diff --git a/packages/hydrated_bloc/lib/src/hydrated_bloc.dart b/packages/hydrated_bloc/lib/src/hydrated_bloc.dart
index 85cc5b2ad48..0ad74868fca 100644
--- a/packages/hydrated_bloc/lib/src/hydrated_bloc.dart
+++ b/packages/hydrated_bloc/lib/src/hydrated_bloc.dart
@@ -324,10 +324,8 @@ mixin HydratedMixin<State> on BlocBase<State> {
       _checkCycle(object);
       final map = <String, dynamic>{};
       object.forEach((dynamic key, dynamic value) {
-        final castKey = _cast<String>(key);
-        if (castKey != null) {
-          map[castKey] = _traverseWrite(value).value;
-        }
+        final castKey = key?.toString();
+        if (castKey != null) map[castKey] = _traverseWrite(value).value;
       });
       _removeSeen(object);
       return map;
diff --git a/packages/hydrated_bloc/test/cubits/cubits.dart b/packages/hydrated_bloc/test/cubits/cubits.dart
index f1905d95c97..cf0d258054e 100644
--- a/packages/hydrated_bloc/test/cubits/cubits.dart
+++ b/packages/hydrated_bloc/test/cubits/cubits.dart
@@ -5,4 +5,5 @@ export 'from_json_state_cubit.dart';
 export 'json_serializable_cubit.dart';
 export 'list_cubit.dart';
 export 'manual_cubit.dart';
+export 'season_palette_cubit.dart';
 export 'simple_cubit.dart';
diff --git a/packages/hydrated_bloc/test/cubits/season_palette_cubit.dart b/packages/hydrated_bloc/test/cubits/season_palette_cubit.dart
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a77d44bd8f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/hydrated_bloc/test/cubits/season_palette_cubit.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+import 'package:hydrated_bloc/hydrated_bloc.dart';
+import 'package:meta/meta.dart';
+
+/// A cubit that has a state which uses int key values in its serialized form.
+/// https://github.com/felangel/bloc/issues/3983
+class SeasonPaletteCubit extends HydratedCubit<SeasonPalette> {
+  SeasonPaletteCubit() : super(const SeasonPalette({}));
+
+  void update(SeasonPalette palette) => emit(palette);
+
+  @override
+  Map<String, dynamic> toJson(SeasonPalette state) => state.toJson();
+
+  @override
+  SeasonPalette fromJson(Map<String, dynamic> json) {
+    return SeasonPalette.fromJson(json);
+  }
+}
+
+@immutable
+class SeasonPalette {
+  const SeasonPalette(this.colors);
+
+  factory SeasonPalette.fromJson(Map<String, dynamic> json) {
+    final raw = json['colors'] as Map<String, dynamic>? ?? {};
+    return SeasonPalette(
+      raw.map(
+        (key, value) => MapEntry(
+          Season.fromJson(int.parse(key)),
+          value as String,
+        ),
+      ),
+    );
+  }
+
+  final Map<Season, String> colors;
+
+  Map<String, dynamic> toJson() {
+    return <String, dynamic>{
+      'colors': colors.map<int, String>(
+        (key, value) => MapEntry(key.toJson(), value),
+      ),
+    };
+  }
+
+  @override
+  bool operator ==(Object other) {
+    if (identical(this, other)) return true;
+    if (other is! SeasonPalette) return false;
+    if (colors.length != other.colors.length) return false;
+    for (final entry in colors.entries) {
+      if (other.colors[entry.key] != entry.value) return false;
+    }
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  @override
+  int get hashCode => colors.hashCode;
+}
+
+@immutable
+class Season {
+  const Season._(this.index, this.name);
+
+  static const spring = Season._(0, 'spring');
+  static const summer = Season._(1, 'summer');
+  static const autumn = Season._(2, 'autumn');
+  static const winter = Season._(3, 'winter');
+
+  static const values = [spring, summer, autumn, winter];
+
+  final int index;
+  final String name;
+
+  int toJson() => index;
+
+  static Season fromJson(int value) {
+    return values.firstWhere((e) => e.index == value);
+  }
+
+  @override
+  bool operator ==(Object other) {
+    return identical(this, other) || other is Season && other.index == index;
+  }
+
+  @override
+  int get hashCode => index.hashCode;
+
+  @override
+  String toString() => 'Season.$name';
+}
diff --git a/packages/hydrated_bloc/test/e2e_test.dart b/packages/hydrated_bloc/test/e2e_test.dart
index a1816297f28..43a3917e7d4 100644
--- a/packages/hydrated_bloc/test/e2e_test.dart
+++ b/packages/hydrated_bloc/test/e2e_test.dart
@@ -383,6 +383,24 @@ void main() {
       });
     });
 
+    group('SeasonPaletteCubit', () {
+      test(
+          'persists and restores state '
+          'when serialized state uses non-string keys', () async {
+        final palette = SeasonPalette({
+          Season.spring: 'green',
+          Season.summer: 'yellow',
+          Season.autumn: 'orange',
+          Season.winter: 'white',
+        });
+        final cubit = SeasonPaletteCubit();
+        expect(cubit.state, const SeasonPalette({}));
+        cubit.update(palette);
+        await sleep();
+        expect(SeasonPaletteCubit().state, palette);
+      });
+    });
+
     group('FromJsonStateCubit', () {
       test('does not throw StackOverflow ', () async {
         final fromJsonCalls = <int>[];
diff --git a/packages/hydrated_bloc/test/hydrated_cubit_test.dart b/packages/hydrated_bloc/test/hydrated_cubit_test.dart
index 421f12f5f34..d9f770105e9 100644
--- a/packages/hydrated_bloc/test/hydrated_cubit_test.dart
+++ b/packages/hydrated_bloc/test/hydrated_cubit_test.dart
@@ -91,6 +91,21 @@ class MyMultiHydratedCubit extends HydratedCubit<int> {
   int? fromJson(dynamic json) => json['value'] as int?;
 }
 
+class MyIntKeyMapCubit extends HydratedCubit<Map<int, String>> {
+  MyIntKeyMapCubit() : super(const {});
+
+  @override
+  Map<String, dynamic> toJson(Map<int, String> state) {
+    return {'data': state};
+  }
+
+  @override
+  Map<int, String> fromJson(Map<String, dynamic> json) {
+    final raw = json['data'] as Map<String, dynamic>? ?? {};
+    return raw.map((key, value) => MapEntry(int.parse(key), value as String));
+  }
+}
+
 class MyHydratedCubitWithCustomStorage extends HydratedCubit<int> {
   MyHydratedCubitWithCustomStorage(Storage storage)
       : super(0, storage: storage);
@@ -396,6 +411,28 @@ void main() {
       });
     });
 
+    group('MyIntKeyMapCubit', () {
+      test('serializes non-string keys', () {
+        final cubit = MyIntKeyMapCubit();
+        const data = {0: 'a', 1: 'b', 2: 'c'};
+        const change = Change(currentState: <int, String>{}, nextState: data);
+        cubit.onChange(change);
+        verify(
+          () => storage.write('MyIntKeyMapCubit', {
+            'data': {'0': 'a', '1': 'b', '2': 'c'},
+          }),
+        ).called(1);
+      });
+
+      test('restores state when cache has stringified int keys', () {
+        when<dynamic>(() => storage.read(any())).thenReturn({
+          'data': {'0': 'a', '1': 'b'},
+        });
+        final cubit = MyIntKeyMapCubit();
+        expect(cubit.state, {0: 'a', 1: 'b'});
+      });
+    });
+
     group('MyHydratedCubitWithCustomStorage', () {
       setUp(() {
         HydratedBloc.storage = null;