If your pet hamster seems to be sleeping all the time, this may be one of your top concerns as a hamster owner. Despite the fact that hamsters need between 6 and 8 hours of sleep per day, this is typically accomplished during several sleep cycles. Hamsters are nocturnal, therefore during the day they sleep and at night they are active. This can make it appear as though they are always sleeping. If the temperature is too low, another explanation is that your hamster has gone into hibernation. Oversleeping in hamsters, however, can be an indication of a medical problem, therefore if this is suspected, prompt veterinary attention is required.
How Much Should A Hamster Sleep?
The hamster’s sleep pattern is very similar to our own. Your average hamster will require 6–8 hours of sleep every day. They could very well interrupt their sleep cycles if they entertain this net total notion. Many animals, in contrast to humans who feel pressured to sleep all at once, regularly schedule short naps throughout the day. Don’t freak out if you happen to observe this. It’s crucial to learn to work around your pet hamster’s sleep and wake times if you want to spend quality time with it, which is likely why you’re considering obtaining one as a pet in the first place.
What Time Do Hamsters Wake Up And Go To Sleep?
Hamsters are nocturnal, which means they are typically up at night and sleeping throughout the day. This doesn’t imply that they would sleep during the entire day, but rather that they will sleep more than they would at night. As a result, it is natural and good for your hamster to engage in healthy, energetic play during the day. If you’re a night owl like most people, it can be difficult to determine how much your hamster actually sleeps. You probably won’t be awake and staring at the cage when you should be sleeping.
It is during the nighttime hours, when most people are asleep, that hamsters enjoy spending their time. If you and your hamster happen to share a bed, you could find that the little guy keeps you up at night with his antics. Tired pet owners may become irritated by noisy wheels or toys. This is why wooden toys made from natural materials are ideal. Many home pets, from cats to guinea pigs, have adapted a more human-friendly sleep schedule that follows the 24-hour day.
Is It Wrong To Wake A Hamster Up?
Generally speaking, it is not recommended to wake up your hamster as doing so may interfere with their normal sleep cycles. Each hamster will have its own unique personality, and you may find that your pet is more active at certain times of the day.
Keep track of your hamster’s habits at these intervals to learn what it likes best.
In the great scheme of things, though, you should be ready to adjust your lifestyle to accommodate your nocturnal cat.
Should a sleeping hamster be woken up?
The temptation to rouse your hamster from slumber or force it to follow your daily routine may be strong. There are a few problems with this plan that make it a bad one. To begin, rousing a sleeping animal presents a variety of potential hazards. It’s considerably more challenging for the hamsters you keep as pets. Consider your typical day, starting at 8 a.m. and ending at 11 p.m. You may even feel scared and shocked when you awake. Sadly, hamsters lack the capacity for such verbal expression of emotion. They have no method of verbally expressing their emotions, so they resort to biting as a means of teaching you not to repeat a mistake. These rodents may be small, but they deliver a serious punch with their bites. When their sharp teeth make contact with the skin, the resulting pain can be quite intense. As an added risk, their incisions are often quite deep. If your hamster has developed a habit of biting you, you should be aware that you may be inadvertently reinforcing that behavior.
Consider the imaginary roommate once more on a deeper level than worrying about the harm you fear receiving. You’re right, it’s frustrating when he occasionally wakes you up and screws with your routine.
What happens when this kind of thing happens all of the time?
You feel lethargic and sleepy, and you start sleeping in and feeling terrible when you wake up in the morning. Hamsters are susceptible to the same effects if they are stressed. They’ll get stressed out if you keep them awake all the time.
This can cause more than just mental distress. The effects of stress on the body can be devastating, especially for fragile creatures like hamsters. Hamsters are susceptible to illness, which can shorten their lives.
Also, know Can you bathe a hamster?
It may not be wise to try to coax a resistant hamster into a new way of life by any means, even gentle persuasion. There is a substantial body of research on the biological internal clock (circadian rhythms) of an animal and the unfavorable effects of disrupting this clock. However, while it’s true that the occasional awakening of your hamster is unlikely to result in its demise, you still shouldn’t make a habit of it.
Hamsters, generally speaking, will conform to their owners’ routines to some extent. Even though they will still likely sleep all day, they will know when you will visit the cage to give them attention and snacks. Because of this, it is strongly advised that you maintain a consistent routine.
What Does It Mean If A Hamster Is Sleeping Too Much?
With this in mind, it’s probably best to consult a vet if you notice your hamster napping for more than 6-8 hours in a 24-hour period. Excessive slumber may be an indicator of a more serious condition requiring medical intervention. Not all veterinarians are equipped to handle small animals like hamsters, so it’s important to call ahead to make sure your local physician is willing to evaluate your pet. They will be able to diagnose your pet and suggest therapies or adjustments in lifestyle that will benefit and strengthen them.
Hibernation
In closing, hibernation is still another factor to think about. It is quite typical for hamsters to go into hibernation during the colder months. The slowing of their metabolic rate at this time makes it impossible to tell if they are sleeping, sick, or even dead. Note that hamsters only hibernate when the temperature drops below a certain point. Their ability to resist going into hibernation is dependent on the temperature being at least 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
However, it could be colder than you think if you place their cage in a draught (say, next to a window) or far from a radiator in the room. Here are some tried-and-true methods for determining whether or not your hamster is hibernating for the winter:
- Are you sure your hamster is still alive?
- Can you get a reaction from them if you stroke their whiskers softly?
- Do they have a beating heart?
- Is the heat in their cheek pouch more concentrated than elsewhere?
- If you suspect that they are hibernating, you should gradually raise the temperature in their habitat to just above 20 degrees Celsius.
- Within hours, you should see some sort of activity from your hamster, if not a full awakening.
- Consider purchasing a portable heater if the space where your hamster resides is cold.
Hamsters sleep several times a day, so it’s only natural to assume they’re dozing off all the time. This is rarely the case, and they may be awake for as much as 16 of every 24-hour period.
Extraordinary behavior beyond this point may indicate disease or hibernation. If you suspect illness, make sure your pet has access to warm temperatures (above 20 degrees Celsius), and take it to the vet immediately.
