
For a long time, it was generally believed that hamsters were nocturnal animals and would rarely be found sleeping at night, as that was when they collected their food.

There has been much debate about when hamsters are most active, and hamster owners will probably notice that individuals have rather different habits, which may change over time. That’s perfectly normal, and as long as their sleeping patches add up to approximately 6-8 hours in total, you can relax your hamster is doing fine! What Time Are Hamsters Usually Awake?įEATURED POSTCan My Hamster Chew Through The Cage? You might see them pop up, check out their cage, perhaps grab a bit of seed, and then go back for another rest. Hamsters probably won’t sleep for a solid 8 hours, but they will usually retreat to their burrow for an extended period of time during the daylight hours. Equally, baby hamsters often sleep for long periods when they are very little.Īs a hamster owner, you’ll probably get used to your individual pet(s)’ quirks, but on average, most hamsters sleep 6-8 hours in 24 hours, and most of those hours will be got during the day. This means that if you have a lone Syrian hamster, its sleep patterns may vary compared with a pair of dwarf hamsters, which may disturb each other, or snuggle up for shared naps.

Their age can also affect how much they sleep, as can the sleep habits of any cage-mates. Some are much more active, while others seem to want to nap all the time. The amount of sleep your hamster needs will depend to some degree on the individual hamster. Unless you sit with a pen and paper and record the hours in which it sleeps and wakes up, you may not have a good idea of how many hours of sleep a hamster needs – and not many people are going to do that! It can be hard to measure how much your hamster is sleeping if you’re out during the day, or even if you’re getting on with other things.įEATURED POSTAre Hamster Wheels Safe? (Everything You Need To Know) How Much Sleep Does A Hamster Normally Need? If your hamster is sleeping during the day, you don’t have anything to worry about hamsters are nocturnal or at least semi-nocturnal and are rarely awake during the day.Įven a healthy hamster can sleep for long periods of time, and while you might want them to wake up, don’t worry that they’re sick just because they sleep a lot. You want them to wake up, bounce about, and have fun, but all they want to do is snuggle in a ball and nap. Hamsters shouldn’t sleep all the time, but they do sleep a lot, and if you’re a new pet owner, you might feel like your hamster seems to sleep too much. Is It Normal For A Hamster To Sleep All The Time? If you’re going to keep hamsters, it’s important to learn as much as you can about them, and this includes getting a good understanding of their sleeping patterns, as well as more obvious things like what they eat.Ī hamster living in a cage may not behave exactly as wild hamsters do, but you also can’t expect them to take on habits that suit their owners, and your hamster might not sleep the hours you expect it to. FEATURED POSTHow Do I Know My Hamster Is Happy?
