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Playing dead
If your hamster lies absolutely still, usually on his
back, he is extremely frightened. He is trying to pre-
tend to be dead to fool a predator.
If you see your hamster do this, leave him alone for 24
hours to recover. Think about what might have caused
him to have been so very frightened. It may have been
a loud noise, a sudden bright light, or being chased
and grabbed. Try to avoid the situation occurring
again.
Rolling on his back
If you startle your pet, for example by
trying to pick him up when he is not
fully awake, he may roll over on his
back, kick, and bite. While freezing
and running away are the ham-
ster’s main form of self-defence,
kicking and biting is another
way of defending himself from
what he perceives as a danger.
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