Exact Answer: 4 Days
Getting a pet, even a tiny one, necessitates a significant financial investment. It entails a behavioral adjustment in addition to daily eating, play, cleaning, and general care. You can no longer leave everything and go on the spur of the moment. Instead, one will need to strategically schedule your trip and figure in pet sitting costs.
The amount of water he consumes in a day depends on his age, species, degree of activity, and size. A larger hamster may require more water to go through a typical day, and your pet may want an additional nibble if he spends a lot of time on the wheel. Any animal that does not drink enough, or worse, does not drink at all, may suffer injury, and hamsters are no exception.
Within the day, he’ll start to feel the consequences of dehydration, and his condition will deteriorate from there. He may overheat as his body loses fluids, resulting in additional discomfort.
As a result, knowing how long a hamster can go without water and how long it can injure a hamster is critical.
How Long Can A Hamster Go Without Water?
| Hamster Breed | Duration without water |
| Syrian Hamster | 2 days |
| Chinese Hamster | 3 days |
| Dwarf Hamster | 4 days |
| Roborovski Hamster | 2 days |
Your hamster will die of dehydration in three to four days, although the symptoms will appear sooner. The variables that go into this computation differ greatly based on your hamster and its surroundings. The room’s temperature and humidity have a significant influence on him, with greater temperatures causing him to dehydrate more quickly.
Air conditioning keeps the room colder, but it also makes it drier, so the total impact isn’t always favorable. If your pet doesn’t have access to water and has eaten dried foods, he might die in as little as 48 hours.
If his water bottle or dish has been empty for an extended amount of time, or if he has diarrhoea or puking, you should check for dehydration. One can search for behavioral and physical indicators such as drowsiness and a lack of urination. You may also lightly squeeze his skin to determine whether it’s rigid, which indicates dehydration.
After a slight squeeze, the skin should be very elastic and bounce back rapidly. If it doesn’t, it’s an indication that he needs water right away.
Why Can A Hamster Go Without Water for so long?
Hamsters are organisms that live in dry or desert environments when water is scarce. As a result, it’s normal for them to be able to go without water for a while. However, as a mammal, they require water for essential functions, hence this length cannot be extended for very long. They can become dehydrated and eventually die if they don’t drink enough water for an extended period.
The water needs of a hamster are a little vague, as they differ depending on the size of your hamster. In general, 10 ml of water for 100 grams of hamster each day is recommended.
If your hamster is fluffy and big, a fully developed Syrian hamster weighing roughly 170 grams, he’ll require 17 ccs of water every day. So a hamster weighing 6 ounces needs 0.57 fluid ounces of water every day.
Your hamster would be fine for only 2-3 days if he last drank water this morning. This is in the absence of any food, as they can extract water from their food as well.
Dry peanuts and cereals supply almost no water, while fresh vegetables and fruits provide enough water for hamsters to sustain for roughly a week without the use of a water supply.
Conclusion
While you should only leave your hamster without food or water for 3 or 4 days at most, if you offer the right amount of food and water, you can leave him alone for up to a week.
Your hamster should always have access to freshwater. Usually, larger hamsters consume a larger amount of water. Giving your hamster water in a water bottle that connects to the side of their habitat and has a metal tube pushed into the cage is the most common method. When the hamster licks the tube, a little ball at the end moves, enabling only a small amount of water to flow out at a given time.
It’s preferable if you can have someone look after your hamster or at least check in on him once or twice a day. This way, you’ll always have a healthy hamster waiting for you when you get home.