What Are 'Hamster Death Stories' And Why Are They Always So Strange?

Pets are a great way for children to learn about loving and caring for an animal, but for some unfortunate pet owners, they are also a great way to take on a traumatic, childhood memory.

It appears that most hamster owners around the world share this experience of their own extremely bizarre, premature Hamster Death Stories.

Now, these unfortunate pet owners have taken to TikTok, Reddit and Twitter to relay their woes. But how many absurd ways can a hamster really die? What are the details of these gruesome, rodent deaths that have internet users voyeuristically peering into them? What does a “Hamster Death Story” entail? Let’s explain.

What Is A “Hamster Death Story?”

A Hamster Death Story is any personal anecdote one may have about a pet hamster that they, or someone they knew, owned and loved, but one day suddenly died in a strange way. The commonality of these strange demises has since accumulated into the “Hamster Death Story” trend. It's not exactly known why hamsters die in such obtuse ways compared to other pets, but it most likely has to do with their size, the young age of their owners and susceptibility to fear in regards to them being a "prey" animal.

Who Started The Hamster Death Stories Trend?

The first person to ask people for their "Hamster Death Stories" was TikToker @obviously.not.madi. In May 2021, she posted a video with a caption calling for responses about the funny and strange ways peoples' pet hamsters died. She claimed that hamsters “die in the most traumatic but funny way” — and judging by the responses she got, she was right.

The comment section of her TikTok was filled with various horrifying tales of the otherwise cute and cuddly rodents being burnt, starved, squished and eaten, among other traumas by their neglectful (and often underage) owners.

However, the stories aren’t always gory. For instance, one TikToker left a comment saying, "I was doing math homework and it was on my bed. it looked at my computer and died. I'm convinced its brain exploded from confusion."

In subsequent stitches, people started stitching @obviously.not.madi’s TikTok, narrating their own hamster deaths. They became increasingly weird as they spread to other social media platforms.

How Are Hamster Death Stories Used In Memes?

Hamster Death Stories spread to Twitter too. User @jaxajueny, for instance, tweeted, “Never in my life heard a story about a hamster dying peacefully. It’s always some crazy shit." Many people seemed to agree, liking the post en masse and reposting it to Instagram. A wider pool of ex-hamster owners shared their stories.

Screenshots also made their way to Reddit, where one upvoted to the front page of /r/cursedcomments. The gaffes didn’t stop there. Many Redditors started sharing their own stories too as the trend has continued into mid-2022.

If you want to learn more about this meme, check out our entry on Hamster Death Stories here.