How much is normal to run?

[Axolotl hammy]

I have a hybrid dwarf who is fairly young. I’d say around 2 months old. He was itty bitty when I got him. Ever since he came home he has ran so much on his wheel. I’m talking like 25-27km (~16-17miles) per night on his niteangel wheel. He’s got a 8sq foot cage with lots of enrichment, it’s not like the wheel is the only thing he has to do. He’s super friendly and handleable but I don’t think I’ve ever had a hamster run quite this much. He runs from like 11 or 12pm to 5am. Is this just baby energy? I’ve had 4 hybrid dwarf hams total. My last hybrid dwarf (female) was nuts (she absolutely had neurological issues) and the one before that (also female) didn’t run a ton. The one before that was a male and he did not run a ton either but he lived to be about 3.5 years old. What is going on? I see 5 miles tossed around a lot but this is much more.

 

[Maz]

They can be wheel crazy at first and then it settles down

 

[ilguy]

Hamster do genuinely enjoy their wheels, and not just in captivity. They have a natural drive to travel for miles each night. There was a study a few years back that put a wheel out in the desert for them to try, they absolutely loved it. Hamsters from around 50km away would sometimes return to try it again. They would also get in line and wait for turns too, I would kill to find footage of it again. Other small animals also gave it a go.

 

[Axolotl hammy]

They can be wheel crazy at first and then it settles down

It’s been a few weeks since I got him

 

[Socks' Mum]

Hamster do genuinely enjoy their wheels, and not just in captivity. They have a natural drive to travel for miles each night. There was a study a few years back that put a wheel out in the desert for them to try, they absolutely loved it. Hamsters from around 50km away would sometimes return to try it again. They would also get in line and wait for turns too, I would kill to find footage of it again. Other small animals also gave it a go.

Adorable

 

[Maz]

It’s been a few weeks since I got him

He's still young Having said that sometimes they do it more if stressed - like trying to run away. So it's also important not to disturb his cage or move things around etc.

 

[Axolotl hammy]

They can be wheel crazy at first and then it settles down

He keeps using it more and more. 30km the other night. Usually 26-28. Is this concerning?

 

[Socks' Mum]

You could weigh him to monitor his condition. What food does he get?

 

[Amy]

my hamster runs excessively too. I dont know how many miles but he´s on the wheel for hours. His little face seems not stressed whilst running, he just enjoys it so much.

 

[Maz]

He keeps using it more and more. 30km the other night. Usually 26-28. Is this concerning?

30k is not that abnormal for a dwarf hamster, if on the high end. Do you have a pedometer? Before we had pedometers we didn't worry about it ha ha. He will probably have breaks and not do it all in one go. But he clearly loves his wheel. Do you have a photo of his set up?

 

[Axolotl hammy]

30k is not that abnormal for a dwarf hamster, if on the high end. Do you have a pedometer? Before we had pedometers we didn't worry about it ha ha. He will probably have breaks and not do it all in one go. But he clearly loves his wheel. Do you have a photo of his set up?

Yes I do have a pedometer. I don’t have a photo how the enclosure is currently. It’s 8sq feet with about a foot of bedding, lots of houses, tunnels, coverage, substrates to dig in, etc. I do tend to set up my dwarf hamsters a little more like mice (as in lots of overhead cover in some areas of the enclosure) as I find them to be more comfortable and friendly that way. His cage looks abnormal due to that coverage and the fact that he does not have loads of sprays in there as when I’ve allowed that he takes every single one of them and demolishes it instantly instead of eating his seed mix. He instead gets a small piece of a seed spray every night which has gotten him extremely tame and will hop in my hand. He’s got a lot of things to do in there but he ignores most of it for the wheel. He’s on it starting at like 10pm until maybe 5am or so. He’s in excellent body condition, not too much fat but he’s not skinny so I’m assuming it’s fine but it’s odd as I’ve never had a dwarf run quite this much.

 

[Maz]

Have you got a nightcam? If so it might show he does long springs, then stops for a nap or a forage, then another long sprint. But to be honest a lot of hamsters spend most of the night on their wheels!

 

[Axolotl hammy]

Have you got a nightcam? If so it might show he does long springs, then stops for a nap or a forage, then another long sprint. But to be honest a lot of hamsters spend most of the night on their wheels!

Nope no night cam but his enclosure is at the foot of my bed and I wake up frequently through the night for other reasons so I see him a lot

 

[Axolotl hammy]

You could weigh him to monitor his condition. What food does he get?

I weigh him every couple weeks and he’s been growing steadily like a young little guy should. I’m in a fairly rural part of Canada so his mix is a couple years “outdated” but amped up a bit to make it better. He has Higgins sunburst mixed with another very different seed mix (for variety) and it also has freeze dried chicken and herbs in it. It’s about 18-19% protein (can’t remember it to the decimal)

 

[Maz]

He sounds to be doing great. As he's almost certainly a hybrid dwarf hamster, I would suggest changing his mix to Higgins Vita Garden as it's sugar-free. Sunburst has fruit and all sorts in it that isn't ideal for a hybrid dwarf. Which is the other seed mix you mix with it?

 

[Axolotl hammy]

He sounds to be doing great. As he's almost certainly a hybrid dwarf hamster, I would suggest changing his mix to Higgins Vita Garden as it's sugar-free. Sunburst has fruit and all sorts in it that isn't ideal for a hybrid dwarf. Which is the other seed mix you mix with it?

I looked back at my bags from the last refill and all I had left was actually vita garden. I may have changed it to that instead of sunburst as it’s not always available here and most of the shops near by stock it sort of interchangeably. Not sure on the other mix as I buy in fairly large quantities and freeze my mixed stuff. I calculated and froze it months ago so unfortunately I have forgotten. It is mostly smaller seeds, no sunflower seeds or corn or anything of the sort, no fruits either. It looked very different than most mixes available as it had no “filler” pellets or corn, etc. it did have peanuts though. I’ll have to try to figure out what it was as I’d 100% recognize the bag.