Do I Need to Cut Hamsters Whiskers? All You Need To Know

Hamsters have whiskers that help them to move more easily in the dark since they naturally have very poor eyesight.

With the help of whiskers, hamsters have better balance and can more easily detect predators and other dangers.

If you cut the whiskers of the hamsters, they will not have good balance, they will have a weaker sense of smell, and will have unnecessary nervousness and stress.

Do I need to cut hamsters whiskers?

No, you should not cut the hamster’s whiskers as they will not have good enough balance, and injuries may occur. Hamsters’ whiskers help them escape from predators, so you don’t need to cut them.

In today’s article, you will learn whether you should cut your hamster’s whiskers, why they are important to them, and what will happen if you trim their whiskers.

Can you cut the hamsters whiskers?

Hamsters’ whiskers should not be clipped or trimmed in any way. If you decide to cut your hamster’s whiskers, you should be aware that you risk injuring the hamster.

Trimming your hamster’s whiskers can change their behavior and make them uncomfortable.

So let’s read in more detail why you shouldn’t cut their whiskers.

Hamsters will be uncomfortable

Trimming your hamster’s whiskers will make them feel very uncomfortable.

Their whiskers are made of keratin, and although they have no nerves or pain receptors, they do have nerve endings in the roots.

Although the hamster will most likely not feel pain when cutting the whiskers, it will still feel uncomfortable, due to the shock waves of the whiskers themselves.

Hamsters will change their behavior

If you cut the whiskers of the hamsters they will change their behavior because they will feel disoriented.

When hamsters notice that their whiskers have been trimmed they will become insecure and fearful, resulting in them hiding in their cages.

They may start to avoid going out because of the fear they will have.

Without their whiskers, hamsters will not be able to easily detect predators, which will further cause stress, and stress causes other additional diseases in your pet.

Injuries may occur

If you cut your hamster’s whiskers you risk making them more prone to injury.

This happens because their whiskers vibrate back and forth about 30 whisks in just one second, which helps them to assess their surroundings and avoid danger in time quickly.

Hamsters’ whiskers have tiny tactile receptors that are attached to their nervous system.

Any partial or complete shortening of the mustache only negatively affects their life, so forget about cutting them.

What is the importance of the whiskers for the hamsters themselves?

Whiskers are of great importance for the life of hamsters, they help them to cope with various dangers in their life.

As you probably already know, hamsters naturally have very poor eyesight, they can barely see a few inches in front of them and nothing more.

That’s why the whiskers are here to help them so that they can more easily cope with all the challenges in their short life.

If hamsters don’t have whiskers they will have a very hard time coping in the wild and will have a lot of difficulties surviving.

Therefore, let’s take a closer look at how whiskers affect the life of hamsters.

Better balance

Whiskers help hamsters have the excellent balance they need when running and escaping from predators.

Without whiskers, the chances of hamsters being saved from an attack by predators are reduced.

Without whiskers, hamsters will not be able to have stability on their feet and can easily fall when climbing a ladder or object and they will injure themselves in the process.do i need to cut hamsters whiskers

Whiskers are hamsters’ navigational sensors

Whiskers help hamsters as tactile sensors for navigation. Hamsters move their whiskers all the time and thus feel the vibrations in the air.

With the help of whiskers, hamsters can move more easily at night without bumping into any object in their environment.

The whiskers also help them to land more safely when falling from a height.

The whiskers also help them when they need to find food, locate objects in the cage, and similar other objects in their environment.

With the help of whiskers, hamsters can more easily judge where there is enough airflow, which helps them when digging tunnels.

With the help of whiskers, hamsters show emotions

Whiskers, in addition to other functions, can help us to know what state the hamster is in, whether it is happy or sad.

Here are some positions of the hamster’s whiskers and their meaning:

  • facing forward – this means that the hamster is exploring its surroundings to see if there is any danger of predators.
  • facing backward – when the whiskers are in this position, it means that the hamster is scared, nervous, and visibly upset.
  • loose whiskers – means that the hamster is satisfied, happy, and feels relaxed.

Whiskers help them detect smells

Hamsters have a developed sense of smell which, together with their whiskers, helps them to smell all the smells that are in their area.

The whiskers together with the sense of smell help them to detect dangers from predators and unknown people in their surroundings.

The whiskers also help them to better develop the image in front of them, more precisely, they help them to see better by transmitting messages to the brain.

Whiskers help them figure out the dimension of the environment

Since the whiskers are as long as the widest part of the body, hamsters can use them to determine if they can enter a hole or object without getting stuck.

However, in order to accurately determine the dimension of the opening in front of them, their whiskers need to be fully grown.

Tests show that the accuracy of rat whiskers is very accurate, so the same rule should apply to hamsters.

What will happen to my hamster if I cut its whiskers?

If you cut your hamster’s whiskers then your pet will have problems and will not be able to react in time when it is in danger from predators.

When the hamster’s whiskers are cut, they will have problems with crossing obstacles and will have a harder time getting food, especially when they are in nature.

Here are some problems hamsters will face if you cut their whiskers.

They will get stressed

Hamsters will hardly be able to get used to it if you cut their whiskers, they may just get stressed.

Stress is one of the most dangerous conditions for hamsters because it leads to diseases such as wet tails which can be fatal to their life.

When hamsters are stressed, this condition can only shorten their already short lifespan.

They will have no balance

If you cut your pet’s whiskers then it will have balance problems. When hamsters lack balance, they will have a much harder time overcoming obstacles and may often fall.

And since they have delicate bodies, such falls can only cause injuries to their bodies.

Obviously, hamsters will not be able to save themselves from predators like when they have whiskers.

They can get stuck

Whiskers help hamsters better judge whether they need to enter a hole or space somewhere. If hamsters don’t have whiskers, they can just get stuck in space and get hurt.

If they get stuck and can’t get out they can dehydrate or starve and eventually die stuck.

All this shows us how important the whiskers are for them to live safely in their environment.

Read more: Why Shouldn’t Hamsters Get Wet? All You Need To Know

Will my hamster’s whiskers grow back?

Yes, hamsters’ whiskers grow back in 2-3 months. Hamsters’ whiskers are constantly growing, some fall, and others grow, it is their natural process.

However, even though their whiskers fall off, they still leave a part of them and so the hamsters use them until the new whiskers grow.

The whiskers of hamsters mostly fall out in older hamsters, and it is most difficult for them to manage in the space when they do not have whiskers.

Read more: How Much Exercise do Hamsters Need a Day? Let’s Discover

Conclusion

The whiskers of hamsters should not be cut because then you can only create problems for your pet.

If you cut the hamster’s whiskers, it will not have enough balance in its movement, which puts it in danger from predators.

When hamsters have whiskers it helps them to smell better, find food and measure the space they want to enter.

Hamsters obviously benefit greatly from using their whiskers, so you don’t need to cut them.

Read more: Can Hamsters Fit Through Small Gaps? Let’s Find Out