Why do hamsters have a habit of putting their food everywhere?

Hamsters are notorious for their habit of storing food in their cheek pouches and then scattering it around their enclosure. There are a few reasons why they do this:

1. Instinctive Behavior: In the wild, hamsters are prey animals and their natural predators are larger carnivores. To protect themselves from being discovered, wild hamsters collect and hide food and seeds throughout their burrows, creating mini hoards so that they have immediate access to sustenance no matter where they are in their den.

2. Saving for Later: By stashing food, hamsters ensure that they have reserves to fall back on in case food becomes scarce or unavailable. Hamsters' natural environment presents them with fluctuating and often uncertain food supplies, thus reinforcing their drive to hoard.

3. Scent Marking: Hamsters also scatter their food as means of scent marking their territory. Leaving bits of food in various locations deposits their unique scent and lets other hamsters know that this space is already occupied.

4. Exploration: Foraging and caching food allows hamsters to fulfill their instinctive desire to forage, explore, and claim their surroundings as their own.

5. Stress Reducing: Storing food can act as a comforting ritual that brings hamsters a sense of comfort, safety, and control, especially in moments of anxiety or environmental challenges.

These instinctive habits, honed over generations, persist even in domesticated hamsters, resulting in their signature behavior of transporting meals everywhere and stashing it, creating their distinct "hamster hoards."