Why does my hamster squeak when eating?

Question

Syrian, two years old. For about a week she has been making a small squeak when she bites into her hard pellets. Not every mouthful, but often. She is still…

lift_the_lip · Accepted Answer

Eating is the one activity where mouth pain shows up first, so a squeak tied specifically to biting hard food is the version worth taking seriously rather than the version to shrug at.

Hamster front teeth grow continuously and are kept short by chewing. If they get too long, grow crooked or break, biting hurts. The pattern to look for alongside the squeak: dropping food, picking something up and putting it down again, going for soft things and leaving the pellets, a wet chin, and weight coming off.

gram_scale_weekly · Answer

Weigh her tonight on a gram kitchen scale and again in three days, and count the droppings while you are there. A hamster that is eating less shows it in the weight and in fewer, smaller droppings before it shows anything else.

Also look at both cheeks from the front. One side staying swollen when the other has emptied, or a lopsided face, is a pouch problem rather than a tooth one, and sharp or sticky food is usually how that starts.

Why does my hamster squeak when eating?

3 answers