Brenda in FL Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 Thanks for all the input back in June when I first asked about hamsters. DD got a winter white russian siberian dwarf hamster (per dd!) However, she is worried about Sergeant because he doesn't seem to be very active at night, doesn't seem to relish fresh foods (doesn't come running at the scent), and doesn't seem to be eaten enough food, in her opinion. I'm up late - and I will hear him get up and drink, but I don't think he's using his wheel anymore. DD thinks he should be awake and active most of the night. What has been your experience with hamsters and their nighttime activity? Does Sergeant sound normal or abnormal? It depends(LOL)? Also, dd has been reading up on hamster care - and the books all say to take your hamster to the vet for a check-up. So of course she wants to. I, however, am not wiling to pay the vet bill for a $10-15 pet!! Do your hamsters go for check-ups? So far the hamster experience has been very positive. I don't have to do a thing for Sargeant! The kids are being very responsible. And Sarge is pretty cute!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 I do a vet check of everyone who comes into the house, except the upcoming tree frogs. My vet gets a kick out of the pocket pets too. Our hamsters were always crazy active at night. That's why they had their own bedroom. How does Sarge look to you? Does he look too thin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 However, she is worried about Sergeant because he doesn't seem to be very active at night, doesn't seem to relish fresh foods (doesn't come running at the scent), and doesn't seem to be eaten enough food, in her opinion. Also, dd has been reading up on hamster care - and the books all say to take your hamster to the vet for a check-up. So of course she wants to. I, however, am not wiling to pay the vet bill for a $10-15 pet!! Do your hamsters go for check-ups? So far the hamster experience has been very positive. I don't have to do a thing for Sargeant! The kids are being very responsible. And Sarge is pretty cute!! Seriously, the cost of the pet as never been the "cost of having a pet". I fully expect to have a seriously expensive dog, next time.($1500.) (Soft coated Wheaten Terrier, straight from someone who shows them) I hope my $$$ out for that dog is less than for my $90.00 dog ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrixieB Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 We're a gerbil household, so I don't know specific hamster traits. But I thought maybe your answers to a couple of questions might help other hamster owners address your pet's issues. How long has your dd had the hamster? If he's a very recent addition to your house, maybe an inquiry at the place of purchase might be in order. Most chain shops have a week or two guarantee of health. Have his habits changed during the time he has lived at your house? Did he used to be more active at night, run the wheel, eat fresh food? Does he look sick, compared to pictures of other hamsters of his breed in books or on the Internet? (I don't know what sick hamsters look like, but for example gerbils often get squinty eyes and puffy coats when they're sick, and it's noticeable when compared to pictures of healthy gerbils). Have you tried giving him food from a fresh bag? I was once sold a spoiled bag of gerbil food. My kids didn't notice anything off, but I could tell from the smell that something was wrong with it. How do his teeth look? Tooth trouble (misalignment, overgrowth, etc.) can cause pocket pets to have difficulty eating. It is possible a vet visit might be in order. Unfortunately, small pets don't equal small vet bills. We had to take a sick gerbil to the vet once, and the bill was over $100. I hope everything turns out to be fine with your little guy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in FL Posted July 25, 2011 Author Share Posted July 25, 2011 I do a vet check of everyone who comes into the house, except the upcoming tree frogs. My vet gets a kick out of the pocket pets too. Our hamsters were always crazy active at night. That's why they had their own bedroom. How does Sarge look to you? Does he look too thin? Hmm - maybe I should make a few phone calls to see exactly how much that would cost. I don't think he looks thin - he looks fine to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 DS had one hamster once who slept at night and was awake during the day. Yet the other two hamsters were total night animals. Is is possible that you were sold a girl hamster who had relations before you got her? Our "male" became not active, not eating much before giving birth. Yep the pet store sold us one female and one male instead of two males. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindyg Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 We have mice. I have had a hamster, but never a Siberian Dwarf. My hamster was fairly active. He could smell our food. His cage had a sky loft, or whatever they call it, and he would climb up there, lie on his back, and kick at the lid with his feet until we opened it up and gave him bit of our food. :lol: He was really fun. My mice are very active at night. We do not take our mice to the vet. I'm sorry. I truly wish I could from time to time, but there is no way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 We had a hamster that lived a full healthy 2.5 yrs. He was originally very active at night on the wheel. As he got older though, over a year, he used he wheel less and less. By his last few months, he actually used the wheel as his toilet (totally gross!) which meant he did not use it at all for exercise. We only took our hamster to the vet once, when his lid came off of his water and he got soaked on a VERY cold night and he was shivering and shaking. He was a new pet and the girls were scared to death. It cost me 35 dollars and he got some antibiotics :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 We have a dwarf hamster and he's so loud, we had to move him into his own room at night. Is it possible you have an older hamster, maybe? :confused: I wouldn't take him to the vet unless he really seems sick or isn't eating. Have you tried hamster treats? They make those sticks that you can hang in their cages...ours goes crazy for the sticks. :D You're right, they are really good pets. We also have guinea pigs (and reptiles and dogs) and I much prefer the hamster over the whole lot of 'em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celticmom Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 We have had two different winter white hamsters and his behavior sounds normal compared to our two. From what I have read the winter whites tend to be mellower than other hamsters and in the case of the two we have had it bordered on lazy. Our current one has two linked cages and a wheel in each cage. He sleeps in one of the wheels and rarely goes into the other cage. I have noticed more activity in late afternoon/early evening and early morning than in the middle of the night and some sources suggest that hamsters may be diurnal rather than nocturnal and that pattern would fit that description better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in FL Posted July 25, 2011 Author Share Posted July 25, 2011 We have had two different winter white hamsters and his behavior sounds normal compared to our two. From what I have read the winter whites tend to be mellower than other hamsters and in the case of the two we have had it bordered on lazy. Our current one has two linked cages and a wheel in each cage. He sleeps in one of the wheels and rarely goes into the other cage. I have noticed more activity in late afternoon/early evening and early morning than in the middle of the night and some sources suggest that hamsters may be diurnal rather than nocturnal and that pattern would fit that description better. This is really good to hear! Thanks. Last night my daughter slept in the same room and was able to observe that he is more active than she thought. The kids also got him out and let him run around in the tub with paper tubes and playmobile ladders. He seemed to like that! Do you feed your winter whites fresh food? Bits of veggies or fruit? Do they like it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celticmom Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 I have occaisionally offered a few things like a small piece of carrot or a dab of plain yogurt but they have not seemed overly impressed and I generally have to remove the uneaten food so it does not spoil. Carrot root was the most popular but they would not come out for it or run to it. It only disappears after no one has been in the room for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindyg Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Do you feed your winter whites fresh food? Bits of veggies or fruit? Do they like it? For my mice -- I keep a little dish in the kitchen, and any little crumbs, seeds, or bits of produce get brushed into the little dish. At the end of the day, I give that to the mice. They especially love pizza crumbs, cantaloupe seeds, bits of cheese (naturally!), popcorn (popped). I give them mouse food too -- about a table spoon of mousefood and a tablespoon of human-food crumbs (for 2 mice). I love watching them react to the different bites of food when they find it in their food dish! When I had a regular hamster, he was CRAZY for regular people food! Try offering him the little crumbs on the bottom of a pizza box sometime. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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