Do Hamsters Need Light in the Night? Or Do They Prefer Darkness?
If you look at hamsters’ natural habitat, you’ll hardly find them around the light. They are nocturnal and love to remain in the dark. And the practice remains when you bring one at home.
Do hamsters need light at night? Nope, they don’t. They prefer to mend in the dark during the night, maintain their usual activity, and live everyday lives. Even their poor eyesight doesn’t hamper the hamsters. They feel more energetic and inspired in the dark. Also, their memory and smelling senses are too vital to identify things in the dark.
That’s why you’ll find most of the hamsters, like the Russian Dwarf, Grey Dwarf, etc. hamster running at peak during the night. This doesn’t end here. You may be thinking of keeping your hammy under artificial lights. But read till the end to know why you shouldn’t and why they’re good in darkness.
Do Hamsters Need Light At Night?
There are obligations or urgency that you have to provide light to hamsters, but if they prefer to live without it at night, that’s their nature. Remember one thing, hamsters are crepuscular or nocturnal animals. By default, they can live in darkness without any hassle or hesitations. So they are better adapted and more convenient in that environment than usual ones.
Also, their nature made them favorable to that dark environment. Whenever they are in the jungle, they feel good in the dark, which helps them to move smoothly. That even makes them safer from other wild animals as well. Thanks to their whiskers, that helps them to find their way into the dark.
Similarly, hamsters are highly smell-sensitive. Even in the dark, they can adapt to the identical smell of objects around them and move accordingly. This balances their poor eyesight and maintains a feasible living.
One great thing about not providing light to your hamster at night, it extends its lifespan. As long as they remain in the dark, they feel comfortable, like you do feel the same without light during sleep.
Dealing with Hamster at Night
The hamster feels comfortable in the dark. We don’t have any doubt about that, right? Keeping that in mind, let’s see how to deal with hamsters at night.
Despite that fact, you can’t leave hamsters alone all the time at night. So, here are some of the techniques or adaptations we feel your hamsters might be comfortable with during the night.
1. Using Deemed Light At Night
Whenever you go to your hamster, use deemed or low light. You know by now how comfortable and adjustable hamsters are during the dark. And when you turn on the ceiling light, you’ll disturb them a lot.
Any light, be it a lamp or portable light torch, can work in that case. Hence, just ensure the hamster is not getting a direct ray of light in the eyes.
2. Using Red Light For Checking Up
You know that hamsters have very poor eyesight. In that case, red light can be beneficial for you for monitoring the hamster. Red light rays are not visible to hamsters. They pass like ordinary rays, entirely ineffective for the hamster’s eyes. So you can take full advantage by investigating or observing your hamsters without disturbing them.
This is also preferable for hamsters that wake up only at night after 10 pm. They prefer to remain in the dark only. Therefore, using red lights would keep them in their comfort zone all the time then.
3. Observing The Hamster At night
You know your hamster can be good. Especially their activities during the different times will allow you to understand and help your hamster with its steady growth. So you can use the lights mentioned above to understand the activities at night.
Moreover, if you fall asleep when your hamster is productive at night, you can set a camera, phone, or any recording device towards it. That’ll help you a lot later to understand the hamster’s behavior.
Risk of Exposing Hamster to Light at Night
Hamsters can’t withstand light at all for sleeping. You’ll be disturbing their sleep if you use light. And when they are hampered in their sleep, they’ll show abnormality in their regular activities.
Some of the common findings of sleep-deprived or light-exposed hamsters at night are:
- Lack of playing capability
- Cannot run in the wheel casually
- Feels weak and tired most often
- Tries to sleep now and then during the day, but fails most often
- Loses control of eating and starves
In that case, an additional suggestion here is never to force your hamster to sleep during the day. It is okay if they sleep during that time on their own. But if you try to balance the night sleep schedule with the day’s one, you’ll be pushing your hamster for big trouble. However, you can create a favorable environment in its cage during that time for helping the hamster to rest.
Do Hamsters Need Light For Their Cages? Things to Do During the Day
Actually, not necessary because when your hamsters are tired during the day, they’ll, by default, come to their nest and rest. So, do hamsters like dark or light? Russian dwarfs run very fast and remain tired after completing their schedule.
So, it is just enough that you keep the room’s light gloomy. The best would be to restrict the light by using curtains over the window during the day. That’ll be enough, don’t just go on to cover the cage with a cloth or cover. Your hammy needs proper air and ventilation. So provide it as much as you can.
Most Preferable Light/Dark Situations for Hamsters
Keep your hamster in the darkness at night and in low light during the day. That sums up that they love staying in that dark; yeah, they do. Maybe in the day, you won’t be able to provide sufficient darkness in your room. In that case, you can move your hamster’s cage to where the light reaches less.
Besides, natural light is okay for them to adjust to. Hence, better keep them more aloof from artificial lights. That’ll help adjust your hamster to remain in whatever light it gets to the eyes. And sometimes, let them adjust the artificial light amid the practice, but that should never be a regular thing.
Related Questions
Find answers to some commonly asked questions on your hamster’s preference for darkness during the night
1. Can hamsters sleep with the light on?
No, they cannot. Light effect their routine and activities a lot, mostly their sleep cycle. And artificial light does the most damage here.
2. Is too much light bad for my dwarf hamster?
Depends on the type of light. If the light is an artificial one, that’ll be harmful to your hamster. In this case, natural light is okay, but bright sunny rays directly toward their eyes might be too much for them. They can’t take them.
3. Should hamsters have light at night for eating meals?
For eating meals, you should provide low lights to them. That’ll be a good convenience. But once they’re done you should make the light dimmer or turn it off.
4. Should I let my hamster roam freely in the dark?
Being nocturnal, hamsters won’t be facing problems while roaming freely in the dark. But if you have got the hamster new, let them know the room and the environment for a few days. Then, you’ll see them adjusting to everything in the dark without hassle.
With That Said
If you have read the article till now, there should never be any thoughts of keeping hamsters on the light during the night. That’d be harsh to your hamster as they love to be in the dark.
Moreover, make sure you monitor your hamster’s activities during the dark. You know what light you can use for that and how to do it. Don’t leave them alone.
