Late riser?

hamsterbasil · 04-02-2017, 06:25 PM

Hello.
My hamster, Basil, is lovely but he WILL NOT get up any earlier than 11:30pm. He is impossible to bribe out of his house and if he does miraculously come out of his house he is super grumpy. I have read that sometimes a bit of tough love can do the trick by just scooping out of his hide out but I just feel sooooo bad doing that, especially because he can be easily scared if im not careful (he used to be super duper skittish and nervous)
However, if I wait for him to get up by himself he is really happy and willing to climb all over me.
I don't know what to do because he is such a late riser, and I can't seem to change his routine. With my other 3 hamsters I have easily been able to get them to adapt but Basil is giving me a tough time. I always stay up so late so that he can get a play time, and I can't keep it up! Any ideas? Thank you! x

Drago · 04-02-2017, 06:28 PM

Basil is absolutely adorable! I adore his coloration

To be honest, I think a bit of tough love is really what he needs. He may be unhappy and grumpy at first, but over time he'll adjust to waking up earlier and won't be so resistant. I wouldn't worry about him reverting back to his skittish ways, just wake him and give him a few minutes to shake off his sleepiness before taking him out to play and he should be fine. Best wishes

AmityvilleHams · 04-02-2017, 06:44 PM

Just let him get up on his own.It's far more kind to the poor little guy,and forcing him to get up would be quite stressful

A lot of people suggest making hamsters get up when you want and changing their schedule that way but I personally don't agree with that.You want to keep stress to a minimum and be as kind as possible,and that means allowing your hamster to work their way not how you want them to.I know it's frustrating,but forcing a hamster to adapt to an unnatural schedule(or even just one they don't like)is just not ethical and can be potentially unhealthy

Juliebrei · 04-04-2017, 10:55 AM

My syrian is very skittish too, for him it depends on light. He refuses to get up or be out of his nest if there is light.
I have found though that he sleeps in intervals and the trick is to predict that interval so you can take him out without waking him.
He might not be sleeping all the time he spends in his nest