We Goin' Ham(ster) Out Here
The classic childhood pet has a unique characteristic.
Howdy! It’s Joey, back with more Fun Fact Friyay, the newsletter for curious people. Grab your hamster ball because we’re on a roll.
Hamsters don’t blink. They only wink one eye at a time.
I had three different hamsters growing up.
The first, Teddy, was the best hamster a child could ask for. Teddy rocked. He loved jogging around in his ball, he was the cutest at drinking water, and he was particularly fond of hanging out in the pocket of hooded sweatshirts.
The second was…fine, I guess. Nothing really stands out about that hamster. I don’t even remember its name, so we’ll just call it Not Teddy.
The third was Penny, who was the most vicious pet I’ve ever owned. Her teeth grew so big and pointy that they were fully coming out of her mouth. On multiple occasions, she chewed through the steel bars of her cage. Once, she was running around downstairs after escaping, and we had to catch her with a garbage can.
At some point, Penny vanished into the walls. I’d like to think she made it out into the streets and continues terrorizing the world to this day.
Speaking of this day, I currently have no hamsters, only two dogs. And while I gaze lovingly into their eyes for the umpteenth time, I’m only now realizing I never did the same with my hamsters. And that’s too bad because hamsters blink in a very unique way.
Hamsters can’t speak to us directly, so it’s hard to know for sure why they don’t blink, but chances are it’s a defense mechanism. Hamsters not named Penny are vulnerable to a handful of different predators, such as dogs, foxes, snakes, and vacuum cleaners.
If they closed both of their eyes at once, that could be the perfect moment for a predator to strike. By keeping one eye open while they blink the other one, they’ve still got a sense of the world around them.
When they’re eating or sleeping, a hamster will typically create some sort of nest in the ground to hide in. Then they can shut both their eyes without fear of retribution.
Hamsters also don’t have great eyesight to begin with. They’re both near-sighted and colorblind, so they need to take any advantage they can get.
However, if you ever get into a staring contest with a hamster, you’ll probably lose. Humans blink about 15 to 20 times per minute, but hamsters can go much longer between blinks.
The next time you close your eyes for a long time (a la the classic Ben Affleck photo below), take a minute to think about your hamster pals who’d have to go into hiding to do the same thing.
