Morning hamster

Sefka · 02-01-2018, 04:51 PM

Hamsters are supposed to be active in the evenings, right? I don't think anyone's explained this to Harvey.

He doesn't normally wake up until 9pm at the very earliest, and if I take him out to play any time before 11pm, he's normally a bit halfhearted. On the other hand, when I get up at around 7am, he's nearly always awake and asking to come out. When I get him out, he charges around for ages.

I'm not especially worried - he seems happy and healthy enough - I was just curious to hear other people's experiences with their hamster's sleep patterns. I've had four other Syrians and they all used to be active at what I imagine is a 'normal' time of the evening.

Pebbles82 · 02-01-2018, 06:08 PM

They are more "crepuscular" than nocturnal so will be awake early evening and also early in the morning. They actually have naps at various points during the night too! Some hammies love to have breakfast with you!

Burakki · 02-01-2018, 11:52 PM

My hammies seem to adapt to my own schedule, not really waking up until I’m in the room and the TV is on. They seemed to have realized that they are fed when we are in the room watching tv, and seem to function at the same time as we do. In August we left Marti alone for a couple days and when we came back, it seemed as if she slept all the time we weren’t there. Of course, it’s not true, but my hammies really do seem to adapt to my schedule, so I think that it’s a pretty individual thing with then.

cypher · 02-02-2018, 02:10 AM

My hams are active in the evening but I find them mostly more interactive & wanting to play, have cuddles & treats in the morning.

CMB · 02-02-2018, 11:04 AM

Both my Russian dwarf hamsters are awake mostly late night until it gets light the following morning.

My robo wakes up earlier in the evening and stays awake most of the night and then goes to sleep earlier than my other two. He sometimes gets food and water during the day time, but not always.

Sefka · 02-07-2018, 02:34 PM

Thanks all for the interesting answers - it's always nice to compare.

I've recently had to pull a couple of all-nighters working on uni assignments so I've seen Harvey's whole routine. And after about 2am he goes back to bed, then gets up at around 5.30 and stays up til 8 ish.

I'm so jealous of his lifestyle right now.

flowerfairy · 02-08-2018, 12:42 PM

Jelous of this lifestyle hahaha!

dreamtree1234 · 02-08-2018, 01:14 PM

My Syrian female, Eros, is quite similar to Burakki's Marti and Lemon. She has adopted my typical schedule and usually is quite active when I'm in the room with her. She is always more than ready to come out and play, cuddle, and interact with me whenever she hears me around. She typically is the most active starting around 7 at night until around 8 in the morning and sleeps off and on during the day. She is the perfect example of a hobbit-ham who definitely enjoys begging for and eating some my breakfast after she has already eaten hers, lol. All it usually takes for her to beg to come out and play is me calling her name, a little whistling sound that I make sometimes, or a rustling of a bag. She is EXTREMELY playful and loves all the attention that she can get (which of course I'm more than willing to provide). She does most of her extreme wheel marathons during the extremely late hours of the night and early morning hours. I hope that this helps. I think hams are just like us humans; some are early birds, some are night owls, and all of are as unique as ever.

Sefka · 02-08-2018, 04:42 PM

Haha, yes I sometimes wonder if 'love' and 'desire for food' are the same in the mind of a hamster. Harvey used to always come out when I got in from work, but now he's figured out that he doesn't get treats at that time, he just stays in his nest. I know he wakes up because I hear him chomping, but he doesn't bother coming out to say hi anymore.

Hammy992 · 02-09-2018, 01:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sefka

Haha, yes I sometimes wonder if 'love' and 'desire for food' are the same in the mind of a hamster. Harvey used to always come out when I got in from work, but now he's figured out that he doesn't get treats at that time, he just stays in his nest. I know he wakes up because I hear him chomping, but he doesn't bother coming out to say hi anymore.

Haha my hamster is exactly the same! I tell myself it's just because he's getting older and not because he has eyes only for the treats!

He did come out for a nice snuggle - or more a crazy run around - on the bed last night which was nice. He can be sociable when he wants to; perhaps he has picked up some bad habits from me lol