We all know hamsters are both prey animals and nocturnal. That means a hamster will be active at night and remain lazy and sleepy all day long. But what if this doesn’t match your hamster?
If you see your hamster is not active at night and not doing anything like usual. Naturally, you may ask- why is my hamster not coming out at night?
Well, today we are gonna talk about this. This article will cover the reasons and solutions for this fact.
Why is My Hamster Not Coming Out at Night?
If a hamster is old, it may be less active than usual. It may not come out of the cage age play at night as it did before.
If your hamster is tired enough, it may also be inactive at night. Other possible reasons are- sickness, sleep deprivation, or fear could be other reasons behind a hamster not coming out at night.
Whatever the problem is, there is always a solution. Let’s check out from below to find out what could be the most possible reason for your hamster not coming out.
Sleeping Pattern of A Hamster
Before we go deep, we should know the sleeping pattern of a hamster. A hamster is a polyphasic sleeper. It may sleep not at a stretch but into some time segments.
Generally, a hamster follows its basic instinct. In the wild or in captivity, a hamster tries to sleep at least 12 to 14 hours, and it sleeps mostly in the day time and wakes up at night.
Hamster Less Active Than Usual
Hamsters are quite active animals. They move and run a lot. Most of the time at night, you may see a hamster running on a wheel.
An active hamster will be active at night, chew a lot of things, stuff its cheeks, burrow and hide, and play with the toys. The abnormal behaviors of a hamster are lethargy, laziness, hibernating, not playing, or not eating. The most possible reasons could be:
Temperature
A hamster becomes lazy and inactive if the temperature goes down. Try to keep the temperature of a hamster cage between 25 ℃ to 30 ℃. Moreover, if a hamster feels cold, it might sit tight to stay warm and sleep at night as it feels uncomfortable outside.
Age
The most common and probable reason should be their age. A hamster is active and playful when it is young. But if the hamster gets older, it becomes lazier and more inactive than before. So, it is totally normal if your young baby hamster is grown up totally, it will become more inactive than before.
Dehydration
If a hamster is dehydrated, it will stay inactive. A hamster needs enough fresh water to live happily.
If your hamster is not having enough water, it will not be active as before. Also, dehydration can lead to some serious health problems.
Health Issues
It could be a critical reason. If your hamster is not feeling well, it will not be active at night and will try to remain inside its cage. So, what could be the possible health issues for a hamster?
A hamster can get itself hurt by running on a wheel. It gets cold and fever easily. The hamster can also get sick of some digestive issues. Whatever the health issue is, you must visit the vet as soon as possible.
Tiredness
If your hamster runs a lot, it gets exhausted a lot too. Generally, a hamster runs on the wheel at night. But if a hamster does the alternative, it runs on the wheel in the daytime; it will remain tired at night and stay inside the cage while sleeping.
Stress
The cage of a hamster should be spacious. A tiny hamster needs a lot of space to play and run. If you don’t provide the hamster a large cage, it will not find the cage exciting anymore and be active at night as usual. Stress makes a hamster nervous and inactive. However, strong odor, harsh light, and noise can also make a hamster stressed.
Is My Hamster Scared?
Usually, when you bring a hamster home from a pet store, it remains nervous and scared for a few days at first. Gradually, when the hamster starts knowing your place and you, it becomes active and playful.
But when a hamster is not active at night and remains unawakened almost all the day, then it is a matter of concern. Is my hamster scared? – the first thing you may ask yourself.
However, it is true that a hamster will be inactive if it is scared. The environment around a hamster plays a vital role here. If a hamster is in a noisy place, it will get scared. A sudden movement of any object will make a hamster scared too.
Time to Take Steps
So, what to do when is a hamster not coming out at night? Abnormal behavior, like being inactive at night, should not be ignored at all. It is time to take steps when a hamster is inactive at night.
- First of all, keep the hamster cage in a calm and quiet place. Make the environment more hamster friendly.
- Check the hamster’s health status. If there is a sign of any illness, try to cure the hamster as soon as you can.
- Don’t disturb the hamster or force the hamster to come out at night.
- Provide the hamster with enough food and fresh water. Leave some tidbits also so that a hamster gets attracted.
- Give the hamster some toys. A bored hamster can’t make a good bond, and it will stay inactive both at night and during the day.
Wrap Up
A hamster can’t talk or make a loud noise to get your attention. So, as a caring owner, you need to keep an eye on your hamster every day. If you notice your hamster is not more active as usual, then don’t ignore it. Find out the right reason and take steps as soon as possible. So, that’s all. Thanks for reading.