diff --git a/mastodon/Mastodon.py b/mastodon/Mastodon.py
index 6ab9291..2e620ba 100644
--- a/mastodon/Mastodon.py
+++ b/mastodon/Mastodon.py
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@ class Mastodon:
     """
     __DEFAULT_BASE_URL = 'https://mastodon.social'
     __DEFAULT_TIMEOUT = 300
+    __DEFAULT_STREAM_TIMEOUT = 300
     __DEFAULT_STREAM_RECONNECT_WAIT_SEC = 5
     __SUPPORTED_MASTODON_VERSION = "2.3.0"
     
@@ -1430,45 +1431,45 @@ class Mastodon:
     # Streaming
     ###
     @api_version("1.1.0", "1.4.2")    
-    def stream_user(self, listener, run_async=False, reconnect_async=False, reconnect_async_wait_sec=__DEFAULT_STREAM_RECONNECT_WAIT_SEC):
+    def stream_user(self, listener, run_async=False, timeout=__DEFAULT_STREAM_TIMEOUT, reconnect_async=False, reconnect_async_wait_sec=__DEFAULT_STREAM_RECONNECT_WAIT_SEC):
         """
         Streams events that are relevant to the authorized user, i.e. home
         timeline and notifications.
         """
-        return self.__stream('/api/v1/streaming/user', listener, run_async=run_async, reconnect_async=reconnect_async, reconnect_async_wait_sec=reconnect_async_wait_sec)
+        return self.__stream('/api/v1/streaming/user', listener, run_async=run_async, timeout=timeout, reconnect_async=reconnect_async, reconnect_async_wait_sec=reconnect_async_wait_sec)
 
     @api_version("1.1.0", "1.4.2")
-    def stream_public(self, listener, run_async=False, reconnect_async=False, reconnect_async_wait_sec=__DEFAULT_STREAM_RECONNECT_WAIT_SEC):
+    def stream_public(self, listener, run_async=False, timeout=__DEFAULT_STREAM_TIMEOUT, reconnect_async=False, reconnect_async_wait_sec=__DEFAULT_STREAM_RECONNECT_WAIT_SEC):
         """
         Streams public events.
         """
-        return self.__stream('/api/v1/streaming/public', listener, run_async=run_async, reconnect_async=reconnect_async, reconnect_async_wait_sec=reconnect_async_wait_sec)
+        return self.__stream('/api/v1/streaming/public', listener, run_async=run_async, timeout=timeout, reconnect_async=reconnect_async, reconnect_async_wait_sec=reconnect_async_wait_sec)
 
     @api_version("1.1.0", "1.4.2")
-    def stream_local(self, listener, run_async=False, reconnect_async=False, reconnect_async_wait_sec=__DEFAULT_STREAM_RECONNECT_WAIT_SEC):
+    def stream_local(self, listener, run_async=False, timeout=__DEFAULT_STREAM_TIMEOUT, reconnect_async=False, reconnect_async_wait_sec=__DEFAULT_STREAM_RECONNECT_WAIT_SEC):
         """
         Streams local public events.
         """
-        return self.__stream('/api/v1/streaming/public/local', listener, run_async=run_async, reconnect_async=reconnect_async, reconnect_async_wait_sec=reconnect_async_wait_sec)
+        return self.__stream('/api/v1/streaming/public/local', listener, run_async=run_async, timeout=timeout, reconnect_async=reconnect_async, reconnect_async_wait_sec=reconnect_async_wait_sec)
 
     @api_version("1.1.0", "1.4.2")
-    def stream_hashtag(self, tag, listener, run_async=False, reconnect_async=False, reconnect_async_wait_sec=__DEFAULT_STREAM_RECONNECT_WAIT_SEC):
+    def stream_hashtag(self, tag, listener, run_async=False, timeout=__DEFAULT_STREAM_TIMEOUT, reconnect_async=False, reconnect_async_wait_sec=__DEFAULT_STREAM_RECONNECT_WAIT_SEC):
         """
         Stream for all public statuses for the hashtag 'tag' seen by the connected
         instance.
         """
         if tag.startswith("#"):
             raise MastodonIllegalArgumentError("Tag parameter should omit leading #")
-        return self.__stream("/api/v1/streaming/hashtag?tag={}".format(tag), listener, run_async=run_async, reconnect_async=reconnect_async, reconnect_async_wait_sec=reconnect_async_wait_sec)
+        return self.__stream("/api/v1/streaming/hashtag?tag={}".format(tag), listener, run_async=run_async, timeout=timeout, reconnect_async=reconnect_async, reconnect_async_wait_sec=reconnect_async_wait_sec)
 
     @api_version("2.1.0", "2.1.0")
-    def stream_list(self, id, listener, run_async=False, reconnect_async=False, reconnect_async_wait_sec=__DEFAULT_STREAM_RECONNECT_WAIT_SEC):
+    def stream_list(self, id, listener, run_async=False, timeout=__DEFAULT_STREAM_TIMEOUT, reconnect_async=False, reconnect_async_wait_sec=__DEFAULT_STREAM_RECONNECT_WAIT_SEC):
         """
         Stream events for the current user, restricted to accounts on the given
         list. 
         """
         id =  self.__unpack_id(id)
-        return self.__stream("/api/v1/streaming/list?list={}".format(id), listener, run_async=run_async, reconnect_async=reconnect_async, reconnect_async_wait_sec=reconnect_async_wait_sec)
+        return self.__stream("/api/v1/streaming/list?list={}".format(id), listener, run_async=run_async, timeout=timeout, reconnect_async=reconnect_async, reconnect_async_wait_sec=reconnect_async_wait_sec)
     
     ###
     # Internal helpers, dragons probably
@@ -1710,7 +1711,7 @@ class Mastodon:
 
         return response
 
-    def __stream(self, endpoint, listener, params={}, run_async=False, reconnect_async=False, reconnect_async_wait_sec=5):
+    def __stream(self, endpoint, listener, params={}, run_async=False, timeout=__DEFAULT_STREAM_TIMEOUT, reconnect_async=False, reconnect_async_wait_sec=__DEFAULT_STREAM_RECONNECT_WAIT_SEC):
         """
         Internal streaming API helper.
 
@@ -1742,7 +1743,9 @@ class Mastodon:
         # Connect function (called and then potentially passed to async handler)
         def connect_func():
             headers = {"Authorization": "Bearer " + self.access_token}
-            connection = self.session.get(url + endpoint, headers = headers, data = params, stream = True)
+            connection = self.session.get(url + endpoint, headers = headers, data = params, stream = True,
+                                  timeout=(self.request_timeout, timeout))
+
             if connection.status_code != 200:
                 raise MastodonNetworkError("Could not connect to streaming server: %s" % connection.reason)
             return connection
@@ -1912,6 +1915,10 @@ class MastodonNetworkError(MastodonIOError):
     """Raised when network communication with the server fails"""
     pass
 
+class MastodonReadTimeout(MastodonNetworkError):
+    """Raised when a stream times out"""
+    pass
+
 
 class MastodonAPIError(MastodonError):
     """Raised when the mastodon API generates a response that cannot be handled"""
diff --git a/mastodon/streaming.py b/mastodon/streaming.py
index 1c73f48..3fbd569 100644
--- a/mastodon/streaming.py
+++ b/mastodon/streaming.py
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ https://github.com/tootsuite/mastodon/blob/master/docs/Using-the-API/Streaming-A
 import json
 import six
 from mastodon import Mastodon
-from mastodon.Mastodon import MastodonMalformedEventError, MastodonNetworkError
-from requests.exceptions import ChunkedEncodingError
+from mastodon.Mastodon import MastodonMalformedEventError, MastodonNetworkError, MastodonReadTimeout
+from requests.exceptions import ChunkedEncodingError, ReadTimeout
 
 class StreamListener(object):
     """Callbacks for the streaming API. Create a subclass, override the on_xxx
@@ -68,7 +68,12 @@ class StreamListener(object):
                 MastodonNetworkError("Server ceased communication."),
                 err
             )
-            
+        except MastodonReadTimeout as err:
+            six.raise_from(
+                MastodonReadTimeout("Timed out while reading from server."),
+                err
+            )
+
     def _parse_line(self, line, event):
         if line.startswith(':'):
             self.handle_heartbeat()