When do hamsters wake up?

albert's owner

albert's owner

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Hello guys, I had a question about Albert. Albert wakes up sometime around 9 or 10. Sometimes, I get kind of worried that something is wrong with him. I know hamsters are nocturnal, but I feel like Albert should come out at least once during the day. Albert doesn't sleep in my room so I don't see him much during weekdays. Im ok with that. I try not to wake him to see what he's doing. Also, I feed Albert every morning which is around 8 a.m. Is that okay or should I feed him in the night?


Thank you:)
 
I think it would be better to feed him at night - maybe early to mid evening. Hamsters often get into a routine of waking up at feeding time :-) Then he might come out a bit earlier. They vary in personality - Beryl will know more about that as she has few dwarf hamsters.
 
I don't think that you need to be worried. Albert looks healthy in the photos.

Why do you think that he should get up during the day? Are you worried that he doesn't drink enough?
He may well get up for a quick drink during the day and he'll have a hoard near his nest to snack from so he won't go hungry.

I very rarely see my dwarf Eddie during the day and he gets up late in the evening so i don't see him every day either.

My dwarf Lilly is a daytime hamster and often sleeps in the evening so i see a lot more of her.

They are all very different but feeding Albert in the evening may encourage him to get up earlier.

To get up between 21.00-22.00 sounds pretty normal to me. It surprised me as well how many hours hamsters spend underground and it worried me at first but that's what they like to do.
 
Beryl said:
I don't think that you need to be worried. Albert looks healthy in the photos.

Why do you think that he should get up during the day? Are you worried that he doesn't drink enough?
He may well get up for a quick drink during the day and he'll have a hoard near his nest to snack from so he won't go hungry.

I very rarely see my dwarf Eddie during the day and he gets up late in the evening so i don't see him every day either.

My dwarf Lilly is a daytime hamster and often sleeps in the evening so i see a lot more of her.

They are all very different but feeding Albert in the evening may encourage him to get up earlier.

To get up between 21.00-22.00 sounds pretty normal to me. It surprised me as well how many hours hamsters spend underground and it worried me at first but that's what they like to do.
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Thank you. I guess I am just a little worried as a new hamster owner.
 
We all know what that feels like when it's your first hamster. Mine get up for food when it's put out but then go back to bed and come out again later. If you get him in the habit of evening feeding it might be a good time to have him out for some out of cage time if he'll walk into a tube.
 
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It takes a while to get to know your hamster & their routine and it also takes time for them to settle into a routine, you haven’t had Albert all that long so he may begin to come out during the day when his confidence grows a bit more.
They are all very different but most of my Russian hamsters have been active during the day & also early morning which is when I usually feed but just give it some time & don’t worry too much, I don’t think the time you give the main mix matters too much but if you are giving them some fresh food like veg it’s a good time to interact with them & I usually feed that in the evening.
 
That is a good point Elusive makes - feeding can be more than one time of day :) Some people do regular feeding in the evening, but if the hamster is around in the morning, they sometimes get a bit of breakfast as well! A bit of porridge or scrambled egg on a teaspoon goes down well. Or a couple of dry cereal flakes. Although check the cereal flakes aren't too sugary (eg frosted cornflakes!). Plain ones are better. My Syrian likes rice krispies! Just as a very occasional thing.
 
albert's owner said:
Hello guys, I had a question about Albert. Albert wakes up sometime around 9 or 10. Sometimes, I get kind of worried that something is wrong with him. I know hamsters are nocturnal, but I feel like Albert should come out at least once during the day. Albert doesn't sleep in my room so I don't see him much during weekdays. Im ok with that. I try not to wake him to see what he's doing. Also, I feed Albert every morning which is around 8 a.m. Is that okay or should I feed him in the night?


Thank you:)
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If you are waking him up to feed him, I would personally say that you shouldn't. but if you are just putting the food inside the cage for him to get later, I would think that is appropriate. Albert ( love the name <3) might be getting up during the day to get water, but it could also be not the case. its perfectly okay for Albert to be asleep all day. ( if you are worried about him being alive, clean his sand bath if he has one and see is there's footprints in the sand the next morning)
 
The way I check to see if they're still alive and kicking is if the veg has gone next morning :-) Another reason to feed mid evening perhaps. Then even if you don't see the hamster, if the veg is gone next morning, you know they are ok. I have never yet known veg to be left! You only give a very small piece daily - eg a cube of cucumber no bigger than 1cm cubed, or a tiny broccoli floret.
 
JaysBeans said:
If you are waking him up to feed him, I would personally say that you shouldn't. but if you are just putting the food inside the cage for him to get later, I would think that is appropriate. Albert ( love the name <3) might be getting up during the day to get water, but it could also be not the case. its perfectly okay for Albert to be asleep all day. ( if you are worried about him being alive, clean his sand bath if he has one and see is there's footprints in the sand the next morning)
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ok thanks.:)
 
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