the hamsters out of the cage, do not put them on the table because they can easily jump down and break their tails, or even have more serious fractures.
Hamsters can’t see well and can’t prepare for a fall, which is even worse because they’re not ready when they fall.
Any drop of hamsters from a height of more than 25 cm can cause fractures of the tail or other bones of their body.
Fighting with other hamsters
If you keep two hamsters in one cage, it can easily happen that they start a fight during which they can get injured and one of them ends up with a broken tail.
Hamsters should therefore be alone in the cage, this is especially true for Syrian hamsters, while other breeds can live together if they have been in the same cage since childhood, but this does not necessarily mean that they will never fight.
Female hamsters attack male hamsters when they are in heat and fighting and tail breaking may occur.
Apart from each other, hamsters must not be in the company of other pets such as cats and dogs who are much stronger than them and can easily break their tails, and even more, serious consequences can occur.
How do we know if a hamster’s tail is broken?
To know if the hamster’s tail is broken, it can be noticed when you pet it, it will have swelling in the part near the tail.
At the same time, when you try to touch his tail when it is broken, he will immediately try to get away from you.
When hamsters break their tails, sometimes it cannot be seen because the fur will cover the tail and it will not be noticeable, especially for hamsters that have long fur.
When hamsters have a broken tail, they will not move normally, it will have difficulties that will be noticeable.
Hamsters who have broken tails will not want to climb on the exercise wheel, will not want to play, and will be lethargic.
They may hide in tunnels or other shelters because they do not want to show that they are injured for fear of predators.
Hamsters think that predators will use their weakness to attack them, and that’s why they hide in shelters, although in reality, they don’t have such a danger in the cage, it is still their natural instinct that they have preserved from the wild.
When hamsters have a broken tail, it can be more difficult to heal because the bones are small.
Will my hamster’s tail grow back?
Once a hamster loses its tail, it and its bone will not grow back.
Broken tail bones can heal, but they will not be able to replace your pet’s permanently lost tail.
The skin in the tail area can be replenished, however, the vertebra will not be able to fill out the flesh in that area.
Can a hamster’s tail fall off?
No, a hamster’s tail does not fall, so it must be pulled out by force.
Since the tail of the hamster is part of its spine, it will probably not fall by itself from its body or from its legs.
Read more: Can A Hamster Survive A Broken Leg? Let’s Discover
What is the size of hamster tails?
All breeds of hamsters have tails, although some have larger and others have smaller tails.
Chinese hamsters have the largest tail, but let’s read all the sizes of hamster tails according to their breed.
- Chinese Hamster – Grows up to 5 inches.
- Russian Hamsters – The tail is about 1/4 of an inch long.
- Roborowski hamster – has a tail about 1/2 inch long.
- Winter White Hamsters – Tail Length 1/4 inch.
- Syrian Hamsters – 1/2 inch in tail length.
Since the tails of hamsters are difficult to see due to their fur, if you know the length it will be easier to know what to expect when you see your pet.
Frequently asked questions
Do hamsters have bones in their tails?
Yes, hamsters have bones in their tails, specifically, they have seven vertebrae called caudal vertebrae.
The tail of the hamster has a bony lamina, and these laminae are small areas of the bone itself that protect the joints and thus help the spine to be more elastic.
Although the hamster tails themselves are covered with fur, you can still tell that they have tiny bones.
How do you know if your hamster broke its back?
When hamsters have a broken back they have swelling at the fracture location or around the entire area.
At the same time, you can hear a crackling sound at the place where the back is broken, because there is friction on the broken ends of the bone itself.
Very rarely, an open wound may appear at the site of the broken backbone.
How fragile are hamster bones?
Hamster bones are very fragile and brittle.
If they fall from a slightly higher height, or if we press them harder, they will break the bones.
That’s why we have to pay attention to them when we play with them, especially our children should hold them carefully and caress them so they don’t lead them away.
Read more: Swollen Belly in Hamsters: 8 Possible Causes & What to Do
Conclusion
Hamsters can easily break their tails when falling from a height, fighting with other hamsters, or getting stuck in tunnels.
Hamsters have very small and tiny bones on the tail and therefore can easily break.
That’s why we have to be careful not to get stuck in some tunnels or cracks when we let them out of the cage because then it can easily happen that they break their tails.
And we, the owners, when we hold the hamsters, should be careful not to press them too much, as this can cause the tail to break.
Hamsters are very gentle, so we have to be as careful as we can to avoid such unpleasant moments and breaking the tail of our little pets.
Read more: Why Hamster Bleeding From Bottom? All You Need To Know
