Why Do Hamsters Eat Candle Wax?
Hamsters are cute little creatures. They love to do little naughtiness and wander here and there in their place. But leaving the Hamster open can prove troublesome some times.
Our team has been receiving queries about some issues regarding Hamsters eating candle wax. A friend asked us about a problem, and he was much worried about it.
He wrote: Please help. I left my Hamster alone in the room for some time. When I came back, I saw my pet hamster chewing a candle from one of my Candelabras. He ate almost a big bite of candle wax. Will my hamster be okay? What should I do?
Yes, your hamster can eat candle wax. It is normal for hamsters to eat a variety of different materials. If your hamster is hungry, he may eat candle wax or maybe he is just playing around and trying different things.
So our team of editors researched this issue and we decided to make an article to explain thoroughly about it. We will also tell you the possible solutions.
Why Do Hamsters Eat Candle Wax?
There might be a lot of reasons for that. Your Hamster might be hungry or maybe just following the nature just as wild hamsters do. Let us explain all the issues in detail.
Your Hamster might be Hungry
Hamsters are hungry little beasts. They like to eat good food. If you catch your Hamster eating candle wax or other types of things, then it means that it needs food.
You need to properly feed it at times, and also make sure that your Hamster does not stay hungry. You must also make sure that you do not leave any harmful things around your Hamster. A hamster can fill its mouth quite big so it can put something big in its mouth too.
The candlestick present there will be the only good thing your Hamster might be attracted too. So this is why it chose to eat the candle wax. Do not leave your baby hamster hungry for long.
Your Hamster needs energy
It is an odd reason, but it is true. Hamsters sometimes lack essential nutrition from their food, and they tend to eat things that can fulfill their nutritional needs.
Surprisingly, a candle wax has many rich ingredients inside. Candle wax is full of fats and moisture. The wax is composed of oil, so it also satisfied the oil needs inside the body of a hamster.
A Hamster eating candle wax is a sign that it was deficient of fat, moisture, proteins, and oil; that is why it ate the wax.
What you can do is to go to your vet and ask for advice. It must be the time where you need to make slight changes in your Hamster’s diet. Otherwise, low energy or nutrition might weaken his immune system and lead him to death.
Adopting their wild ancestors
Hamsters have not been kept as pets until the early 20th century. They were wild animals and loved to wander in the woods. Europe still has a large number of wild hamsters.
The wild hamsters are prey animals. They do not lurk out much, and that is why they remain hungry most of the time. They look for food sources that are available easily and can fulfill their needs for long. That is why the wild hamsters are present nearby wandering around the Graveyards.
The graveyards have a lot of candles. The hamsters get attracted to those candles and take a massive bite out of them.
Hamsters can take a bite almost quarter the size of their own body, due to their enormous mouth capacity. So the candle wax gives them enough fats and moisture, which will be sufficient for them for quite some time.
The pet hamsters have direct ties with their ancestors. They can adapt their ways, as well. If your Hamster is afraid or scared of other animals or if he does not like the food you give him, then he is most likely to eat candle wax. But their stomach can easily digest this wax so there will be no such issues.
What happens if a Hamster eats Candle Wax?
Following are the things that can happen to your Hamster if he eats candle wax:
His tummy would be full
Hamsters have a habit of stuffing their mouth with eatables. They eat or store lots of food that can fill their stomach for days.
If your Hamster has eaten candle wax, which is full of fats and oil, then they will not eat their food for quite a time. You must also not force-feed them; otherwise, they can get digestive issues.
It is essential if you let your Hamster walk around, which will make him digest the candle wax easily. If you do not let it wander, it can cause your hamster gastric issues.
He might become clumsy
It might be problematic! If your Hamster has eaten candle wax, he might show signs of laziness. Candle wax is such a massive thing to eat for a small hamster. It can cause issues to their stomach too. If you see that your Hamster is not active, take it to the vet at once.
If the vet is not available, make sure that your Hamster drinks water to digest the candle wax. Try to play with it so it can move to digest.
He might not poop
One alarming thing that can happen to your Hamster is if it does not poop. It is okay if it does not go for the potty for a day or two. But if he does not go for longer than 1 or 2 days, then you need to do something as quickly as possible.
What to do if your pet Hamster does not poop after eating Candle Wax?
Here are the following things that you can do if your Hamster does not go to the washroom for more than two days.
Take it to your vet
Candle wax is a hard thing to absorb or digest. It does not quickly assimilate into your body. So if you see that your Hamster has consumed a big chunk of the candle and he has been acting lazy lately, then you need to take it to your vet as soon as possible.
The vets know it better than you, and they will make your Hamster fit again. Do not procrastinate in hopes that your Hamster will be okay if he does not poop for more than two days.
Give it some water
Water can be beneficial in this case. Try to give him some water so that it softens the wax present in the stomach. It will also help in digesting. If your Hamster does not drink water, then you need to give him some water with the help of a dropper.
Some Hay would work
Try giving your Hamster some hay. Hay aids a lot in digesting due to its digestive properties. It can be proved quite useful for this issue.
Now you also need to make sure that you do not feed your Hamster with alfalfa hay, as it can disturb your hamster’s digestive system even more due to its richness in proteins.
Fruits and Veggies can be helpful
Some fruit and veggies that boost digestion can be given to your pet, Hamster too. You can feed it small chunks of carrot and their tops.
Try feeding your pet with leafy greens and veggies as they are full of nutrients and help a lot in digesting. Still, you need to consult your vet before giving any such thing which can prove fatal to your tiny little hammy.
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