This screaming hamster on TikTok has everyone wondering wait, why do they do that?!

A video on TikTok of nothing more than a hamster screaming at the camera has had over 15 million views. In the comments, it’s left people baffled – wondering if hamsters do even scream and why on earth they would do that.

People in the comments have responded things like: “It’s not uncommon for them to scream intermittently just because they learned they can” and “the hamster is fine they’re literally the most dramatic pets who will scream at any inconvenience”.

But what is the actual truth? Why oh why is that poor little hamster screaming? Here’s what the internet says.

So, why do hamsters scream?

According to an animal website, hamsters are very vocal animals. But if your hamster begins to scream, you should be alarmed, because it usually means they are in distress. They scream when they are frightened or angry, or in severe pain. However, this site does also say that “it’s not impossible that a hamster might scream intermittently because he has learned he can. Call that one the dwarf that cried wolf.” It’s just usually not the case.

According to Hamster Guru: “Very rarely you might hear a hamster scream. It is loud and unnerving but essentially born out of fear. It is your hamster’s way of letting you know that they are petrified and need more time to get to know you and their environment better.”

Of course, this isn’t the first time a hamster has gone viral screaming. In 2018, someone claiming to be a former PetSmart employee shared a photo of a terrified-looking hamster which they said was taken at PetSmart. In 2016, someone had already posted a video of what looked like the same hamster, screaming as its food was taken out of its cage.

This hamster is now a viral meme, with people using the picture and editing on crosses as a reaction picture for being shocked.

Peta has since said the picture is “not funny” and said: “A PETA investigation of Holmes Farm—a Pennsylvania animal dealer that supplied small animals to PetSmart and other pet stores—revealed that thousands of hamsters and other small animals were confined to severely crowded plastic bins and stacked in shelving units and that they endured other types of abuse.”

Peta says the animal was most likely screaming out of fear.

So I guess we’ll never truly know why that particular hamster on TikTok was screaming, but we can at least hope he’s one of the small percentage who just scream because they can.

For more of the best TikTok videos, trends and memes – follow The Holy Church of TikTok on Facebook. 

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