long haired teddy bear hampster

Question
i just got my hampster three or four days ago.she is intergetic at night,and i know thats good,but she sleeps in her food bowl and skakes.she also never drinks water!

Answer
Hi Ashlan

With regard to your hamster being energetic at night, this is perfectly normal.  These hamsters originated in Syria and in order to cope with the heat of the desert they would spend their day in the shade in burrows or hidden away and sleep.  At night they would explore the desert in search of food.  They can run as far as 5 miles a night - so it is very important your hamster is able to run in her wheel.  If the wheel is noisy for you, there are silent wheels on sale that are very good.

With regard to her sleeping in her food bowl, sometimes they do make their nests in strange places.  Does she have an area of her cage that she can sleep in?  Is there a platform she can sleep under, or perhaps a small house?  I find mine either sleep in the open or inside various houses - such as coconut shell or I prefer wooden houses as hamsters can sweat when they sleep and the plastic houses can attract condensation and make the hamster sick.  

Hamsters need fresh water, however, they rarely drink.  If a hamster drinks a lot of water, then there is always something wrong.  Excessive water drinking can indicate diabetes, tumors or kidney problems.  Pregnant females also drink a lot.  Hamsters who are well drink now and again.  If you feed your hamster the dry hamster mix and some fresh vegetables daily (avoid giving too much lettuce as this can cause diarrhea) she should stay healthy.

I hope you get on OK with her.  I'm sure that once she's settled down and feels confident she will sort out her nest and calm down a little.

Regards