Why Does My Hamster Wake Up In The Day? This Is The Reason Why!

Yes! We will talk about hamsters again! We have talked many things about hamsters but since there are lots of questions around the web about hamsters that are not answered yet, I have committed myself to research and answer them all the best I could. 

Now, we all know that hamsters are nocturnal animals, right? But what is nocturnal? Nocturnal means are active by night. So when we say bats are nocturnal, we mean that bats are active during the night. So, when I say hamsters are nocturnal, which science said, I mean that hamsters are active or mostly awake during the night. 

However, there are tendencies for our lovely hamsters to be active or awake during the daytime. So, why is this? Why does your hamster wake up in the day? Here, let me tell you the answer based on what I have researched and based on the experiences of owners. 

Your pet hamster wakes up in the day for so many reasons, such as to eat, drink, play, and more! Yes! Hamsters are nocturnal animals. But it does not mean that they will be sleeping throughout the day. Your pet hamster can still wake up in the morning, and you could be the reason why your hamster woke up. 

In this article, we will dive deeper into hamsters and their time of sleep and wake-up. We will discuss the schedule of your hamster and look upon various answers to different questions related to our subject. So, if you are ready, let us move on! 

What Do Hamsters Do During the Day?

Like I have said, hamsters are nocturnal animals and they love to play during nighttime. However, there are tendencies that your pet hamster will wake up in the day. When your pet hamster wakes up in the day, what do they usually do during the day? Here is the question most hamster owners ask. Let me answer you. 

What hamsters do during the day are:

  • Drinking water
  • Eating food
  • Playing with their fellow hamsters
  • Play with you
  • Exercising
  • Sleeping again

Yes! Hamsters are nocturnal animals. But it does not mean that they will be sleeping throughout the day. Some hamsters are awake until ten in the morning and sleep in the afternoon and will rise by dusk. Sometimes, hamsters don’t get enough sleep as humans. They don’t sleep eight to ten hours. Hamsters would sleep and wake up whenever they want. 

Sometimes, you could be the reason why your pet hamster wakes up in the day. How? When you often play loud music, have noisy kids in your house, or clean the house with a vacuum cleaner, you could wake up your pet hamster. Hamsters have a strong sense of hearing. That is why they can hear every noise you produce even while sleeping. 

When hamsters wake up in the day, they will drink or eat food. After that, sometimes they will go back to sleep or exercise. If your pet hamster had enough sleep during the night or dawn, your pet hamster can be very active during the day and they might play with their fellow hamsters if you have multiple hamsters. 

You can’t control when your hamster would sleep and wake up. They are the ones that know themselves well. However, what you can control are the loud noises you produce during the day. 

If your pet hamster did not get enough sleep during the day because of you, your pet hamster will rather sleep at night. Once your pet hamster gets adequate sleep at night, it can be very active in the morning.

Is It Normal For Hamsters To Wake Up During The Day?

Hamsters are naturally crepuscular, which means that they are more active during dawn and dusk. The reason why hamsters do this is to avoid predators. However, this does not mean that the activities of hamsters are exclusive to these periods. 

So, is it normal for your pet hamster to wake up during the day? Yes! It is normal for your pet hamster to wake up during the day! Like I have said above, hamsters will wake up in the morning to drink, eat food, play, exercise, and sometimes after that, they will get back to sleep again. 

Are Hamsters Nocturnal Animals?

Yes! Hamsters are nocturnal animals, which means that they sleep more during the day and are active at twilight. However, it does not mean that your pet hamster will stop eating or drinking water during the day. If your pet hamster is hungry or thirsty, it will wake up and eat or drink. After that, your pet hamster might go back to sleep.

Why Do Hamsters Wake Up During Night?

Like I have mentioned many times in this article, hamsters are naturally nocturnal animals that are awake during the night and sleep during the day. However, why is this? Why do hamsters wake up during the night? Here, let me tell you why.

Why do hamsters wake up during the night? Hamsters are awake during the night so that they can avoid predators that might kill and eat them. 

Do Hamsters Wake Up Easily?

Your pet hamsters are nocturnal animals. That is why you will often see your pet hamster sleeping while you are awake during the day. They will become active when the sun goes down. However, if your hamster is sleeping during the day, does your pet hamster wake up easily? 

Do hamsters wake up easily? Yes! Hamsters have a strong sense of hearing. That is why if you play loud noises during the day your pet hamster can wake up easily. Also, by touching, petting, or carrying your pet hamster, you can wake your pet hamster easily. 

However, is it ok to wake my pet hamster up while my pet hamster is sleeping? Here, let me tell you the answer to our next subheading. 

Is It Ok To Wake My Hamster Up?

The straight answer to this is no! It is not ok to wake your hamster up while your hamster is asleep. Waking up your hamster suddenly can cause lots of stress on your pet hamster. Also, if your pet hamster is sick or has an injury, your pet hamster needs to sleep to recover. Waking up your hamster constantly will slow down its recovery.

It is hard not to wake your hamster up if you clean the cage of your hamster. However, if you will clean the cage of your hamster and you need to wake your hamster up, it is fine as long as you don’t do that very often. However, if you constantly wake up your pet hamster, that is not good and will cause your hamster lots of stress.  

Also, if you want to play with your pet hamster during the day, I would suggest never waking your hamster if it is sleeping. If you badly want to play with your pet hamster, it is best to wake your hamster up as close as possible to when your pet hamster would usually wake. Or, you can play with your hamster during the day if it is awake already. 

Avoid waking up your pet hamster when it is in a very deep sleep during the middle part of the day. Your pet hamster will wake up by itself during the day if they need to. Never touch or try to carry your pet hamster while it sleeps because your pet hamster may startle and bite you. Also, as I have said above, it can cause lots of stress on your pet hamster.

Is It Bad For My Hamster To Sleep At Night?

Not at all. It is not bad for your pet hamster to sleep at night, especially if your pet hamster is sick or has an injury. If your pet hamster is sick or injured, expect that your pet hamster will sleep a lot during night and day. Why? Because sleeping helps your hamster to recover. 

Each hamster is different. Some hamsters sleep during the day and some sleep during the night. Yes! This is true even though hamsters are naturally nocturnal. 

I have a friend of mine that has three hamsters. I love going into their house and sleeping there at night. I noticed something on one of my friend’s hamsters. Every time I go to their house, usually eight to ten at night, one of his pet hamsters is asleep. Very sleepy! However, the other two hamsters are awake and exercising. 

In my own opinion and understanding, I think that my friend’s pet hamster, who sleeps during the night, is always awake in the morning. Also, domesticated hamsters don’t need to be awake at night and sleep during the day because they are safe inside their cage already. 

Like I have said above, the most common reason why hamsters are awake during the night is to avoid predators. Since there are no predators around inside your house, your pet hamster may sleep and wake up whenever they want. However, for hamsters living in the wild, this is not possible.

What Time Should My Hamster Wake Up?

Usually, hamsters wake up around dusk and dawn. During this time, you can already play with your pet hamster. However, it doesn’t mean that your pet hamster will be asleep wholly during the day. Your pet hamster can still wake up in the day if they need to drink water or eat food.

Final Words

To conclude, the reason why your pet hamster wakes up in the day is because of the loud noises your produce during the day, your pet hamster is sleeping a lot during the night, your pet hamster needs to drink water, eat food, or pee, and your pet hamster just feels like waking up in the day.

Source: wikihow.com

About
Jake Willhoite
Jake runs AnimalDome.com and has had cats and dogs his entire life. As a kid his family adopted several dogs from the local shelter which set him down the path of animal rescue.
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