By storing food in their cheeks, hamsters can stockpile supplies in their burrows, ensuring they have enough to eat during leaner times. Their cheeks are specially designed for this task.

In the wild — yes, there are actually wild hamsters — they eat all kinds of food- leaves, shoots, veggies, and fruit. What they don’t consume right away, they store in those cheeks ...

Storing food and supplies quickly is a natural instinct for hamsters. In the wild, they forage for food and bedding material, which they stuff into their cheek pouches to bring back to their burrows.