Why a hamster doesn't run on a wheel, several popular reasons

The owner should find out why the hamster does not run in a wheel immediately after the pet refuses to exercise. Hamsters are naturally very active, but when kept at home they often avoid training. A passive lifestyle is fraught for the animal with metabolic disorders, the development of obesity, etc. For a pet to be healthy, it needs to expend energy on time. The best option is a running wheel, which allows the animal to run tens or even hundreds of meters every day. But there are often cases when a hamster ignores the simulator - how to deal with such a situation will be discussed in the article.

Why does a hamster refuse to run?

The main reasons why the animal does not run on a wheel are as follows:

1. The design is unreliable. It is worth conducting a thorough inspection of the simulator and making sure that it is correctly mounted, assembled securely and the device is stable. If the structure is shaky, it must be secured firmly and securely. If there are large gaps between the steps, you need to lay a circular track made of cardboard on the running surface, which will prevent the furry runner's paws from falling through and getting stuck between the rungs and will protect him.
2. The location of the structure is inconvenient. The height of the placement should correspond to the height of the animal so that it is convenient for the hamster to climb inside the structure. It is important to make sure that there are no obstacles on the pet’s way to the simulator - if the animal is in the way of bowls or a resting house, then they need to be moved so that access to the simulator is free.
3. The size of the simulator does not correspond to the dimensions of the rodent. The diameter of the wheel should allow the animal to move freely inside the simulator. If the diameter is too small in relation to the dimensions of the hamster, then the animal will be cramped inside such a structure. The diameter of the running circle for a dwarf hamster should be from 12 cm, and for a Syrian hamster – from 18 cm.
4. The hamster does not like the material of the trainer. There are no recommendations for this case - preferences depend on the individual. Some hamsters love products made of plastic, others - metal.
5. The device makes a lot of noise when rotating. The loud squeak that a metal running wheel can make frightens the animal and depresses it. For silent rotation, you need to lightly lubricate the mechanism with vegetable oil.
6. There is a risk of injury. If the design is not well thought out or does not suit the animal, it may get injured when using the simulator. A hamster that hits itself or has its paw pinched will lose the desire to use the dangerous exercise machine. If the design cannot be adjusted, the simulator will have to be replaced.
7. The rodent is weakened due to illness or advanced age. For these reasons, you should not force your pet to train, lure him into the wheel with treats, etc.

Reasons for refusal

In fact, it's simple. The point here, most likely, is the running item itself. Take a close look at what could be wrong with it. Pet stores offer a huge selection of this accessory. The main thing is to approach this matter wisely: do not take it too small or too large; the optimal size is considered to be a wheel of no more than 17-18 cm, and for small breeds - 15-16 cm. Otherwise, your pet will either fall out of it or be severely will hurt his back. Such inconveniences do not make running comfortable, so the hamster ignores the exercise machine. Also check if it turns easily. If it’s hard, you will need to lubricate it with a special product.

When installing the wheel in the cage, pay attention to the strength of the fastening. Extra sounds and rocking of the simulator can greatly frighten the baby and forever discourage him from running. Do not forget also that your pet is a gloomy animal, which means that it is most active at night. It is in your best interests to install the accessory firmly, otherwise the constant rattling will not allow you to get a good night's sleep.

The circumstance where the item is installed is of great importance. If it is too high and it is inconvenient for the hamster to get into it, then this can also cause failure. It is best when the accessory is installed on the first floor (if there is a second floor) at floor level.

The simulator itself must be comfortable and meet all safety conditions. Do not buy a lattice wheel or one with spokes, as this may cause injury or a broken foot. The best choice is a solid wheel. It can be either open on both sides or closed on one. It will be good for the animal to get in and out of such a wheel.

A common reason for not jogging may be the age of the rodent. Young individuals (first and second years of life) are very active, while older individuals prefer a calm, measured life. In addition, animals are susceptible to diseases such as arthritis, arthrosis, unnecessary movements cause them pain and inconvenience. Do not force the animal to move; it is better to remove the exercise machine from the cage altogether.

Before attempting to train your hamster to use the accessory, make sure it is completely healthy. The disease contributes to loss of activity and interest in anything.

How to train your pet to exercise

If the device was purchased recently and installed in a cage in compliance with all necessary conditions and recommendations, you should wait a few days, i.e. Give your pet time to get used to the device. After this, the animal should become interested in the simulator.

If the rodent stubbornly does not start using the device, or has stopped using it for an inexplicable reason, you can try to train the hamster to the wheel. You can do this in two ways:

1. Using your pet's favorite food. Knowing the gastronomic and taste preferences of your furry pet is already half the success. You can find out about them simply by observing your little pet. Once the tasty secret weapon is known, you can begin training. To do this, you need to place the animal’s favorite treat inside the wheel. Then all that remains is to observe again. The aroma of the treat will make the hamster climb into the wheel to get the coveted prize. Treats should be provided until the hamster learns to run. Each time the food should be placed a little higher than before. Such a maneuver will provoke the animal to strive to climb up and turn the running circle.
2. By blocking the exit. If the treat trick doesn't bring much results, you can use the blocking method. To do this, you need to cover the entrance hole with a piece of cardboard or plywood while the hamster is inside the simulator. Once in a confined space, the animal will find that it cannot get out and will diligently search for an opportunity to get out. In search of a loophole, the hamster will begin to move along the wheel. Once he has completed his run, he can be released. The process must be repeated several times and each of them must certainly end with a run. Soon the rodent will get involved and will happily jog even with an open exit.

Requirements for a rodent trainer

To ensure that the hamster feels comfortable and its owners do not experience inconvenience from the sound of the wheel hitting the cage, the design nuances should be comprehensively considered.

To install a successful simulator you need to:

• its diameter corresponded to the size of the animal;
• the width of the treadmill was optimal for the animal’s paws;
• the attachment of the wheel to the axle was strong and at the same time movable, it turned easily;
• the accessory did not make noise;
• The running surface was comfortable.

How can I replace a running wheel?

If everything turned out to be in vain and it was not possible to teach a hamster to run in a wheel, you should take care of replacing the device. Not often, but still among active hamsters who love to run, there are bright individuals who, despite any management tricks, boycott the running wheel. It is impossible to convince such principled animals - neither the size of the structure, nor its material, nor the convenience of location, etc., influence their disdain for the simulator.

Under no circumstances should you allow your pet to lead a passive life. If the animal does not like the running wheel, he needs to find a suitable replacement. As an alternative to the running wheel, you can use a walking ball.

The purpose of the ball is to walk around inside a house or apartment. Hamsters love this device very much and use it with pleasure, since it not only allows them to exercise physically, but also reliably protects them from any surprises during walks. In addition, the ball gives the animal the opportunity to walk around a wide area and stimulates interest in what the rodent sees around. It is also worth noting that there are cases when the ball changed the hamster’s relationship to the wheel and the animal began to use the simulator.

Why do hamsters love running on wheels?

Once in captivity, the hamster no longer needs to worry about food, and its living space becomes limited. A walking option with such a pet is not suitable, because the animal is small and is hunted by a large number of animals: domestic and wild. And if you do not provide him with additional physical activity, then the rodent will develop health problems: obesity, disruptions in the cardiovascular system, slower metabolism, and decreased muscle tone.

In addition, without entertainment, the animal falls into the blues, becomes lethargic and sad.

Hamster doesn't want to learn

Unfortunately, not all hamsters without exception are amenable to toilet training. For example, your pet may urinate in the box but refuse to defecate in it. This is common enough that there is little you can do to change the behavior. But it is not at all difficult to get rid of droppings between cleaning the cage. Just pick it up with a scrap teaspoon or tweezers. And by the way, don't worry if you notice your hamster eating droppings. In nature, hamsters are characterized by coprophagia, that is, they often eat soft excrement in order to additionally obtain the substances necessary for life. There is nothing wrong with this; many animals do this. Coprophagy is a way, so to speak, of recycling food, as a result of which they absorb the maximum nutrients from it.

Another reason that a hamster refuses to go to a specially designated toilet is that he often uses more than one corner as a toilet, but several. This usually happens if he lives in a large or multi-sectioned cage. Don't try to teach him to go to the toilet in one single corner. This may cause him stress. Instead, just watch him and place a few more toilets in the cage in his favorite places.

Although many hamsters are well trained to go to the toilet, there will always be individuals who will not be able to understand what is required of them for a long time. Be patient, it's often just a matter of time. But if your pet stubbornly continues to boycott the toilet, do not use violence. Instead of getting frustrated and stressing your hamster, use absorbent cage bedding and make peace with daily cleaning of the corners he chooses for his litter boxes.

Taming

The taming process must begin at the time of purchase of the animal. Moving to a new place is a huge stress. Try to make transportation as comfortable as possible.

For this:

• do not catch the animal with your hands, lure it with treats,
• place it in a box or special carrier,
• put some old sawdust and usual food there in advance,
• go home immediately.

Upon arrival, place the box with the animal in the cage. Make sure he has enough water and food for the next 24 hours. After that, leave him alone. The main taming process will begin the next day.

First days in a new house

Do the taming 3-4 times every day for a few minutes at a time.

First, let him wake up. Don't disturb him when he's sleeping. This will be perceived as a sign of aggression.

Place the cage on the floor in a quiet room. Fence off the surrounding area so that the animal cannot escape. Remove the lid from the cage (only the tray should remain). There is no point in opening the door; the rodent will not come into your arms.

Talk to your hamster in a quiet and gentle voice so that he gets used to your presence. Give him something tasty, such as a piece of carrot or apple. Hold the treat in your hand and wait for him to start eating. Try patting him on the back. Do this carefully and avoid sudden movements. It may take several days for him to stop being afraid.

• Stroke the hamster's back from the shoulders to the hind legs. Try not to touch his head.
• Don't point your fingers forward. The animal may mistake them for food and bite you.

How to hold a hamster in your arms

The next step is to try to pick up the rodent. When he is no longer afraid of you, place a tasty seed in your palm. Most likely, he will come to your arms. Now it's important not to scare him.

• Cup your palms and hold the hamster with its muzzle facing you. Raise it slightly off the floor. You should not raise him more than 20 cm. If he falls from a higher level, he may get hurt.
• Cover it lightly with your palm and stroke the back.
• Let him run from palm to palm, rearranging them.
• If he starts running too fast, block his path with your palm.
• If he doesn't try to escape, sit him on your lap. He might want to climb on your shoulder.

Hold your pet firmly, but do not squeeze, otherwise he may bite.

Features of taming the Syrian hamster

Typically, Syrian hamsters are tamed fairly quickly, as this breed is naturally friendly and curious. To speed up the process, use treats and toys. Try to make communication interesting for the rodent.

The Syrian hamster is larger than other representatives of the species, so the process of taming it can be safely entrusted to a child. It is important not to allow excessive attention to the hamster in the first days of his stay at home. At this time, close attention from the child will be perceived negatively.

How to tame a dzhungarika to your hands

Dzungarik is wilder and less amenable to taming.
It may take several weeks for him to get used to his owner. Do not try to pick up your baby before he has adjusted to the new place. If you bought a hamster for a small child, make sure that he does not squeeze the animal, as they are very easy to injure. If you want to hold the animal often, buy one hamster. It is known that animals living in pairs do not make good contact with humans.

Purpose of a house in a pet's cage

Buying a house for your pet is easy. You can buy the accessory at a pet store, order it online, or even make it yourself. At first, it is recommended to install not one, but several, so that the hamster can make his choice. It should attach freely to the cage rods. The main purpose of such an accessory in the animal’s cage is to organize a sleeping place for it and a warehouse for dry food.

When choosing a house, you should pay attention to such points as:

Instructions for training a hamster to a wheel

After purchasing a running wheel, your pet should be given the opportunity to independently get acquainted with the new accessories. The owner needs to make sure that the wheel is securely fastened and has no foreign odors. It may take about a week to get acquainted with the new accessory; if during this period the hamster shows a restrained interest in the wheel, be patient and wait.

A week has passed and there are no results? Perhaps these instructions for training a hamster on a wheel will help you:

• Set aside 1-2 hours of free time.
• Take your hamster's favorite treat and chop it into very small pieces.
• Place a piece of treat in the wheel and wait until the hamster becomes interested. To prevent the treat from falling through, the lower part of the wheel can be covered with a strip of regular cardboard.
• When the hamster gets into the wheel, carefully and very slowly spin it 1/4 turn.
• Stop any actions and observe the hamster's reaction.
• If your pet continues to ignore the wheel, repeat the procedure after 10-15 minutes.

What should you do if the hamster in the wheel gets scared while spinning? If your pet was purchased from a pet store, most likely he has bitter experience using a small wheel. In this case, no tricks or instructions will most likely help. As an alternative to the wheel, you can use a running plate or a plastic ball.

What should the wheel be like?

When choosing, it is important to consider the following points:

1. Wheel size. This is an important parameter. 18 centimeters is suitable for Syrian hamsters, and 16 cm is suitable for dwarf rodents. Smaller wheels should not be used. They are only suitable for baby hamsters.
2. Safe fastenings are another important detail. You should not purchase a wheel on a stand located close to the work surface. If your foot gets caught between the wheel and its stand, it may cause injury.
3. The work surface is a treadmill for the rodent. The animal will run along it. It is better not to take a lattice one, since a rodent’s paws, if caught between the twigs, can be injured. Mesh may work, but it must be fine enough to prevent paws from slipping through.

Travel speed

Zoologists have long figured out how fast hardworking hamsters spin their wheels. The average speed of the animal at which it accelerates is 5 km/h. This is the same as a person moving on foot. Only a human's legs are tens of times longer than a hamster's. This means that the animal spends many times more energy to turn this wheel.

The energy of hamsters has been haunting people for a long time. After all, their energy can be used for real benefit to humans. This is what the English student did. He used his animal to charge his mobile phone. When his hamster was once again spinning circles in the wheel, the young man brought an electric generator to it, and attached it to the phone charger with the other end. Thus, his mobile device was charged by 10% every few minutes. This is how the pet, without knowing it, generated free energy for its owner.

Reasons for not wanting to sleep in a house

Despite the fact that an accessory for a hamster can cost a lot of money, since it is made of high-quality, environmentally friendly material, many are faced with the reluctance of the hamster to be inside. The main reasons are considered:

In addition to the above, there are other reasons that explain the reluctance to climb into a specially designated place while sleeping. Considering the fact that this is a nocturnal animal, it is worth making sure that as little light as possible falls on the sleeping place during the daytime.

Step-by-step instructions: how to make a labyrinth?

From plastic bottles

Now we’ll learn how to make a maze for a hamster with your own hands from plastic bottles. As it turns out, they can be used to make a whole gallery of multi-level tunnels. The configuration of the labyrinth can be simple, or with dead ends, and even multi-level. For the simplest play structure with 2 knees you will need 3 plastic bottles. Conventionally, they can be designated as:

• Entrance corridor.
• Passage corridor.
• Dead end.

You need to wash the bottles and remove the stickers from them. Cut off the bottom of the inlet bottle. Through this hole the hamster will enter the maze from his cage. The cut line should be free of notches and burrs. Cover the cut with electrical tape or tape so that the sharp edges do not injure the nimble animal.

In the part of the bottle where the narrowing towards the neck begins, 2 holes are cut out opposite each other with scissors: a small hole with a diameter slightly larger than the cap and a large one, almost equal to the diameter of the bottle. To cut a circle, first use a knife to make a cross-shaped slot into which you can easily insert scissors.

In the tapering part of the second - passage - bottle, make a round hole smaller than the diameter of the bottle. Cover the edges of all cuts with tape or tape.

Insert a pass-through bottle through the large hole so that the cap comes out the other side. The parts should form the letter “G” or, in other words, a knee. In the same way, neck to neck, attach the third bottle - a dead end.

If you want your hamster to have a treat at the end of the maze, make a hole at the top of the dead end where you can insert a funnel and pour treats through it for your pet. A homemade funnel can be the cut off neck of a bottle with the cap unscrewed. The connections of the parts are firmly fixed with tape.

From cardboard

The labyrinth is made from cardboard in the same way as from planks. The parts of the product are cut out with scissors and attached to the base with tape.

Shoe boxes, toothpaste boxes, etc. are used to make interior walls. Place them inside a large base, cut random passages of an interesting configuration in the walls. Glue with glue or tape.

From toilet paper rolls or paper towels

Rolls of toilet paper and paper towels make interesting tunnels. Such tunnels are located between boxes inside the structure, making it more similar to a hamster's home in a natural environment. Paper sleeves are attached with tape or glue.

From a children's construction set

You can make a labyrinth of any complexity using a children's construction set. Build a playground with bridges, galleries and obstacles. Add a staircase and a second floor. Don't forget to design a compartment where your pet will have a treat.

From plumbing pipes

Plumbing pipes can be used both as separate tunnels inside the box and as material for the manufacture of an entire structure. This is a durable material that even has factory connections - fittings. Make a structure of any complexity from pipes. Make small holes for ventilation in the product.

Therefore, ventilation can be made in the form of longitudinal slits or a series of small holes in the pipes. This way you will have windows for observing the little traveler.

A ready-made hamster cage with a labyrinth will save you from the need to regularly walk your pet. Such products are sold in stores, or equip the cage yourself with a tunnel made of durable material. Please note that a hamster is capable of chewing even the most durable plastic of factory products. Therefore, regularly check the integrity of the structure.

Conclusion

To train a hamster on a running wheel, you need to choose an accessory that suits your pet. Proper selection and installation increases the chances that the animal will use it. However, even this does not guarantee success. A hamster's refusal to turn the wheel is a rare phenomenon, but it does occur. If, despite the efforts of the owners, the animal ignores the running wheel, provide the pet with physical activity using a walking ball. Be attentive to your little furry, then you will be able to understand what he needs for a full and healthy life.

Seven rules for handling a hamster

1. Never interrupt your hamster's deep sleep.
2. Do not squeeze, squeeze or pinch the animal.
3. If the hamster tries to slip out of your hands, squeaks or purrs, it means that he wants to not be disturbed anymore and should be left alone.
4. Do not touch the hamster if it lies on its back and bares its teeth - this is the position it takes in case of defense, when it feels that something is threatening it.
5. When pulling apart fighting hamsters, you must wear leather gloves.
6. Never pick up an adult hamster by the fur on the back of its neck - when it begins to resist this, it will usually emit a stream of urine.
7. There is no need to squeeze the animal tightly with your hand, squeeze it between your fingers or squeeze it - for the hamster this means that it has been grabbed by a predator, and it begins to defend itself.