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How Long Did The Oldest Hamster Live?

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If you google for the age of the longest-lived hamster, you might come across a few web sites stating that it was 7 years, and some even quote the Guinness World Records as the source for this information.

There’s even a book that claims to tell you ““How To Make Your Hamster Live For 7 Years Or More”.

That’s a really long time given that most hamsters live for only 2 to 3 years.

Recently, I found out that you could search the Guinness World Records online and naturally I wanted to verify if the hamster age record was true. I couldn’t find any information on it at all so I asked the Guinness World Records on their facebook page.

This was what they said:

how long did the oldest hamster live guinness world records

It turns out the oldest hamster was from the UK and lived only for 4.5 years, not 7. So now you know 🙂 And I definitely won’t be getting that book.

My winter white hamsters are currently over 1.5 years old and I hope they have a long way to go.

How old is your hamster and how long did your oldest live? I would love to hear your comments below!

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  • Morgan

    I have a Chinese dwarf hamster and I got him in the winter of 5th grade. I’m in 8th grade, but I don’t know how old they are when you get them at the pet store. About a week before I went to a week-long summer camp, my hamster threw up, and I was worried that he had wet tail (look it up if you don’t know what it is) so while I was at camp, my dad put him on antibiotics cuz he’s a biologist, so I guess he knew what he was doing. I don’t know if that medicine has anything to do with expanding his life span, but if he can stay alive by the time I go to college, you just might see my little Squiggles in the books.

    • Janell White

      I have a teddy bear hamster and he is turning 5 this month. He has lost lots of hair and his balks are enormous but he still loves being cuddled and to run around and explore. He’s like a cat to me. I love him to pieces!

  • Morgan

    I’ve had a Chinese dwarf hamster for nearly five years, and he’s not showing signs of slowing down. He was on antibiotics once fore wet tail, not I don’t know of that would affect his age or not. Know why he’s so old??

  • Chrisa

    My WW just pasted today and she was around a year old, im not sure her exact age. though she was ill

  • Kenzie

    I have a Chinese Dwarf hamster and we got her two years ago. She is still healthy and very active! I don’t know how she was at the pet store, so I am just saying that she is 2-ish. Maybe she can break the record! 🙂

  • Dani

    3 years and still running on his wheel but now he is sleeping

  • Kim A. Goodwin

    I have a robo dwarf named Coco and she is 2 years and 4 months old.

  • swirly

    Got a syrian teddy bear hamster who is about 3 yrs old he is half bald an sleeps 90% of the time but once he wakes up an gets awake he runns an explorers as much as he can b4 I snag him up

  • Hercules The Hamster

    Well, my friend has beaten that record. His hamster was 6 until it passed away. SIX I TELL YOU!

  • Kim Baker-smith

    My Bertie is almost 4 and still as healthy as he was when I first got him, I truly believe it’s when you don’t over feed and the pet shop you get it from! he’s not even bald yet and has a degu sized cage now so gets plenty of exercise in his nice big wheel 🙂

  • John Wesley

    mine lived 5 lol, lots hamsters have lived above 4.5 years before, the owners just can’t be bothered to tell guinness about it…

  • Skylur Rae

    My Syrian hamster is 7 years old almost 8. ive had him going on 5 years he is a rescue. My little man has 1 eye and has several burn scars, my little teddy bear is my little miracle for sure <3

  • Suzy Espersen

    My friend’s golden hamster lived for seven years.

  • These days the average common hamster age is 3 to 5 years easy, but I’ve raised Syrian Golden Hamsters up to 2 years and given them to friends where they lived an additional 4 years, so that’s 6 years right there. And so 7 years is very much believable, and 8 years would be a miracle pushing it I think. Probably should forget about 9 years, that might require enhanced life support, LMAO. But these longer reporting ages you hear about are most likely from pet owners who go above and beyond the love for a pet as they treat them like family. Quality food, quality water, quality exercise, quality cleanliness, quality housing and play, quality vet care, quality special attention for the best… any of those things will definitely help a hamster live longer. And I’ve never even thought about documenting hamster age for Guinness, I just loved my hamsters and wanted them to stay clean, healthy and live longer, that’s all.

    • Joe (Jiro)

      Then why do all the official animal health type websites average much much lower life spans?

      • Because that’s just an average from general study of a group. Your personal pet care methods can change it easily. Do less, they live less. Do more, they live more. For example, not many hamster owners care about giving their hamster a warm bath with a gentle stream of water in the kitchen sink and use baby shampoo, but a squeaky clean hamster in a squeaky clean cage can make a huge difference. Some owners don’t care about giving their pet fresh carbon-filtered water or spring water instead of tap water, but that can make a big difference too. Measure their daily food instead of simply giving it to them. Train them with native food treats like raw vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts and insects instead of commercial foods as a reward for tricks (they love that). Some people hate the idea of a hamster at the kitchen table sneaking pieces of salad, but a hamster that thinks it’s family can behave like family with manners just as good as you can (no joke). Design a special room in the house or barn where they can run and play freely without a hamster ball (they don’t like being limited to just an exercise wheel no more than you do). A happy hamster is one that trusts you and will practically live in your shirt pocket, if you train it to do that. These and many other factors affect the lifespan of a hamster. You can’t get that kind of quality in a laboratory or shelter or in the wildlife, that’s for sure.

        • chris ericksen

          I’d use organic fruits, nuts and vegetables- that will certainly help. If I get one I’ll use an organic pet shampoo or some home concoction-

          I’m in CA and use Arrowhead Spring Water- probably the least of the evils…

        • Charlotte Harlow

          I would never put mine in water that isn’t good for them a

    • Very well stated. I think Mini helps me live. We all go when its our time. But I think we all want to know an educated guesstimation. For me knowing about how long she may have helps knowing where she is at in our years. So her being at 3 3/4 age makes her about my age. Knowing this I can have an educated guess on how she may be feeling & things she might want. Like U said I just want to love her & care for her the best that I can.

  • Anthony Mcdonnell

    my late hamster a Short haired Syrian was 4.5 years old when he passed on

  • Elizabeth Connell

    3 of my hamsters lived 4-5 1/2 years, my syrian hamster lived for 2 1/2.

  • Joe (Jiro)

    Hamtaro make’s me want to get a hamster again. I haven’t had once since I was in grade school.

  • morning all!

    mine lived 4-5 years before it got cancer and died. My current hamster is MIA… 🙁

  • Luke Butler

    Our hamster is a few months away from being 4 years old and still full of beans. We cant believe it. She’s out lived here friend hamster (one we bought the same.time by a year already) she doesn’t look like slowing up either. We feed her a mixed diet and lots.of treat foods as.we feel she’s in the latter years of her life and should.enjoy it. She keeps.on going.

    • Charlotte Harlow

      I give my robo lots of treats to I think as they have short life’s they may as well be happy

  • Sacconejolys

    My hamster lived for about 7 years. When we bought him, the pet shop had no idea how old he was

  • kb

    I have a Chinese dwarf hamster, she is one year and 1 and 1/2. I would be devastated without her.

  • Charlotte Harlow

    I don’t no how old my robo is I got him from pets at home (a UK store) a year ago it sure how old he was but there were lots there and I was told ‘he was from a new litter’ if anyone know a rough age when then leave mum pls let me know

  • My daughter got her Russian White hammster in August 2013 from a friend. Her name is Mini. My daughter got Mini a husband & they had babies. Mini divorced her husband & kicked the kidds out cuz they where to old to live at home.(my daughter took them to her fav pet store). My daughter moved out but Cuz Mini is an old lady now she said she should stay with me cuz Im an old lady too & we can keep eachother commpany.(my daughter cant face the death of Mini so Im keeping her). But yes she is still very much alive & feisty. I think she has arthritis in her back cuz she has a little hump. To help her with this I rub her back. It makes her feel better.

  • 3LeafClovers

    No one ever believes me but I had one hamster live to be 8 and one almost 10 (they were babies when I got them so their ages were not estimates). They both had gone grey and started losing their fur and one was pretty much blind by the end but they seemed happy and healthy otherwise until their last days. I also had a gerbil for 9 years and a goldfish for 15 years. I figured it was my calling so I went on to become a zookeeper and then a vet tech. On the other hand, I have the ability to kill the hardiest of house plants just by looking at them for too long.