Hamsters will first stuff food into their cheek pouches, and then "spit it out" and eat it slowly without interference. It is equivalent to storing food in a cheek pouch first.

Hamster mortar has cheek pouches on both cheeks, which can temporarily store food in the mouth and transport it to the hole for storage. Hamsters mainly feed on plant seeds, tender stems, leaves and fruits of plants, and occasionally eat insects. No hibernation. Live by eating stored food in winter. Hamsters stuffed food into their big cheek bags and took it back to store it in caves. As many as 90 kilograms of hamster caves were found to store food.