r/Awww • u/AndyAndieFreude • 8h ago

Other Animal(s) A 5 years old hamster

1.5k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

125 comments sorted by

360

u/jarhead3088 7h ago

Today I learned that 5yrs is old for a hamster

192

u/abd1tus 7h ago

Rats are similar, 2 to 4 years. People say they are great because they can be affectionate and almost as smart as dogs. I can’t imagine letting myself get deeply emotionally attached to an animal that only lives that long.

84

u/thejexorcist 6h ago

That’s always tripped me up about hamsters.

My dad really bonded with my sisters hamster and didn’t realize their lifespan was so short.

It messed him up for a while, even as a middle aged man…plus I’ve never heard a hamster death story that wasn’t traumatizing asf.

21

u/Skrillblast 5h ago

I love the idea of a rat pet, but i'm a baby lol. I found a dog, had it for 2 days until I finally found the owner, when I met up with her to bring the dog i wailed like a banshee, so if i had a rat for 4 years and had to watch it go, yeah no.

8

u/peepdabidness 5h ago

There was a mouse in my room once, it was digging through my trash can and I think I gave it a heart attack and killed it by running up to it and making some monster sound. It stopped making noise that night but I never found it (didn’t look thru my trash can later)

6

u/mkgrizzly 3h ago

As a previous rat owner, it's incredibly hard to do. There's a reason I don't have them anymore 😞 Still so grateful for the time I had with my 4, but.... yeah...

5

u/lowkeytokay 4h ago

I thought it was common knowledge that rats are way smarter than dogs, not just “almost as smart”.

2

u/09Klr650 1h ago

Time to get a tortoise?

1

u/dtb1987 4h ago

That's the very reason I will not get a rat

3

u/doktorapplejuice 45m ago

My family had a hamster when I was really young. I remember my mom told my sister and I one day that he had run away. I was really sad, but I'm willing to bet money that was a loe, and that he probably died, and my mom was trying to spare our feelings, which, honestly, worked. Yeah, I was sad at the idea of him having ran away, but I would have been devastated at that point if I had been told he was dead.

13

u/alewiina 6h ago

extremely, especially for a dwarf hamster. They usually only live 1.5-2.5 years. 5 years old is essentially double their normal life span.

2

u/Calgary_Calico 3h ago

Incredibly so. That hamster would be about 100 in human terms. They usually only live about 4 years at most, they're very short lived, like mice and rats

163

u/QuackAtomic 8h ago

Master Splinter!

20

u/Xu_Lin 7h ago

Facts!

92

u/Lost-Meeting-9477 7h ago

He's still so active. That's amazing.

29

u/BB_BlackSocks 5h ago

He's trying! He still has the fight in him.

55

u/silv3rbull8 8h ago

Is that like 500 in human years

24

u/09Klr650 6h ago

Assuming they live to 4 on average, that's about 100 in human years at age 5?

15

u/Dadbode1981 5h ago edited 2h ago

Internet says its 150 to 175 years old if converted to human years

6

u/Koresh92 5h ago

That's a whole lot of yeats! Surprised he survived all of them. 🤣

6

u/Dadbode1981 5h ago edited 2h ago

Id imagine terminal velocity for a hamster would be pretty high.

Edit: I know its the opposite, I was making a joke.

3

u/Koresh92 5h ago

I honestly don't know. I'd assume a smaller critter like a hamster would require less speed to reach terminal velocity due to less wind resistance. As opposed to trying to yeet a tiger, which would create more drag and require more force. I'm no expert though.

3

u/09Klr650 4h ago

This hamster will go faster than a regular one, less fur for wind resistance.

3

u/Koresh92 4h ago

That's why I shave my "hamster". Less wind resistance.

0

u/Dadbode1981 4h ago

Youre correct, I was just trying to joke, but you had to nerd out, ruined it.

3

u/Koresh92 4h ago

Nah, I'm just an old drunk who fixes cars. Some actual nerd will jump on here and correct us both I'm sure. You was funny, I was funny. Have a good one.

1

u/DifficultAgency1195 4h ago

Be careful man I heard when u say n e r d they come out of the wood works better stay strapped

1

u/Koresh92 4h ago

You gotta say 3 times though. Like Beetlejuice.

1

u/DifficultAgency1195 4h ago

Lmaooo can't have fun in these comments no more but I heard using a rocket to send hamsters to the moon works really well

2

u/Koresh92 4h ago

I'm having fun. Careful with the rocket comments though. You'll get both nerds and Musk fanboys all riled up. "Musk doesn't yeet hamsters in rockets bro!! Rogan said so!".

1

u/DifficultAgency1195 4h ago

Thats good man,I dont know the nerd and fan boys can try to beat the hamster to the moon cause musk knows hamsters are better for speed and Rogan has the hamster disease

→ More replies (0)

1

u/Dadbode1981 4h ago

Rocket yeet

1

u/CourageNo5667 2h ago

Pretty low actually. Staff is roughly related to area, Gravity is a volumetric force. So as animals get larger, acceleration dominates more. Small animals reach a low terminal velocity. A mouse or a (young) hamster might walk away from a fall off any height.

1

u/Dadbode1981 2h ago

Yes, I know, read further down...

249

u/Bagelt389 7h ago

Is he alright? He looks like hes suffering and I don't think this is cute.

71

u/MothChasingFlame 6h ago

That's just what being old looks like. Age'll make you skrunkly and shakey and maybe a little sore. So long as he's active and eating, he's fine. A lifespan isn't just made of perfectly formfit, youthful days, you know?

199

u/Visual_Collar_8893 7h ago

He’s about as much as you can ask for in a hamster at this age. Normal lifespan for dwarf hamsters is 2-4 years. This little guy is well beyond that. He’s got the similar age-related issues like any other senior.

-112

u/HumongousBelly 7h ago

Yeah, at that point isn’t it animal cruelty to not put him down? Poor guy looks like existence is suffering.

43

u/ForgotToStretch 7h ago

Did you put your grandpa down?

-14

u/HumongousBelly 5h ago

No, but I had my guinea pig euthanized.

6

u/iruinthingsyay 4h ago

Purely because they were old? In another comment you said they were sick, too. Yeah old age looks haunting. But you can't tell if they're in pain or not through just that, and I personally would take 2 seconds to have their quality of life actually evaluated before jumping to euthanasia.

92

u/Flat-Rutabaga-723 7h ago

Do you suggest just stomping him? No one euthanizes a hamster. They just die when they get too old. This one has decided he doesn’t want to die yet so let him live.

46

u/Foreign_Monk861 7h ago

I had my hamster euthanized when she got cancer of the mammary glands. Basically breast cancer. Common in rodents. It was either that or pay $900 for surgery. RIP Buttercup.

21

u/Flat-Rutabaga-723 6h ago

I stand corrected. Lol. Never heard of someone euthanizing a hamster. I thought they all just died from silly stuff or old age. Come to think of it, I’ve never heard of someone taking a hamster to the vet.

23

u/Foreign_Monk861 6h ago

It was an exotic animals vet. Most just treat cats and dogs.

7

u/HumongousBelly 5h ago

I had my guinea pig euthanized, too because he was too old and sick. It’s not that unusual

5

u/wolfganghort 5h ago

Its like $15 for them to euthanize a hamster

I had one really sick and they did it at the humane society near my house

10

u/Ok_Mango_6887 6h ago

That’s simply not true. r/Confidentlyincorrect in the wild!

Vets can put most small animals to sleep without issue, especially mammals.

-3

u/Flat-Rutabaga-723 6h ago

That was hyperbole. I’m fully aware it can be done but actually euthanizing a hamster is exceedingly rare.

21

u/MothChasingFlame 6h ago

Every old person around you has aches and pains, are a little less dextrous and a little less capable. They still live on and are likely glad for it. Age isn't a harmful disease, it's just a natural, if imperfect, stage of life.

18

u/Sacredfice 6h ago edited 6h ago

Bro is trying to put down all boomers lol

7

u/Necht0n 5h ago

To be fair...

1

u/penoisbongo 2h ago

Go on…

6

u/xoy_xochi 5h ago

Is this what you think of old people too?

2

u/Youdontknowm3_ 1h ago

Aging is scary, but its a natural part of life. Jumping to euthanasia simple because its old and aging says more about our own uncomfortability around the fragility of aging and dying The little old dude looks loved and cared for, the owner is tending to him like one would an elder grandparent, he will go when he feels ready

26

u/fungi_at_parties 6h ago

He just looks old?

8

u/CrazyCatLady1127 5h ago

In human terms he’s probably about 150 years old so he’s doing as well as can be expected

6

u/Sintobus 5h ago

It's an older video, I don't know for sure but if I recall he passed away shortly after the video. He would walk up to things he wanted like the wheel or food. But he was definitely past a healthy age. The idea of asking someone to put their pet down tho when they are staying active even if with difficulty is hard.

5

u/RuggleyChicken 3h ago

Not sure I agree. He’s on a hamster wheel, active as well as he can be, and I’m making the assumption he’s eating still. Old doesn’t automatically mean suffering.

4

u/Lyra_the_Star_Jockey 5h ago

Do you say the same about humans or only animals

1

u/Bagelt389 5h ago

Obviously I don't find old people suffering cute??

1

u/One_Subject3157 1h ago

I mean, would you kill your grandma at that stage if life??

101

u/Accidental_Ballyhoo 7h ago

I feel sadder after watching this

7

u/Hike_it_Out52 2h ago

I’ll share a story that will make you feel better. A few years ago my sister in law lived with me and my wife and stayed in our basement since it had a separate door. She had hamsters for school. Well that year she had 6-8 die and I would take them outside and put them in the wooded area. Fast forward about 3 years and my neighbor has to have his dryer vent cleaned because they found an entire community of hamsters clogging it. Apparently hamsters go into a deathlike sleep when cold, say like living in a 55 degree basement. They hypothetically were tossed out, warmed in the sun and made their way to the next warmest area they could find, which was the near ground level vent for my neighbors dryer filled with fluff already.  😂 

2

u/StressLife7080 1h ago

Hamster Jason Todd

11

u/Ok-Safe-981004 7h ago

Needs to go Valhamster

21

u/ocTGon 7h ago

Mr. Jingles still standing tall..

7

u/TheSuperzorro 6h ago

Interesting how different species age in a similar way (balding, wrinkling skin, stiffening joints, etc.) but do so at wildly different rates.

5

u/Beginning-Shirt4752 5h ago

Poor bastard

20

u/CasnessNum 7h ago

When five years old YOU reach, look as good, you will not, hmm??

4

u/mookaji1 7h ago

Aww, I’d give him peace , or maybe a micro zimmer frame, a rocking chair and a pipe.

15

u/SCARDS22 7h ago

The Guinness Book of World Records says 4.5 years is WORLD RECORD so 5.....🙄

19

u/dementio 6h ago

Not every record is recorded

28

u/FlameStaag 6h ago

The Guiness Book of World Records hasn't been relevant in nearly 2 decades.

2

u/Hike_it_Out52 3h ago

Used to love those books. Add that to the “things the internet has ruined” column please. 

9

u/GNightP 5h ago

Not every world record is THE record, its just the ones the record that people who were willing to pay to be registered got recorded

3

u/kt3pr0tEq 7h ago

🥹🐹

3

u/CommercialExotic2038 7h ago

Oh little tiny man

14

u/yourfuturespemson 7h ago

Idk what is aww about this it feels like I'm seeing an animal suffering.

-2

u/Gabagooligan97 7h ago

absolutely it has barely any quality of like. it was clearly never supposed to live this long.

5

u/DeeEmm 5h ago

Mitch McConnell

10

u/Far_Balance_3117 7h ago

Yea not sure what is awww about this.

Looks like a struggle to me.

2

u/OminOus_PancakeS 7h ago

Looks like a stop motion creature from star wars 

2

u/alienghost365 6h ago

That little guy is old

5

u/DealerLast9352 8h ago

That’s so precious. 5 years old is amazing. 🩷

5

u/hamburm 7h ago

I didn't even know that was possible, little buddy is so adorable

3

u/magirevols 7h ago

had a guinea pig, had a lump on it, fairly sure it was cancer, weeks later lump was gone, lived to 5 years old which in guinea time is long

2

u/Diaper_Donnie_Sux 7h ago

That hamster's name? Methuselah

1

u/SomethingSimple25 5h ago

This is just sad to watch. There is nothing about that animal's life that is enjoyable for it.

2

u/AustinDood444 6h ago

Put that poor thing out of its misery!!

1

u/ComputerMysterious48 7h ago

There’s something so precious about old animals

1

u/Foreign_Monk861 6h ago

She passed not long after this.

1

u/willfauxreal 6h ago

Ive read that one hamster year is about 40 human years....

1

u/itslizagain 6h ago

Get the thing a cane already. Jeez.

1

u/nibor 6h ago

we have one which we think is about 1.5 years old and we have noticed it is getting less active.

1

u/X3ll3n 5h ago

I forgot how short their lifespan is.
They're pretty cute, but I wouldn't be able to see a creature I was able to connect with go away this fast :(

1

u/Raaazzle 5h ago

Aw, look at this sweet, little, old fella!

1

u/TopElephant3031 5h ago

Pet possums also only live about 2 years. My friend has had 3. That's rough. My son wants a raccoon cuz they're cute AF and can live up to 20 years as pets. I said that's 20 years saddling yourself with a mischievous toddler that can climb everything and get into everything, aka a very cute nightmare.

1

u/AncientProduce 4h ago

Lemmiwinks!

1

u/TraditionalLaw7763 4h ago

The little jog on the wheel just sent me…

1

u/SpisDritt1 4h ago

Mr Jingles?

1

u/lunatic_banana345 3h ago

That’s Mr. Jangles

1

u/FadedVictor 3h ago

Idk why but it kills me that it's bald.

1

u/Professor_Cafe 3h ago

Well. Congratulations I think because most people loose their hamster within months to a year. This is officially the oldest hammy I’ve ever seen.

1

u/Sweetcheex76 1h ago

Awwww what a cutie.

1

u/Confident-Try-1494 7h ago

What an amazing feat for him. That is awesome.

1

u/StarbuckWoolf 6h ago

That’s really sad.

1

u/CameraSignificant 6h ago

I'm feeling sad and mad

1

u/GoshuaHoshua 7h ago

Cute and sad!

1

u/Jecht315 6h ago

I'm Mr Meeseeks, look at me!

0

u/ThorsNail 7h ago

It's so tinyyyyy I love himb!!

0

u/JustHereForTheCarl 5h ago

He doesn’t look like he’s feeling well. I would feel guilty keeping him going when he’s struggling so much.

0

u/crlthrn 4h ago

This is too sad to watch beyond 2 seconds.

0

u/Shrinki-Dink 6h ago

Just die already!!!!!