I'm amazed at how much hamsters can fit inside their cheek pouches! Watch this hilarious hamster named Hamantha Mari, who lives in Cincinnati, stuff NINE baby carrots into her cheeks! Just when I thought she was done, she shoves another one in, miraculously. Here's a note from her human, explaining that this could be dangerous for hamsters, and that she keeps a close eye on Hamantha for that reason:
"Inexperienced hamsters should not try this at home. They can rip their cheeks, and I was there ready to help prevent that."
If you want to see more, here's a funny compilation of a whole bunch of hamsters stuffing their cheeks with various foods!
Finally, if you want to learn more about how hamsters can fit so much inside their cheek pouches, here's a short video explainer. Did you know that a hamster can carry about about 20% of its body mass in its cheek pouches? Or that a hamster's cheek pouches stretch and extend all the way to their hips? The video also states that when a hamster puts food in its cheek pouches, it doesn't secrete saliva, so that it can keep the food dry. And what happens if a hamster has trouble emptying its pouches once it has carried the food to its storage place? You can see in the video that the lil' cutie uses its paws to gently push the food out—how cool!
