Syrian hamster sleeping excessively and lethargic

[tommy592]

Hi,

I got a young male Syrian (about 8 or 10 weeks old when I got him from the pet store) about a month ago. He is quite shy and doesn't like interaction very much. He doesn't mind being touched or stroked. He is very tame and doesn't mind me playing with him or letting him out the cage, but he will start to get stressed and frenzied movement if I play with him for more than 20 minutes. He is also quite sensitive to stress and I accidentally wake him up sometimes if I'm being noisy.

Back in February and in early March he was doing very well up until the past week or two. He used to go on his wheel almost all hours of the night and he would wake sort of around 9-10PM. Nowadays, he sleeps pretty much all day and most of the night, and doesn't wake up until 6 or 7 AM. He is eating his food and drinking water, uses his toilet often and still likes to play and such. He also uses the toys and wooden chews I have provided him.

I give him occasional treats (carrots, brocolli, etc.) but sometimes I believe I give him too much of these foods. I have reduced the amount of treats I give him to and he has approximately 1 and a half tablespoons from his food packet every day. I still supplement his diet with fibre-rich foods like apples or grapes, which I think also contain a lot of sugar.

I am getting very concerned about my ham ham as he has barely used his wheel this week and this suggests to me that he may be getting lethargic or depressed? . I have heard him using it in the mornings but since I am half-awake at the time I can't always confirm. I have done my very best to ensure my little friend gets the best life I can give him but it's making me extremely anxious. Could his diet be to blame? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[heidii]

What is the temperature of your room? Mine did this, and after taking him to the vets, I was told that I should get a mini/maxi thermometer. Anything less than 15c is dangerous, you want to be aiming for 20-25c really. I found in the the temperate months they were the most active, with winter and summer making them a bit more sleepy.

Has he been vet checked? Hamsters sleep more often when they are ill.

Have you considered getting a night vision camera?

[tommy592]

My room is usually pretty warm, I'd say at least above 20 degrees °C. His cage is quite close to my radiator. I sometimes leave my window open to let fresh air in, but I don't like to leave it open for too long in case it gets too cold for the hamster.

I will see about getting him checked by a vet this week if I can.

Not so sure about getting a camera yet.

[tommy592]

Just an update, my hamster is much better now and is going on his wheel at night . Turns out the culprit I believe was just due to stress. He is much calmer now and is also waking up earlier to go on his wheel

I am so happy that he is using his wheel again and he uses it for many hours a night now. This will hopefully help with any weight that he may have gained during the time he was inactive.