Insolent Hamster!

Question
Hey, I asked a question a few months ago about my Hamster Twisp and now I have a brand new question.  I connected several cages together to try and give him more room to play and now he only sleeps.  It has been about a month and a half since he has run on his wheel at all.  He used to wake me up running all hours of the night but now he doesn't bother.  I take him out and play with him everynight around midnight because he won't wake up at all until 4 AM or so and will be back in his bed at 5AM.  He seems very healthy but he only sleeps and eats.  

I even tried reducing the amount of food in his bowl and hand feeding him instead but as soon as he is in his cage right back to his sleeping spot he goes.

Anyway, A 3 level hamster mansion and a hamster that sleeps 24 hours a day, any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Answer
hi steven,

my hamsters doing the exact same thing right now, but im blaming the weather, seen as its winter and the temp has dropped ALOT, hamsters will sleep more, to conserve food (it gets sparse in the wild this time of year), keep warm and generally wait for the cold months to heat up. the reason why he might be in bed more with his new cage is that, yes, its bigger, but more prone to draughts.

i suggest putting him in a warmer room to encourage him to stay awake longer, if you have an excersize ball, get him out in that every night, he'll soon come to expect it and get up to be let out, if not i suggest buying one. if hamsters get bored, they do one of 2 things - be destructive or they just go to sleep cos they have nothing better to do.

beware as hamsters can go into hibernation if they get too cold, give him plenty of bedding.

if he does go into hibernation, dont try to shake him awake, or put next to extreme heat such as a fire place or radiator, he might go into shock. just put him in a warmer room and he should come around on his own, it usuallt takes 30 mins to an hour.

best of luck and let me know how you get on, thanks again for your questions.

joanne xxx