Many people consider hamsters low-maintenance compared to dogs and cats, but you might not be sure how to create a nice environment for your hamster. You’ve also probably never considered how much light a hamster needs.
Hamsters are highly sensitive to light and should be kept away from bright artificial light or direct, strong sunlight because it can harm them. You should put your hamster in a room with lots of indirect natural light since a hamster’s sleep patterns depend on the natural night and day cycle.
This article will explore whether light can hurt your hamster’s eyes and how much light hamsters need during the day and at night.
Will Light Hurt Your Hamster’s Eyes?
Bright sunlight can hurt your hamster’s eyes and cause permanent eye damage, so you must avoid subjecting your hamster to bright or direct sunlight. Instead, place your hamster’s cage in a room with a lot of natural light but away from direct sunbeams.
Hamsters are nocturnal creatures, as they are more active at dusk and nighttime and tend to sleep throughout the day. This means they have extremely sensitive vision, which only allows them to see in a low and hazy light.
A little natural light, like at dusk when the sun begins to set, benefits your hamster because it is low enough.
Very bright light can damage the hamster’s eyes and disrupt its sleep pattern. Your hamster will not see anything in too little or no light. Hamsters usually rely on other senses, such as touch, hearing, taste, and smell, due to their nocturnal nature and sensitive eyes.
Hamsters and Light
Hamsters like natural light and a little warmth but don’t thrive in extreme or insufficient light. It’s critical to place your hamster in a room where you can easily avoid erratic light, such as darkness in the daytime and bright artificial light at night. Such lighting patterns can confuse your hamster since light is a critical indicator for their sleep-wake cycle.
Interrupting your hamster’s sleep cycle can cause anxiety, confusion, and stress, which can harm their health.
Removing your pet from the cage and into the sun when playing with your hamster is unnecessary. Enjoy the interaction if the hamster is awake during the day, and keep the hamster in a room where the light goes off at around the same time every night.
Do Hamsters Need Light in the Daytime?
Hamsters need natural light to control their sleep cycle. You could mimic day and night using artificial lights, but natural light gives your hamster some semblance of its natural habitat. The best way to keep your hamster comfortable enough to sleep well is to place them in a well-lit space.
Bright, direct sunlight can damage the eyes, make them too hot and uncomfortable, and interrupt their sleep cycle. However, you can let your hamster bask in a bit of sun for warmth and some vitamin D.
The best time to let your hamster out is in the early mornings since the sun isn’t too bright at this time, and your hamster will enjoy fresh air and sun in low light conditions.
Should I Cover a Hamster’s Cage in the Daytime?
You may be tempted to darken the room or cover the cage to improve the hamster’s sleeping environment. However, this would cause your pet more discomfort. Hamsters use natural light levels in the room to differentiate between night and day and to internally control their sleep cycle.
Therefore, it is critical to establish a regular routine for your hamster.
The lighting pattern should be constant without erratic changes. Place your hamster in a room where light changes are primarily from natural light outside, or maintain a regular routine if you use any artificial lights around your hamster.
Covering the cage to increase darkness during the day will confuse your hamster. Their routine depends on the amount of light that filters into their home, and increasing the dark hours will cause your hamster undue stress and confusion.
Ventilation is another reason why you should never cover your hamster’s cage. The gaps between the bars allow unrestricted airflow in the enclosure and dispel any foul smell from the cage.
Fresh air is also essential for your hamster’s respiratory health.
Do Hamsters Need a Night Light?
Although nocturnal, hamsters don’t see very well in the dark. While their vision tends to work best in relatively low lighting, their vision isn’t particularly good. However, using a nightlight to help the hamster see in the dark is not a good idea.
Since hamsters use light levels to decipher day and night, they will instinctively feel sleepy once they see the light because their body thinks it is daytime.
You can have a dim light, provided it doesn’t cause your hamster too much confusion. If you decide to do this, make sure you monitor them for the first couple of days to ensure their cycle hasn’t shifted.
An even better option is to open the curtains and let in the moonlight. The lighting will allow the hamster to move around without disrupting their day-night cycle.
A hamster’s ideal lighting conditions should be indirect sunlight during the day and darkness at night without artificial lighting. To achieve this, you should place the cage in a room with a lot of natural light with little need for artificial light. It will be bright in the daytime and dark at night, without the need to cover the cage or set up a night light.
Simply put, allow nature to do the job.
Final Thoughts
Hamsters are nocturnal animals that rely on the natural day/night cycle to dictate when they sleep or wake. They are active at dawn and dusk in low lighting because they see best in low light compared to bright light or complete darkness.
Therefore, keeping your hamster in a space with sufficient natural light is best. Keep artificial light to a minimum. When using artificial lighting, match it with a strict daily routine and schedule of turning it on and off.