Music has always been my sanctuary. Whether it be dancing to acoustic rock or belting out pop songs, all my life, music has been in the background as I grew up. When I first got my pet hamster, I wondered if I should stop listening to songs on speakers. But what if my hammie loved music too?
Do Hamsters Like Music?
This led me to wonder, do hamsters like music? It turns out they do! However, just like us, our pets have a very specific taste in music. They like classical and pop music and find very loud sounds frightening.
Therefore, as a pet owner, you need to be careful about what genre of music you expose your little furry ball to. Do you wish to listen to music with your hammie in hopes of strengthening your bond even more? Find out everything about hamsters and music before you do so!
The Hamster Favorites: What Music Do Hamsters Like?
Hamsters tend to like instrumental music that helps them calm down. The gentler the notes of the music are, the better. Do hamsters like music that is too loud? No! Instead, they prefer music that is devoid of distortions and loud songs.
The most popular genre among hammies is classical music (good luck to those who don’t like this genre!). This is because classical music is mainly instrumental with clear tunes that help in relieving anxiety and stress. This might be the reason why most animals prefer this genre of music.
My hammie loves classical songs so much that it even distracts him from the otherwise triggering sounds like barking dogs and thunderstorms! I always play classical music to him when I feel he is agitated, and he gets pretty calm thereafter.
Classical music isn’t the only genre that hamsters. Some even like pop music and minimal rock. However, this may differ from hamster to hamster, so you need to find out if your friend is a fan or not. For starters, while my hammie loves listening to pop music, he isn’t a fan of alternate or minimal rock.
If you are playing music to help your hamster sleep, play slow and relaxing music. If your plan is to rile your pet up a bit to be more playful during playtime, you can expose them to a little fast-paced music. But, make sure that your hammie is comfortable with these genres beforehand.
It’s Nap Time: Can the hamster sleep if I put on music?
Yes, you can put your hamster to sleep by putting on music. But, there is one condition that must be met first – your hammie needs to like the music that is being played.
In fact, a way to find whether a hamster prefers a given genre of music is by checking if it puts your pet to sleep! This is because the right music helps in calming down a hamster, thereby increasing the chance of them snoozing off.
This is how I discovered that my hamster, like many others, was a classical music buff.
Back when I didn’t know whether or not can the hamster sleep if I put music, I was listening to classical music to calm my nerves before my final exam. Lo and behold! While I still felt quite anxious, I saw that my hammie (who was active a while ago) was busy snoring off in his cage.
Therefore, whenever you wonder, “do hamsters like music that I am playing?” see if your pet ends up sleeping to it.
Skip The Tunes: What Music Can Stress Out Hamsters?
There are two genres that hamsters generally dislike – rock and metal!
In fact, if you play loud metal music in the presence of your hamster, you will notice that he will become quite agitated and restless. This is because hamsters have an innate fear of predators. And loud sounds activate a flight response in them to help them survive.
Do you struggle with differentiating different genres from one another? A great way around this is to assess the pace of the music.
Do hamster like music that is immensely fast-paced and is too loud? No! If you have two or more hammies living in a cage, such music might cause them to become aggressive.
Hence, stay away from these genres. If you love them, listening to such songs via headphones is better.
The Hammie’s Mix: YouTube Music videos for Hamsters
Do hamsters like music? Yes, especially if it is slow-paced. So, what music videos should you expose your hammie to. Thankfully, we live in a YouTube era, where music is quite accessible! Here are some popular music videos among hamsters, divided as per the situation.
For calming down
If you want your hammie to go to sleep or calm down, here is soothing music you can put on. This also works impeccably when trying to distract a hamster from ongoing loud sounds like those of thunderstorms.
For relieving anxiety
Hamsters are very anxious beings! This stems from them being prey animals. Even in a safe environment, they can feel a lot of anxiety. To help them relax when they are feeling stressed, you can play this track.
For winter depression
Winters can be gloomy even for us! You can only imagine how our little pets might feel during the season. It turns out that hamsters tend to get sad and restless during the year’s colder months. Soothing music can help them in cheering up.
The Green Light: How Do I Know If My Hamster Likes Music?
If your hammie likes the music being played, there are various body language cues that will make it obvious.
The first time I played pop music to my hammie, I was able to identify whether or not do hamsters like music being played because he started trying to poke out of his cage in an attempt to get closer to the source of the music. It was quite an adorable sight to see.
Here are some signs that your hamster like the music being played. All of these cues point to a hammie slowly getting relaxed.
- It will yawn and close its eyes, signaling that slumber time is near.
- It will try to get close to the source of the sound or settle in the direction of the source.
- Its ear will get erected.
In case your hamster doesn’t like the music being played, it will:
- Chatter its teeth.
- Try to get far away from the source of the sound.
- Narrow its ears and puff up its cheeks.
Blaring Music: Is it bad for hamsters if loud music is played?
Whether or not is it bad for hamster if loud music is played depends on how a given hamster reacts to the sound. Generally, loud sounds tend to cause stress and agitation among the furry pet and therefore are not recommended.
Why do most hamsters react to loud music? Well, as hamsters are very sensitive to sound, loud sounds can frighten them.
This is why it is often advised that you don’t keep your speakers near a hamster’s cage. You must also adjust the volume of the music, regardless of the genre, for it to be a favorable experience for your hamster.
The Volume Check: How Loud Should I Play Music For My Hamster?
Now that you know the answer to “do hamsters like music” (they do), you need to master the art of playing music for your adorable pet. As a general rule, keep the volume low.
As hamsters are very sensitive to noise (so much so that you need to speak softly when in proximity to them), you need to keep them away from all loud noises, whether it be music, TV, or external sounds.
For music, check to see your pet’s reaction before settling on a volume. Begin with the lowest level and gradually increase the volume. If your hamster gets startled by the sound at some point, you will know that you have entered dangerous territory. Go back to the previous level of volume.
Conclusion – Do Hamsters Like Music?
To sum it up, do hamsters like music? They certainly love music! In fact, if you play the right genres, the music listening experience can even be beneficial for the little rodents. This is because it helps in calming them down as well as distracting them from other threatening triggers.
When it is nap time, expose your hammie to slow-paced and soothing classical and instrumental music. If you want to make it a little hyper for playtime, slightly more fast-paced music is the way to go. But, always keep the volume at the lower side so that your pet doesn’t get frightened.
Observe your pet to see how it reacts to played music and modify your future playlist accordingly.
I hope you can make many musical memories with your pet, just like me!
If you have other eccentric questions about hamsters, be sure to check some of my other guides out.