Unsure about lighting🤔

[soaringtacocat123]

Things have been going great so far with Yolandi! She slept in her burrow she’d made herself for about 7 hours from 2pm to 9pm as far as I’m aware.

When I came into check on her I turned on the big light upon entering my bedroom-force of habit more than anything else- and then noticed the way she’d been on the wheel but kind of froze up and wouldn’t move but just stared at me. In a slight panic, I turned the big light back off and immediately started trying to research why it might’ve scared her or why she’d reacted that way. The answers were conflicting.

So I honestly just want some good advice. I like having lighting in my room for most the day- and I have one big window right next to my bed that provides that. But I’d also like to see her before I go to sleep to atleast check on her.. which I can’t do when my room is pitch black. I’m worried and I’m unsure about how I should manage my lighting. I was going to plug a lamp in for something softer, but people online also seemed to say that it might stress her out as well.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I want to get her into a routine. I go to bed at around 11pm, and I want a solution that has her health in mind as well as my want to be able to see her atleast once before bed. If anyone has any ideas or experience with this, please let me know! I’d love to hear it!

 

[myhobbyismyhamster]

Hi! The same thing happened with my hamster Nola. So I got a cheap light off of Amazon that is a red light that I turn on at night. Hamsters don’t see red light like how we do, so they don’t really notice it but it helps us see them. Highly recommend!

 

[soaringtacocat123]

Hi! The same thing happened with my hamster Nola. So I got a cheap light off of Amazon that is a red light that I turn on at night. Hamsters don’t see red light like how we do, so they don’t really notice it but it helps us see them. Highly recommend!

Do you think it would be bothersome if I just kept my lamp on from maybe like 10am-10pm or something to the likes until then? I was thinking of keeping it away from the cage just so I can sort of see Yolandi while also keeping the lighting scheduled and familiar for now.

 

[Maz]

Hi. Hamsters do well with a routine really, where the lights go out at about the same time each night when you go to bed. Other than that, lights on in the evening are fine and it doesn't bother them. A hamster will be a bit startled if a light suddenly goes on when it's been dark, but that is fairly normal. A new baby hamster will startle very easily over all sorts of things - noises etc. But that is just because they're settling in, getting used to the environment, and still a bit scared. So that is just a time thing. During the day they are asleep so it doesn't matter if the room is light - and it's why they need somewhere dark to retreat to to sleep, either under deep bedding or in a large house that is dark inside.

I personally don't like the idea of red lighting. It is true that hamsters can't see red, but it is still "light" and they do best with darkness overnight, which is their main wake time. Their biorrhythms can be affected by never having enough dark and long term that can affect their health.

So as long as you have a normal routine, and go to bed at night and turn the lights out, then she will be fine And if you happen to have a later night that's ok as well, it doesn't have to be exact.

What some of us have also is a hamstercam. It's a small security camera that is infrared - they're not that expensive these days. It connects to wifi and your phone and you can sit in bed and watch what she is getting up to in the dark

 

[soaringtacocat123]

Hi. Hamsters do well with a routine really, where the lights go out at about the same time each night when you go to bed. Other than that, lights on in the evening are fine and it doesn't bother them. A hamster will be a bit startled if a light suddenly goes on when it's been dark, but that is fairly normal. A new baby hamster will startle very easily over all sorts of things - noises etc. But that is just because they're settling in, getting used to the environment, and still a bit scared. So that is just a time thing. During the day they are asleep so it doesn't matter if the room is light - and it's why they need somewhere dark to retreat to to sleep, either under deep bedding or in a large house that is dark inside.

I personally don't like the idea of red lighting. It is true that hamsters can't see red, but it is still "light" and they do best with darkness overnight, which is their main wake time. Their biorrhythms can be affected by never having enough dark and long term that can affect their health.

So as long as you have a normal routine, and go to bed at night and turn the lights out, then she will be fine And if you happen to have a later night that's ok as well, it doesn't have to be exact.

What some of us have also is a hamstercam. It's a small security camera that is infrared - they're not that expensive these days. It connects to wifi and your phone and you can sit in bed and watch what she is getting up to in the dark

Thank you for the advice! I’ve settled on having the lamp on for now. I usually go to bed/start winding down at the same time every night- typically 11pm or 12am. I’ve also read elsewhere that having the light on isn’t harmful as long as they have atleast a few hours of pitch blackness, which I can guarantee that she will have. I’m a heavy sleeper, and the lights will honestly probably be off from the late night into the late morning.

She also has plenty of bedding (about 8 inches or so despite the fact I’d like to slowly start adding more upon seeing how much she enjoys burrowing and got frustrated at reaching the bottom of her cage), and two hideouts in her cage- one being a multi chamber, and the other a smaller corner hideout.

The idea of the security camera was actually one I was considering! My mom gets home from work at around 10 pm, and she honestly loves the hamster more than she cares to admit I believe. The security camera is honestly something she’d probably enjoy and totally be down for if I pitched the idea to her!