wHAT IS RONG WITH MY HAMSTER AND WHAT CAN I DO!!!!

Question
Hey my name is Melissa,

I got my hamster 1 month ago... When I got her she was SUPPER active... but it seems to me as if Bella has gotten VERY lazy... she sleeps way to much and barely runs in her wheel or ball... can you please tell me what I should do!?!?!

There is also another thing... I wake up some nights and I find her biting on the cage bars!!! Is she grinding her teeth? Trying to escape? Is this even normal??? If so please tell me what she is doing and if there is anything I can do about it!!!

Melissa R.

Answer
HI Melissa

Firstly, hamsters often bite at the bars.  This is normal.  Just keep an eye on her teeth in case she breaks any.  hamsters' teeth grow all the time and they have to continually grind them down - make sure she's got other things to chew - some of the treats that are stuck on wooden sticks are good for this, or you can buy special pieces of wood that are safe for hamsters.  Also, check there are hard biscuits in her dry hamster food.  This should help keep her teeth the right length.

Some hamsters are lazier than others.  This is fairly usual, although females tend to be more active than males.  Does she have any climbing frames/ladders in her cage?  If not, can you fit one for her?  Alternatively, do you have an area of your home that is hamster proof that you could let her have a run around?  I sit in the hall with some of my hamsters (one at a time though!) - I block off under all the doors and along furniture so there is no way they can escape, then let them have a run around for a while - I always sit there with them to supervise, but they seem to enjoy this moment of freedom.

Regarding her wheel - how big is it?  Some cages come with wheels already fitted, but the fact is that these wheels are often too small for a fully grown Syrian.  As a result the hamster stops going in it because in order to get it to move they have to arch their back so much.  Have a look at her wheel size and see if you need to get her a larger one.  She still might decide not to use this, but at least you'll know it is because she's lazy, rather than her wanting to run in it and can't.

Regards