Do Hamsters Like Listening to Music?

If you keep hamsters as pets, you may wonder which type of music they like. Do hamsters like listening to classical music, rock or hip hop? Do hamsters enjoy music at all?

Unlike humans, most pets and animals don’t like listening to music. Some animals become frustrated, stressed or aggressive if the music is too loud.

Although, some blogs and websites claim, that hamsters like listening to music, there is no scientific evidence that this statement is true. If you love listening to music, your pet might get used to it overtime, but not because they like it, but because they don’t have any other choices.

So, if you enjoy listening to music, and you have a pet hamster, here are a few things to keep in mind for the next time you start playing any type of music in your home.

Hamster Hearing Frequency Range

Hamsters have a hearing frequency range of 96 Hz to 46500 Hz (source), while humans hearing range is 64 to 23,000 Hz (source), to put this in perspective.

So, hamsters do hear a lot of noises that we, humans don’t hear. Therefore it is important to know what type of music and sounds are safe for your pet hamsters.

Does Bass and Deep Voice Bother Hamsters?

According to a study of Hearing Research, hamsters have a really good low-frequency hearing; they can hear sound below 100 Hz.

Low frequency noises are produced all the time mainly in urban environments by cars, airplanes, turbines, air conditioning and other industrial machineries.

Low frequency sounds can be also produced in nature by thunder, animal voices, earthquakes, landslides, and even by the walking of bigger land animals.

Hamsters and most rodents are able to detect an earthquake, because they are able to hear the low frequency sound produced by it even before they can feel it.

Speakers, especially those that have a bass incorporated can produce a lot of low frequency sounds. Because hamsters do pick up this type of sound easily, at a certain volume, it can be really frustrating for them.

Do High Pitched Noises Bother Hamsters?

Just make a test, next time you approach your hamster’s cage. Try to make a longer hissing sound and see how your hamster will react.

Hissing is a high frequency sound, having a frequency range of 4500-5000 Hz, which your hamster will definitely hear and react to it.

When I make a short hissing sound, all my hamsters stop and they point their ears towards me, the source of the sound. When I repeat the hissing sound and eventually keep it for long enough, my hamsters will all start running around and try to hide.

Because I don’t bother them too often with this sound, they are not used to it and they are afraid.

My hamsters will also wake up when I sneeze or if my phone is ringing. All these noises, are categorized as high frequency sounds.

So, I can conclude, that hamsters can be scared and bothered by loud, high-pitched noises.

What Music is Good For Hamsters?

So, now that you know that hamsters don’t like bass and very high pitched noises, it is time to figure out what type of music you can listen to without bothering your hamsters.

First of all, you should never listen to any loud music, unless you use headphones.

You should avoid music with lots of bass, screaming, very high pitched sounds such as electric guitar or violin.

I’m sorry to tell you, but Mozart might not be a good choice to play for your hamsters.

On the other hand, nature-like sounds and relaxing music is safe for hamsters and other pets too.

I listen to this music a lot, and my hamsters seem to like it too, or at least they are not bothered by it:

Can Hamsters Get Used to Music?

As I stated in the introduction, hamsters don’t need to listen to music, and there is no evidence, that they like music, but they can definitely get used to it.

Hamsters can get used to classical, heavy metal, hip hop, rap, pop, electronic and other type of music, but they will not necessary like it.

Can You Sign a Song to Your Hamster?

Sure, if you like signing, you can sign a gentle song to your hamster. You can even play on a guitar or on a piano. You can also try out the violin, but from my experience, hamsters don’t really like the sound of a violin.

How Much Music is Too Much?

You should not let the music play or let the radio on all day long. Hamsters are nocturnal animals, and they sleep during the day. Having a constant source of noise during the day can cause them stress, so limit the music time for a couple of hours.

It is much better to play music in the evening, when the hamsters start their activity.

Conclusion

I really hope that this article has helped you understand what relation do hamsters have with music.

If you have any questions regarding hamster music or sounds, please leave a comment below.