New Russian Hamsters

[Eleman88]

Hi. We just acquired 2 new family members, Sansa & Arya, Russian Dwarf hamsters. They are great but are active when we’re not around and sleep when we are. Can we somehow reverse their biological clock? They love their Ferplast cage.

[AmityvilleHams]

I wouldn't try to change their sleeping patterns,it would be quite unnatural with minimal benefit(not much if any benefit to the hamsters either,mostly beneficial to humans).

[cypher]

How long have you had them now?
It will take a while for them to settle in & get confident enough to come out earlier.
You can gradually get them used to coming out a little earlier by interacting with them, making it food time or offering treats when they naturally get up in the evening & then slowly over a period of time do the same thing, rustling the bedding or a food bad very gently so they know you're there at a slightly earlier time until they start to come out at a time that suits you both.
They are naturally most active at dawn & dusk so you need to work with that to some extent you can't make them become diurnal.

[Eleman88]

Thanks for the advice. I don't want to disturb their natural rhythm but we do like to observe their antics. Artificial lighting could be disrupting them, so Ill try changing that a bit.