If you have a pet hamster, you must have witnessed your pet going at it on the hamster wheel like crazy! These little balls of energy do have a tendency to run and play throughout their waking hours — often, it seems, without stopping! So how many miles do hamsters run at night exactly?
Hamsters usually run an average of five miles (8.05 km) every night. If they have a hamster wheel, it’s normal for them to be on it without stopping for several hours. That’s because wild hamsters normally run all night, scavenging and gathering food and even running away from predators.
But there is much more to hamsters running than just the fact that it’s normal behavior in the wild. In the rest of this article, we will find out the different reasons why hamsters run so much, whether they run all night, and how to keep this exercise fun and safe for your pet.
Do Hamsters Run All Night?
We now know that in the wild, hamsters run as a means to search for food. Five miles (8.05 km) per night may not sound like much for humans and larger animals, but for teeny-tiny hamsters, that’s a lot of ground covered! Remember that in the wild, food is pretty scarce, so they need to travel as far as they can if they want to up their chances of finding dinner.
Hamsters do have a tendency to run throughout their waking hours. Since they’re nocturnal creatures, they normally run at night when they are awake and active. They don’t just do this on the hamster wheel, either. They can run around in the cage to play or burrow, just as they would in the wild.
Also, it’s important to know that while they may look like they’re running far too much for their own good, it’s perfectly normal for hamsters to run for hours without stopping or to run really fast. If you’ve ever had the urge to pick your hamster up just to stop it from running, you know what I mean.
It’s all just part of a happy hamster keeping busy and enjoying its playtime.
On the other hand, if your hamster is lethargic, refuses to get up, or appears to be bored, that’s when you should be worried. A happy and healthy hamster is naturally bursting with energy. So if your pet is showing signs of disinterest in its toys or in play altogether, you might want to take it to the vet for a check-up.
Reasons Why Hamsters Run So Much
They’re Biologically Wired To Run
As mentioned earlier, hamsters normally run in the wild to search for food, escape from predators, and find safe hiding places. And apparently, that’s not a behavior that they shed even though they have a safe cage and are provided with food on a daily basis.
Because it’s already in their instinct to run, hamsters will continue to do it even though they are no longer in the wild. When they’re in the safety of our homes, they run as a means to exercise, play, and explore their surroundings.
Hamsters are also naturally curious animals, and they will not resist the urge to run around and explore if they have the chance. So make sure that the cage is tightly closed, or else your hamster will bolt out at the earliest opportunity.
Running Makes Them Feel Great
Another reason why hamsters run is that it makes them feel great. Running releases endorphins in their bodies that make them feel good in the same way that we feel good after a couple of runs around the block. And because it feels good, they want to keep doing it!
Also, hamsters need enough exercise on a daily basis to keep healthy — again, just like humans. When they are unable to run around and play, they tend to feel bored and unhappy because there is nothing fun to do.
You’ll find that most hamsters that escape from their cages are those that are unable to get mental stimulation and physical exercise inside their cage, which drives them crazy with boredom. So thanks to the need to find something fun to do and their natural ability to fit through tight spaces, they eventually escape.
Their Cage Is Too Cramped
It’s perfectly normal for a hamster to run all night, but when it’s spending all its time on the wheel, it may mean that its cage is so small that it can’t run anywhere else. Like other animals, hamsters will get bored when there’s nothing else to do or when play becomes too much of a routine.
So, because hamsters need physical exercise and play, they will spend almost all of their time awake on the hamster wheel when there’s nowhere else to spend their energy.
If you feel like your hamster is becoming addicted to its wheel, you may want to consider getting your pet a bigger cage where it can run around and have space for other fun toys aside from a hamster wheel.
There Are No Other Means of Exercise
In relation to the previous reason, if your hamster is spending way too much time on the wheel, it may be because there are no other means for it to spend its energy. Hamsters do have lots of energy, but they don’t just use it to run. They also enjoy spending their energy playing with other toys, like ladders, tunnels, burrows, and more.
To keep your hamster happy, make sure that you’re able to provide other means of playing. Lots of options means plenty of ways for your hamster to enjoy itself — which also means a hammie that’s over the moon with joy!
How To Keep Hamster Runs Healthy
While it’s normal for hamsters to run a lot, it’s possible for them to run too much, to the point that it’s bad for them. To make sure that your hamster’s runs are healthy and enjoyable, there are certain things that you can do:
- Make sure they have enough food and water: Access to sufficient water and food is crucial to keeping your hammie’s exercise fun and safe. This will ensure that your pet doesn’t get dehydrated and that the calories that it has lost from the strenuous exercise get replenished right away.
- Provide an assortment of toys: Your hammie needs to have several options for play — not just running around and going at it on the wheel. Make sure that your hamster gets to choose what kind of activity it wants to do at night, such as chewing on a chew toy, climbing up and down a ladder, or going through cute little tunnels.
- Let them out of the cage: Take your hamster out of the cage every now and then for fun playtime outdoors. For a safe run outside the cage, you can put it inside a hamster ball, so it can explore its surroundings while staying secure. Just make sure that you only allow your hamster to play in a ball on a flat surface.
Conclusion
Hamsters don’t just like running — they love it! So the best thing that you can do for your pet is to allow it to enjoy its favorite pastime in a fun and safe way.