Signs of an aging hamster

[BayliM]

Hi everyone! I got our Syrian hamster, Kristof about a year ago. I am not sure what his age was at the time but he has a lot of energy so I thought he has fairly younger adult. Over that past few weeks he has been waking up about 2-4 hours later than normal and sometimes he will stay awake until 8AM the next day. (10PM-8AM) I know this can be normal for a lot of hamsters but he is a predictable hammy... I have also noticed that he has not been running on his wheel quite as much and appears a little thinner. His appetite is still good. I know hamsters have a short lifespan so I was wondering if this could be a sign of him aging... he is also having a harder time getting on his wheel😔. I took out the platforms and created more gradual hills in his cage to help him. Does anyone know the signs of an aging hamster? He is just a little slower at doing everything these past couple of weeks. Thank you!

[cypher]

Some hams show signs of old age from as early as 18 months, some not until their past two so it's not something you can easily predict but what you describe does sound like the signs of old age.
Keep an eye on his weight, you might want to give him some extras if he loses too much.
It sounds as though you've already made his cage comfortable for him, a bendy bridge in front of the wheel can help if they struggle a bit to climb in.
As long as he's eating & drinking ok & isn't showing any signs of discomfort then I wouldn't worry too much.
Changes in routine can occur at any time but are often related to the temperature & change in season too.

[SimonandSyril]

As cypher said as long as your ham is happy, eating alright and can access all areas there isn't too much to worry about. Extra fibre is great for ageing hamsters, maybe see how he does with a small piece of pasta or brown bread in his diet.