Light and Dark? - Page 2

obscura · 06-25-2012, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lougarry

I really don't know. I'm the opposite and a bit paranoid about ensuring they have total darkness!

I'm more like this, as well. They have daylight during the day, and darkness at night. After all, in the wild they don't have the luxury of having lights on and off. And in the wild, they choose to come out at certain times, usually when it's kinda dark. My dwarfs are up several times a day, despite light or darkness. But in the past, my Syrian hamster was barely up during the day. She was awake early in the morning, and late at night. She had a normal schedule of light and dark based on what it was like outside. I think having light 24/7 isn't the best thing, but that's just my opinion. We all do things a bit differently with our pets. I think they can kind of adapt to different cycles.

fluffymunchkins · 06-25-2012, 10:26 AM

Personally i don't worry about the lighting, hamsters will adjust to their own routine either way and i haven't found any evidence of the light bothering them.
The hamsters in my room (and before they all were) have a light on all night as I can't sleep in darkness as it makes me panic. The hamsters downstairs now have darkness during the night, but are mostly active in the evening when i'm downstairs and all lights are on anyway.
The only thing i have noticed is light has an effect on the winter coat change of winter whites. So i believe being in constant light caused Squirt to go into winter coat during summmer and change back during winter. Hes now downstairs and his coat hasn't changed since x

gutterglitterxx · 06-25-2012, 01:31 PM

Thank you all SO much for your thoughts. I really appreciate it! You have all given me some things to think about. I may try shutting the TV off tonight and see if it changes anything. They seem to run around crazy no matter what so I suppose I just worry too much!

Thanks again.

gellerbing · 06-25-2012, 01:37 PM

i think rocket prefers the dark as hes hardly out during the day but as soon as the lights and the tv go out he comes out, whereas my late hamster coco didnt care less

gutterglitterxx · 06-25-2012, 03:54 PM

Yeah it doesn't seem to matter much to them. Roxy is out and about a lot all day. Cheeto and Jazzy seem to wake up at about the same time no matter what is or is not going on in the room!

bashful · 07-14-2012, 06:36 AM

My little Pickle would potter about with the lights on, but would wait until the lights were off before he would run on his wheel! Sometimes I could tell he was itching for me to turn the lights out so he could have a good run. Sure enough, the moment I turned out the lights I would hear him thundering round his wheel

chewy1991 · 07-19-2012, 10:16 PM

Buttercup was always much more active with the lights out. Charlie seems to be the same way. I'm actually the complete opposite of you in that I turn off every light in my room at night. Which is scary for me, actually, since I'm afraid of the dark (phobia stemming from childhood experience). Having rodents, however, has actually helped me slowly ease through the fear and I'm getting more and more comfortable in the dark as long as I can hear my rodents awake. I give my rodents a kind of day and night schedule. Lights are on in my room until the sun goes down. When the sun goes down, the lights go off. My gerbils will be awake in the early morning (like 5 am), the late afternoon, and the late night (seems to be that the sun determines their wake time, too, I should think). Buttercup always woke up once at noon to eat and drink and woke up for the night at six pm, but didn't get active until about 10 pm when the room was really dark. Charlie wakes up once in the morning for food and a drink and then for the night at eight, not surprisingly... when the lights go out! I don't imagine that's just a coincidence. He's most active, though, between 10 and 2. (Sometimes, if I accidentally left the light on, Buttercup wouldn't even come out of her igloo... and last week, when my bulb died and I couldn't find another... my light was out all day for three days... it really confused my gerbs. they weren't active during the day at all those three days. In my experience, normal day/night schedule is ideal. Maybe others have different experiences, though?)

gutterglitterxx · 07-19-2012, 10:31 PM

Thanks for your thoughts and I'm glad the critters have helped with your discomfort in the dark.

My schedule is so screwy that it's probably confusing for my little ones sometimes, but they don't seem to really be affected one way or another. I have wicked insomnia so my sleeping patterns are all over the place. Basically I take it when I can get it... Whether at 2pm, 7pm, 11pm, or not all night until 5am. I do wish my hammies would get up a little earlier though so I'm not always playing with them at 2 in the morning!

But I'll play whenever they want really.