Hamsters can be cute, but they have a tendency to stay up all night making noise.Your hamster's schedule isn't set in stone.If you find a daily structure that benefits you and your hamster, you can adjust it.Make your hamster the healthiest it can be by working on its sleeping, eating, and exercising routines.
Step 1: Look at your hamsters sleep patterns.
Hamsters are nocturnal and will only wake up for short periods of time during the day and then be active at night.You can keep track of when your hamster is awake by writing it down.You should be able to see trends in its sleep routine.An example of a possible sleep routine is rising at dawn and dusk to eat and exercise for a few hours before going back to sleep.During the day, your hamster will wake a few times to snack.
Step 2: Slowly change its waking time.
If you want to wake your hamster earlier than it normally does, you need to make gradual changes so that it can adapt to the new schedule slowly.If you want it to wake up at 7, start waking it at 7:45 for a week.Follow this pattern until it wakes up at 7.Try not to change your hamster's sleep schedule more than an hour.It is possible that this will cause illness.
Step 3: Fresh food should be placed outside the cage to wake your hamster.
If you want your hamster to wake up earlier, place a small bowl of food outside its cage.It should begin to stir after smelling fresh veggies, fruits, or seeds.
Step 4: Blow on it or talk to it to wake it.
If food doesn't inspire your hamster to get up, blow on it lightly until it starts to stir, or talk to it so it becomes aware of your voice.If you reach into the cage and pick up a sleepy hamster, you might get bitten.
Step 5: It's a good idea to respect its nocturnal schedule.
It isn't meant to be a daytime creature if you've tried several methods to change up your hamster's sleep schedule without success.Trying to change the hamster's schedule can lead to a grumpy pet.
Step 6: Dry food can be offered in the evening.
Place a bowl of your hamster's pellet food in the cage at the same time every night to help get him on a schedule.It will allow your hamster to sleep at night, the way it would in the wild, and it will keep you from disrupting their normal sleep routine during the day.
Step 7: Every morning, offer some greens at the same time.
If you give your hamster greens at the same time each morning, it will wake him up, just like the dry food will do at night.You can offer about 1 square inch of vegetables.
Step 8: It's a good idea to remove old or rotten food once a day.
Hamsters love to eat.They will often stuff their cheeks with new food and then hide it in a cage.You should look over the bedding at least once a day to see what has gone bad.Since hamsters try to avoid peeing in the bathroom area, it's a good idea to look at the bed and the cage that are opposite it.
Step 9: You can refill the water bottle while it's awake.
Make sure the water bottle is always full because hamsters should always have access to clean, fresh water.Change the water when it's already awake and exercising to avoid upsetting it.
Step 10: Purchase a wheel for its cage.
Some wheels are too small for hamsters to get good exercise on them, and if they are uncomfortable, they may avoid exercising altogether.Buy a wheel that is at least 6.5 to 8 inches in diameter and is a solid piece of plastic rather than metal bars so that its feet don't fall through.
Step 11: Put your hamster in an exercise ball.
During one of your hamster's wakeful periods, place it into a clear exercise ball and allow it to roam your home.Try to do this at the same time every day when it's awake.Keep a close eye on it so that it doesn't push the ball down the stairs.
Step 12: Before you go to bed, play with your pet.
Since hamsters need to exercise, do not remove a noisy wheel at night.You can wear your hamster out in the evening if you play with it before you go to sleep.Pick it up, play with toys, and have it run around in an exercise ball.If your hamster is still wired after your evening play session, move its cage to another room.
Step 13: Give a treat after exercising.
A good time to give treats to hamsters is once a day after they run their wheel or in their ball.You can reward it for exercising.Try a slice of apple, a few pieces of sugar-free cereal, or a spoon of pasta or rice.