Can Hamsters Be Kept Outdoors?

Hamsters cannot be kept outdoors, nor should they be allowed to play outdoors. According to "Training Your Pet Hamster," cages with hamsters in them need to be kept indoors in a warm, dry and quiet area.

  1. Health

    • Because hamsters are so small, they are easily affected by changes in temperature or being exposed to wet or very hot weather. This can lead to illness such as respiratory infections or heat stroke.

    Behavior

    • Unlike dogs or cats, hamsters will not come back to a home if they are let loose. If a hamster is turned loose outside, it will disappear and never come back.

    Hunters

    • Because hamsters are small rodents, they immediately become targets for predatory animals such as cats, dogs and large birds. Cages kept outdoors may be broken into by a determined predator.

    Considerations

    • SmallAnimalChannel.com points out that domesticated hamsters have learned to be given food and do not know how to find it on their own. Any hamster turned loose would soon die of starvation if not by exposure or to a predator.

    Advantages

    • Hamsters living indoors are less exposed to diseases like rabies that can be passed to people. If a hamster bites someone but lives indoors, it is highly unlikely the person will develop a disease if they clean and treat the wound.