Is your hamster spending every waking moment on its wheel? Is it using all of its energy and time on the wheel? If so, your hamster may have an addiction. Just like people, hamsters can get addicted to things. They can easily become addicted to sugary treats, but they can also get addicted to the exercise wheel.
Why your hamster is addicted to its wheel and how to fix it
- Boredom- If there is no other toys or equipment in the cage, your hamster can easily get bored. They will solve this boredom by playing on the wheel. Boredom is very common in domesticated hamsters due to the lack of attention they get from many pet owners. However, this is problem easily fixed. All you have to do is provide more climbing equipment, chews, and toys. You can also scatter food around the bedding. This promotes food foraging. Food foraging is when a hamster searches for its food. This helps it to burn off some energy and can help prevent boredom.
- Lack of space- If your hamster’s cage is too small, your hamster will likely become restless. If this applies to you, make sure you keep in mind that a wild hamster can easily run 5 miles in one night. Hamsters are very active creatures and they need lots of room to run and play. They also need lots of enrichment. This problem is also common because many hamster owners assume that small animals need small places. To solve this problem, simply upgrade your cage.
- High energy foods- High energy foods such as nuts, seeds, and yogurt can be very high in energy content. These can cause hamsteres to be very restless and have energy highs. Then, your hamster will burn this energy off on the wheel. To solve this, don’t feed your hamsters a lot of high energy foods. However, you have to judge on their behavior. If a hamster is lazy, even at night, you may need to provide more of these foods in their diet, but if they are extremely energetic, you will want to lay off these foods a bit.
Why it is unsafe for Hamsters to be addicted to their wheels.
You may think that it is good your hamster is active. While it is good for them to get some physical activity, overusing the wheel definitely has its cons and side effects.
- Exhaustion- Obviously, if a hamster is overactive, they will get exhausted easily and this can cause major health problems with their heart, dehydration, and even hypothermia. Make sure you are monitoring you hamster’s activity and water intake to prevent exhaustion.
- Sores and blisters- While you should never have a mesh or wire wheel, even solid wheels can be unsafe. Like humans, when a hamster runs too much, their feet will get sore and they could get blisters, which are extremely uncomfortable for them and can cause major pains.
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