nest

A Hamster's Sleeping Spot (His Nest)

In the wild, hamsters run all night looking for food and nesting material. Sometimes, early in the morning, the hamster will return to his previously made nest, empty his pouches, rearrange some, then fall into a peaceful sleep. Other times, he has either travelled too far, or his previous nest has become to dirty, cluttered, or has been destroyed. In this case he spends those last moments building a new nest before he retires for the daylight hours.
Hamsters in the wild are able to go where they want and nest where they please. In captivity, however, they have no choice but to nest within the walls of a store bought cage. You can make nesting a great experience for your hamster if you know what best suits his "wild" needs.

Things your hamster would avoid in the wild:

HEAT: Research shows that hamsters thrive much better in cold temperatures than in hot. Syrians especially, by nature, are accustomed to running/ playing on very cold nights, and will keep cool during the hot daylight hours by burrowing- sometimes many FEET underground! Your hamster will appreciate a cool place to sleep- away from sunlight/ other forms of heat.

NOISE: While hamsters usually are not bothered by every single noise they hear, constant, loud, sudden, or noise too close to his house will make him jumpy and cranky. Remember, your hamster is trapped within the walls you give him. Please make sure he is in an area that will keep him from being constantly awakened by excessive noise.

LIGHT: Although I have never known my hamsters to be bothered by an artificially lit room (indoor lighting), it is suspected that wild hamsters travel underground to avoid direct sunlight. Once again, hamsters are nocturnal, not even willing to play in the sun by day- I think its safe to say they would rather not sleep in it either.

TRAFFIC: Wild hamsters sleep underground for MANY reasons. One more reason would be to avoid being vunerable to predators, other hamsters, and in captivity, HUMANS!
Hamsters need alot of sleep, and hide/burrow as much as possible to avoid being startled by household traffic, noise, sunlight, and heat.

Why would one go through all this trouble for a rodent?
Because he is WILD.
Because he would have never chosen to live in captivity.
Because he deserves to have all of his needs met- not just those that we think he has before we research his natural habitat.

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