Can hamsters become diurnal? (day time active)

Hamsters are small and really loving pets.

If there were not this little problem: hamsters have sleeping habits similar to those of nocturnal animals. This characteristic often causes unrest in the apartment and quickly mutates the dear little animal into a nightmare.

For this reason, we got to the bottom of the question of whether there are ways to get the hamster to be more active during the day?

Here comes the answer…

What to look for when changing sleeping habits?

It should be noted that not all hamster species are easy to tame. While it is generally not a problem with “Syrian Hamsters” and “Russian Dwarf Hamsters”, taming “Roborowski Dwarf Hamsters” requires a lot of patience. You should keep this in mind when trying to change your rodent’s sleeping habits.

Make sure that your hamster slowly gets used to your hand. It is important that you never approach the hamster (suddenly) from above. He would certainly feel threatened. Gently stroke his body.

Always be careful when handling the ball of fur, because a small fall could be fatal.
This is how you get your hamster used to changing sleeping habits step by step.

Step 1

If you are trying to build a relationship with the hamster, you must remember that it is difficult for the little animals to get used to being around people. But playing with you will help them release energy so they can sleep at night.

During the day, you can additionally block the light in the room with dark curtains or you can put the cage in a light-protected place so that the rodent thinks it is night.

Step 2

Always maintain the same schedule. If you want to totally change your hamster’s sleeping habits, it will require habitual scheduling. It’s important to always feed and play with the pet at the same time. The light must also always be blocked at the same time. Otherwise, you would quickly completely sabotage your own plans.

Slowly increase the time you play with the hamster during the day. This way, he can switch his sleep cycle to nighttime with less stress.

Step 3

It is imperative that you remain patient, as the training phase may well take several months. Encourage your furball to stay awake during the day by interacting with him regularly. For example, place “treats” in a special food ball or take the hamster out of the cage from time to time when he is already used to you.

When doing this, make sure that any rooms he goes into are not heavily lit. Encourage your hamster to run on his bike for a while during the day. This way he will burn off some of his energy.

Reschedule cage cleaning tasks for the late afternoon or early evening hours. These activities will also keep the animal awake.
Why is a hamster crepuscular or nocturnal?

The reason hamsters sleep during the day is due to their natural environment in the wild. This is because there they are forced to be nocturnal because of predators. Also, they are usually born in hot environments like deserts. There it is simply too hot to be active during the day. Therefore, domesticated animals also exhibit this behavior.

It has been about 70 years since hamsters were first kept as pets. Many of their owners find it annoying when the animals make noise at night with their hamster wheel. It’s also natural hamster behavior for them to start eating at night.

You can gradually increase the time your hamster is active during the day by keeping him awake longer as you play with him and take him out of the cage. Increase his wake time by about 15 minutes every few hours. Keep up this training until your furball is active and awake most of the day.

Gently tap the bars of the cage to gently rouse your hamster from sleep. Give your furball safe items like dog bones and pesticide-free twigs to chew on to keep him busy during the day.

The animal will slowly begin to switch its sleeping pattern to nights, as it needs to make up for the lost rest time during the day.

A good lighting schedule is also a proven aid in the transition. We advise leaving the room where the cage is located bright for 13 hours and providing 11 dark hours.
Conclusion: Please plan your steps thoroughly

Hamsters are nocturnal.

You should definitely be aware of this fact even before you get a hamster.

Even if it is possible with a lot of affection and patience to adjust the internal clock of the hamster to your ideas and to turn a night owl into a day active rodent, we generally advise against it – you should accept the animal as it is.

If you do come to the conclusion that you want to change your hamster’s sleeping habits, please do so carefully and cautiously.