Hamster questions...

[Nappo]

Now, imagine you would be awaken by someone in the middle of a deep dream, deep sleep. And you will be awaken the next night and the night after and the night after the night before etc. You would going crazy and being exhausted, wouldn't you? That would short our live to, sleep is important for us, isn't it?

[Hope]

Hi Pip -

Him stepping onto your hand will come with time. As he begins to trust you more and know what seeing you 'means' (ie treats and playtime!). If he is sometimes difficult to take out of his cage scoop him up in a box or his ball and then put him onto your hands. As he gets more used to you, he will begin to trust your hands a bit more. With Phoebe I cant usually get her off! If I put my hand in the cage to adjust somthing she is up my arm like a shot! She even tries to cling onto my hair if it dangles in the cage! She hasnt always been like this though, its just somthing that has developed with time, so keep up the taming and it will come!

It is possible to wake them, but it must be done quite carefully. I have a house without a bottom so that I can just lift if off her and let her 'come to' on her own accord. When she hears and sees me she knows, and will often potter about then I can pick her up and begin handling her. I often wake her when I get in from work at 6pm to say hello and have a cuddle, she mostly goes back to sleep after her little play time waking again later. I have never heard of it shortning their lives, and as long as they are not disstressed and upset it shouldnt be too much of a problem. Just be cafeful with her (I know you will anyway!) I *can* lift Phoebe out of her bed without her biting, but she is obviously a bit miffed, so I tend to let her come out and wander about for a little before I go in to pick her up.

[Ellie]

I don't see how it would shorten their life either, but obviously the UK and Germany have very different views

[fluffymunchkins]

First of all, great name

My porridge rarely climbs onto my hand by his own choice and i've had him 10 months now!
Some do, some don't, but i find it easier to just scoop him up with two hands.

As for waking your hamster, i prefer not to wake my hamsters up if i can help it, often they are awake (i can hear rustling and munching) but just sitting in their nests. Over time they will learn the routine of when you will bring them out to play and normally wake up around that time. But if you want to get him up a bit earlier, you can try rustling the food bag and trying to tempt him out a bit earlier each time. Until he adjusts to wake up earlier.

I have read many stories about the effects of waking your hamster up. But honestly i believe as long as you respect the fact they are nocturnal and if they make it clear they don't want to get up then don't. Only if your waking them up several times in the day would i see it as a problem.
Most of mine will get up as soon as they hear my voice anyway

[pip]

Thank you for your replies. As it happens, Porridge woke earlier himself tonight - at 8:15pm. This may be because I changed his food and water a little earlier. Also, I managed to pick him up first time (usually he runs around a bit before I catch him). He seemed very happy - we were able to stroke and hold him for about 5 minutes before we put him back in his cage.

Can I just ask, what do your hamsters like as 'treats'? We have been giving him a little piece of broccolli or a monkey nut after holding him, but am wondering what everyone else gives their hamsters.

pip x

[Fluff]

My hamsters wake up all the time in the day of their own accords, whenever they hear me walk into the room they come out the houses like a shot and are down by the door waiting for treats and play time! bless them!

Makes me feel guilty tho coz half the time I only enter the room to get clothes out of the cupboard etc for my kids! (they are upstairs, figured would be way too noisy for them to sleep downstairs with 3 kids in the house)

Anyway what Im trying to say is give him time he will probably figure out soon that Human = food and fun and want to wake up anyway when he hears u near-by

treats: they are quite fond of one of them hammy chocs/milk drops, we have a tub full of hammy treats, we bought pretty much a bag of everything in the hamster section and bunged it all in a big tub and pick out randomly a treat once a day. also give small bits of fruit and veg now and again.

[Hope]

Sounds like things are going in the right direction

As for treats - healthy ones are better than the shop bought sugarry ones - but these are ok too in moderation. Things such as millet, pumpkin seeds, currants, raisins, sultanas, dried apple, dired banana chips, cucumber, carrot, sweetcorn, peas, puppy bonio dog buscuits, markie dog buscuits, unsalted crackers, corn flakes, pasta (can be cooked or uncooked, but most seem to like cooked best) a little scrambled egg made with soya milk or water, - these all go down well with my lot - I have made them sound like right little piggies!! Just a little at a time, and not too many new foods at once as this can cause upset tummys.

There are some more ideas for safe foods on the wiki here: Common fresh foods for your hamster - Hamster Central WIKI
Safe and Unsafe Food and Plants - Hamster Central WIKI

[ForDarwin]

Hi, I was just wondering, my new hamster doesn’t come out on his own when I am in the room. He wakes up at about 6 or 7. How do I know if he really is awake or just sleep snacking? I would never want to wake him from actual sleep.

[Barbie]

Hi,
I guess you'd have to try and listen if there's movement or nibbling sounds inside his den or house - there's not a lot more you can do... Other than that, I'd just leave him to wake whenever he feels like it, 6 or 7 is not so bad. I've had syrians who never woke up before 10 p.m., so early evening is a good compromise for both of you

I'll have to get back to the waking-up-problem to help Nappo out with her explanation: Hamsters are nocturnal, so their natural time of sleeping is during the daytime, just as humans nomally sleep at night. Just like us, their times vary, I'm a night owl and always up late, other people are early risers and go to bed early - however, none of us could stand not being able to sleep during our sleeping times over a longer period of time without getting ill. There's a natural tendency towards a certain wake-and-sleep behaviour in all mammals that cannot be changed completely.
That's why (in Germany at least) it is always recommended to leave the hamster alone when it sleeps and just live with its nocturnal habits - the reason also for them not being recommended as pets for little children.

Also, there are scientific studies which prove that sleep deprivation leads to depression - just as too much exposure to light during the sleeping times does (for humans and rodents!). I've searched the net to find English studies or at least studies in English so I don't have to translate them, and here are the links to the excerpts (I hope I'm allowed to post them):
Sleep deprivation increases brain serotonin turnover in the Djungarian hamster
Sleep deprivation and daily torpor impair object recognition in Djungarian hamsters
Basically, we go by the same recommendations as this US info site gives, not trying to alter the animals' behaviour to suit our needs but adjust to theirs.
Small Animal Channel: Understanding Your Hamster’s Sleep Schedule
There are differences between syrians, winter whites, robos and chinese, and hamsters of the same breed, of course - some hamsters do have waking times during the day, others don't, some wake up readily when there's noise, others don't etc. What Nappo tried to say is that hamsters shoould best be left alone when they sleep, but if your particular hamster does wake up on its own accord during the day, of course that doesn't cause him problems

[Hope]

These are very interesting articals Barbie - thanks for searching them out in english for us!

I think though in this case were are not suggesting to deprive the hamster of sleep, but just to change its natural pattern very slightly, cartainly not to change it completly and have the hamster awake all day and sleeping at night - that was not what was intended! then letting the hamster go back to sleep after having been handled by the children. With children it is particualry difficult to fit in with the hamsters patterns because of shcool and bedtimes etc . . . I agree that just picking up straight out of the nest is traumatic for the hamster and waking should be done as gently as possible.