My hamster ate her sister? Grieving hamster?

[Rmv1983]

I found my baby girl Sierra dead this afternoon. I did not get a good look, but it seemed all that remained was fur. I could not stomach looking at her remains. I do not believe her sister had anything to due with her death. They were best friends. Is it normal for a hamster to eat the remains of a cage mate once they have died? Sierra was fine yesterday, so I am not sure why she died.

Is there anything I should do for her sister, Jasmine? She is running around, but I am sure she misses her sister. She has never been caged alone. She seems to be acting fine.

[p_anda]

This is very common. It's most likely that Sierra died of natural causes, and her sister did a 'clean-up' which is a normal response, they do this not to attract predators or to stop disease. A decomposing body could potentially become infested with fungus, parasites, etc. so Jasmine consumed her sister before this happened. Unfortunately this is a part of life, there's nothing you could've done if Sierra wasn't showing signs of illness. It would be very unusual for a hamster to kill her cage mate and eat her - they only do this with their young sometimes which is known as culling.

Jasmine could get a new friend, though at the moment she is probably still upset by the loss of her sister. You could try introducing another hamster to Jasmine in a few weeks, though be prepared that she might not accept her, so always have a spare cage.

I'm sorry about Sierra.

[LoveMyHams]

Yes hamsters will eat each other. They do it so animals can't smell the body and find them. It's gross to us, but survival for them. Keep an eye on Jasmine for any digestive issues/sickness, hams can get sick from eating a dead cagemate. She will adjust to being alone and be ok with it. I wouldn't try to give her a new friend or anything.

[AngelAmes]

I am really sorry for your loss. I think hamsters do tend to eat the remains of other hamsters. although it sounds horrible to us, for hamsters it is a survival mechanism so that no predators can smell the body.
I don't know what you can do with her sister. Just make sure she gets lots of love and attention

[souffle]

Sorry to hear that It is, as has been mentioned, a natural thing for a hamster to dispose of a dead body. It can cause a tummy upset for a few days so keep an eye on her.
I would not get a new cagemate because she likely would not accept it at this stage in her life. It usually takes about 10 days for the hamster to get accustomed to living alone and they normally do just fine with some extra attention from you and plenty toys and chews to keep them busy.

[Angelhamster]

I'm really sorry for your loss and what you saw in their cage. I knew wild animals would eat after birth and things like that so that predators aren't alerted to new borns but I had no idea hamsters did something similar with a dead 'cage mate'.

I wish you and Jasmine the best

[cathface]

I'm sorry for your loss, it must have been an awful shock to find. I didn't know hamsters would eat their dead cage mates but it does make sense now I think about it.

[Rmv1983]

I want to thank everyone for the help. Jasmine seems lost this evening, but I gave her a bunch of chew toys I stole from my chinchillas. She has lots of new stuff to investigate. Should I disinfect the cage, to try and get the smell of her sister out?

I won't be trying to introduce another hamster in Jasmine's future. She got along great with Sierra, but she bullied her mother. I have her mom in a separate cage.

It was just a shock to find her, at only five months old.

[Lynternette]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Its not a nice thing for you to find but its part of their life. xxx

[KimOrbit]

:'( Im completely sorry about that. I can't say anything cause Others have completely described it to you.
Just want to say R.I.P.