exercise wheel/water

Question
hi....i have a one year old male panda bear hamster...i just love him...i am worried however because he NEVER goes on the wheel...when he was little he had one of those plastic cages with a giant tube wheel...he loved that...i heard the cage wasnt good so i switched to wire and now he wont use the wheel....could it be too small??? also he NEVER drinks from his water bottle although ive bought 3 different kinds...he has some carrot and celery sticks each day...he is very active...very friendly...very tame and goes in an exercise ball about 15 minutes a day....should i be concerned about the water and the wheel??? i also didnt realize that yogurt drops were unsafe...should i cut them out completely??? thank you for your help...you really have a great website...i learned alot!!!!

Answer
Hi Eileen,

Sometimes, when hamsters get older, they stop using the wheel.  (Like some humans stop exercising when they're older - it's more uncomfortable on the joints.)  There could be another reason why he's not using his wheel though - is the wheel plastic or wire with rungs?  A wire wheel with rungs (the traditional kind) is painful for a hamster's small feet, since his feet can get stuck in between the rungs.  If you have a wire wheel, you should definitely switch to a solid plastic wheel.  (Or, you can thread plain typing paper through the rungs of a wire wheel - in and out of the rungs - then you'll have made a solid wheel.  This is what I did with my old wire wheels.)  Also, make sure the wheel has a diameter of 8" across - no smaller.  A smaller wheel would be painful for his back.

You may not see him drinking from his water bottle, but he likely does, just in very small amounts (which is common among hamsters, since they're naturally desert animals).  As long as he appears healthy, with firm skin, you shouldn't have to worry about dehydration.  Also, since you're feeding him carrot and celery sticks, which are very water-rich, you're giving him added hydration.

I actually haven't heard anything about yogurt drops being unsafe...As far as I know, they're safe to feed your hamster.  (I fed mine yogurt drops for years.)  However, like any treat, you should feed them to your hamster in moderation - maybe one yogurt drop 3 times per week.

Yes, this is a great website :)  I'm glad you're learning a lot - I've learned a lot as well!

Have a great day!

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask :)

Kelly