Hamsters are one of the favorite pets in every home. The predilection for this type of animal is very easily explained since they are very sociable, friendly and small animals. Surely their small size is what most attracts most people since it is possible to have them in a place that does not take up much without being bothersome and receiving, at the same time, a lot of company and affection.
Taking care of a hamster is very easy, that is another advantage of having an animal of this type. You will hardly have to give it any special care. It will be enough for you to clean his cage once a week and make sure, daily, that he has the food and water he needs. Of course, you should also play with him every day so that he gets used to you and always lets himself be grabbed. As you can see, taking care of hamsters very simple. However, as with all animals, it is possible that, if you have never had an animal with these characteristics before, you may be surprised at some of its behaviors. One of those behaviors that usually surprise most people is hibernation.
Hibernation is a defensive process that occurs in some animals. During the winter when they live in the wild they often encounter the problem that they do not have food. For this reason, when the cold increases and they have no way to feed themselves, what they do is fall asleep and reduce their energy costs to a minimum. In this way it even seems that they have died. However, with the arrival of good weather, the animals wake up and begin to feed again. Until then they will have been living off their fat reserves. Hibernation is a completely natural process but sometimes we should try to stop our hamster from hibernating. If you are asking how to prevent my hamster from hibernating, pay close attention to what follows.
What do you need to prevent my hamster from hibernating?
- Hamster
- Food
- Toilet
Instructions to prevent my hamster from hibernating
- Hibernation occurs when winter begins to arrive. As you already know, winter has two basic characteristics: it is colder and there are fewer daylight hours. Hamsters are able to perceive these facts and therefore begin to hibernate. If you do not want your hamster to hibernate, what you should do is ensure that the temperature does not drop in your home and there is enough light.
- As for the temperature, you must make sure that in your house there is at least 15 degrees Celsius throughout the day. This is something that we usually do automatically so as not to get cold.
- As for the light, make sure to leave your hamster’s cage in a place that receives as much natural light as possible and when it begins to get dark, make sure to leave the electric light on for several hours.
- You should also give him plenty of food. Remember that winter is a time when food is scarce in nature. As a consequence, the hamsters cannot feed and hibernate. If you give it plenty of food, it will most likely not hibernate.
- If you start to notice that your hamster moves less and is more lethargic, you can take it between your hands and rub it gently. By applying this type of massage you help your hamster not hibernate.
- If you have followed all these instructions it is most likely that your hamster will not hibernate. Now, if it still does, you should not worry since it is a completely natural process, after all, it is nothing more than a nap a little longer than usual!
Tips to prevent my hamster from hibernating
- Remember that hibernation is a completely natural process so you can allow your hamster to hibernate without problems. Some species of hamster are more prone to hibernation and it is difficult to get them not to hibernate. In these cases you should not worry and you should allow them to do so. If you are worried that something might happen to your hamster, you can place a small blanket over him to prevent him from losing heat and check that he is fine every day by observing his breathing signs.
