New Hamster won't use wheel

[klexosis]

Hello! I just got a Robo Dwarf Hamster three days ago, after previously owning a Syrian. They only come out to eat and drink once a day, and besides that, they never come out. Is it possible for the wheel to be too big?

[Pebbles82]

Hello. You say they - do you have a pair living together? If it is just the one and it was only 3 days ago, it will still be settling in and they can hide away a bit for the first week or two. They need a good two weeks to adjust to a new cage, find their way round it, scent mark it and gain in confidence and during that time it's best not to clean out or change things. Just talk to your hammy through the bars and offer the odd treat through the bars so they get familiar with your presence and voice. I'm sure he'll soon be coming out more. He might be using the wheel at night. You can test by putting a small piece of substrate on top of the wheel before you go to bed and see if it's gone in the morning. If that happens a few times your hammy is using the wheel at night.

I also used to hide treats in various parts of the cage to tempt them out a bit more so see if they're gone in the morning. With one shy hamster I always put his bit of veg in a separate dish at the far end of the cage from his food bowl - so he had to come out to get it!

[LolasMom]

I have had my Chinese dwarf hamster a little over a month and mine doesnt use the wheel either. I wonder if its too big for him/her?