Photographer Captures the Cutest Portraits of Wild Hamsters Enjoying Nature

We may consider hamsters to be merely household animals that dwell in our houses. However, as photographer Julian Rad demonstrates, these critters are really charming as they live among natural fruit and thick grasses. His continuous series of wild hamster photos show the rodents enjoying nature, such as stopping to smell the flowers and tasting fruits. The critters appear to be having a good time as they interact with nature, and the images reflect that.

Rad is from Central Europe and photographs the European hamster, commonly known as the black-bellied hamster or the common hamster. “I live near the Danube,” he tells Hasan Jasim, “where many different creatures can be seen, and at one time in my life I began photographing them.” He began with bug macro photography then progressed to photographing tiny rodents such as hamsters and squirrels.

Wild animals, as anybody who has photographed them previously knows, can be unpredictable and difficult to capture. Photographers must be patient and spend time watching an animal’s behavior. “I’ve spent many hours sitting in my photo-hide photographing many different wild animal species,” Rad adds. “That is precisely why wildlife photography is so difficult; you need empathy, species knowledge, endurance, and a dash of luck.”

Rad’s patience has resulted in some miraculous encounters. “One evening, when resting in the meadow to photograph a hamster, I felt something on my leg,” he says. “I turned around, and there was a hamster that had climbed on my leg and made itself at home.” I’ve never seen anything like it; moments like this, and being able to get so close to the creatures, are why I enjoy what I do.”

Scroll down to view hamsters in the wild and learn about photographing them.