Hamster Wheels - Wheels Are Necessary Items in a Hamster’s
Life
Pet owners make a lot of mistakes when it comes to the cage they should provide for their
hamsters. Of course, the cage should not be very small, the recommended size being about 50/35 cm. One should never
buy an oval or a round cage for their hamster because the little creatures tend to go mad and lose their sense of
orientation. Grid cages are recommended so that the hamsters can breathe properly and last but not least, a hamster
owner should not forget about the hamster wheels, where the little creature can play at will.
If you haven’t bought a wheel for your hamster just yet, you should go ahead and do it as fast
as possible because your little fellow will definitely be very happy about it. Hamsters are active animals and they
need a lot of exercise. They can do that on wheels, in tunnels or on stairs. However, the hamster should also be
active outside its cage, exploring other corners of the house, too. There are special hamster balls you can use, for instance, but you should always keep an eye on the little
rodent because it can hurt itself when playing with them.
Characteristics of hamster wheels
Most of the wheels for hamsters are made of steel or plastic, those with full
surfaces being recommended because the rodents can hurt themselves on those with bars. Hamster
wheels were first mentioned in a newspaper ad in 1949. Research has shown that the Syrian hamster
prefers big wheels, 23 cm-diameter wheels being preferred to the 17 cm-diameter ones. The hamsters
did not express any preference for a full surface wheel instead of one with bars 9 mm apart,
although they preferred the latter model but with bars 12 mm apart. Also, the hamsters did not
prefer a wheel with small bumps on the inside either to a plain surface one, but didn’t avoid it
either. If the hamster bends its back when running on the wheel, then you should buy them a bigger
wheel.
It is not unusual for hamsters to run about 9 km per night. The theories that
explain this occupation are based on the need for physical activity, on a substitute for
exploration and on a stereotypical behavior, but the experiments have shown that, similarly to the
play, running is a sort of reward and a source of pleasure for hamsters, being one of their
hobbies.
There is a certain similarity between the running of hamsters and the jogging humans prefer to
do. Hamster wheels are a means for hamsters to consume their energy because they usually cover long distances
looking for food in the wild. Furthermore, a small and narrow cage makes the hamster nervous and restless, which is
why it should also run outside the cage, but should be supervised all along. The consumption of food with a high
energetic value like sunflower seeds makes the hamster hyperactive and running on the wheel is its way of burning
calories. However, you should be careful for your hamster not to become obsessed with running because it can
develop health problems.