How to Change the Nocturnal Habits of a Hamster

Hamsters are nocturnal animals. No one will ever completely change that, but pet owners can do some things to make them more active in some times of the day and less noisy at night when the humans are trying to sleep. All hamsters are individual characters and some will respond better to this training than others.

Things You'll Need

  • Hamster toys
  • Hamster treats
  • Curtains/blinds
  • Lamps
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Instructions

  1. Hamsters Are Trainable

    • 1

      Keep the lights on all night in the hamster's room. Darkness triggers hamsters to be active. This was shown in a study by Cheryl M. Craft described in the journal Neuroendocrinology, in which the pineal gland became more excited at night than in the daytime.

    • 2

      Keep the lights as dim as possible during the day when you are active. Draw the blinds or curtains to shield out natural light and just keep a lamp on.

    • 3

      Feed the hamster as soon as you see the hamster awake. Hamsters are very intelligent. If they are fed after doing a certain activity, they will repeat the activity in order to get the food.

    • 4

      Keep the hamster's attention by talking to the hamster, turning the television on or playing with the hamster if you know that there is a toy or game the hamster is especially fond of. If you can do this at the same time every day, this will condition the hamster into thinking that you are the source of good things, so he'd better be awake for them.