Hamsters are small, furry animals that make wonderful pets and household companions. And just like dogs love to play and be engaging, while cats like a quieter lifestyle and to be left alone, hamsters also have their preferred type of environment in your home.
It’s important to provide the right type of environment in your home for your furry friend. Hamsters are small, delicate animals and require a nurturing and appropriate environment for them to live a happy and long life.
In the following article, we’re going to talk about whether hamsters prefer quiet, how to keep your hamster quiet at night, and other important things to remember about keeping your hamster safe and comfortable.
As always, you can click any of the links in the table of contents below to be taken directly to that section. Otherwise, let’s just jump into the first topic of whether hamsters prefer a quiet or more active environment.
Do Hamsters Prefer Quiet?
Hamsters are small, anxious, and delicate animals and they prefer quiet and peaceful environments compared to louder and more active. They can live in louder conditions, but they mostly the serene of a quiet environment.
As we’ve talked about in the past, hamsters are nocturnal animals, which means they are awake at night and asleep during the day. And if you’re like 99% of the population, you probably function the opposite. That’s one main reasons why hamsters prefer quiet environments because when you’re awake, they’re trying to sleep. And it’s hard to sleep with a bunch of commotion going on.
Similar to you, hamsters need about 7 hours of sleep each night and if they don’t get that sleep, it can contribute to other types of health issues. Keeping their environment as quiet and serene as possible is important to help them get the required rest they need.
The other important thing to know is that extending periods of loud noise can make your hamster stressed or anxious and lead to other mental illnesses. When hamsters become stressed, they often withdraw, become less active, lethargic, and won’t eat, which can lead to an entirely new set of health issues.
And finally, loud noises, especially sudden ones, can damage your hamster’s hearing, startle them, and ultimately make them feel unsafe in their own enclosure. Imagine if in your house there was constant blaring music, yelling, and it was never peaceful. That’s how a hamster often feels.
Overall, hamsters prefer a quiet environment and you should take the necessary steps to allow them that lifestyle to keep them happy and comfortable in their cage.
How to Keep My Hamster Quiet at Night?
While most hamsters generally prefer quiet, they are nocturnal, which means they do all of their activity at night and that can ultimately be disruptive to your sleep at night. If you want to keep your hamster quiet at night, here are a few ways to do that:
- Place the cage in a quieter part of your home away from your bedroom, but never a closet or the garage.
- Make sure they exercise during the day to tire them out, which will ultimately make them less active and quieter at night.
- Provide plenty of bedding to ensure sound from the cage is muffled
- Place a blanket under the cage to help muffle sound from the cage
- Secure any wheels, toys, or tubes to prevent vibrations from causing excessive sound
- Place the cage on a steady surface in your home and not something that will shake or move around
- Make sure your hamster is happy and comfortable in their cage. If they are stressed or anxious, they often make more noise trying to deal with the anxiety.
Ultimately, the best way to keep your hamster quiet at night is to take all the obvious steps of mitigating any sound from their cage. Bedding is a great way to do that, as well as a blanket under the cage to muffle sounds.
Also, keeping your hamster active during the day will make them less active at night, especially on noisier toys, such as a hamster wheel. But do remember that they are nocturnal, so you can always expect some sounds. That’s why it’s often common to not keep the hamster’s cage in your bedroom, since you likely have opposite sleeping schedules.
Why is My Hamster Quiet at Night?
While hamsters are nocturnal, you may find them quiet at night because their sleep schedules are misaligned and they are more tired and sleep at night rather than during the day.
Hamsters are generally quiet during the day and more active at night, but that’s not always the case. That’s just their natural circadian rhythm that’s making them behave that way. But just as humans can become nocturnal for a night shift and sleep during the day, hamsters can also switch their sleeping schedule.
This is most common when their environment just isn’t setup for them to be completely nocturnal. For example, if it’s loud and active in your home during the day, your hamster may have trouble sleeping. Then when it gets quiet at night they finally have the peace and quiet they need to rest. And just like that, their sleeping schedule has switched from their naturally nocturnal state.
The most ideal state is to allow them to sleep or be active when they want. That is what’s natural for them and forcing anything else can lead to stress or anxiety that ultimately leads to more serious health issues. As a result, it’s important to take note of your hamster’s behaviors and try to accomodate your home to make them feel safe and comfortable.
If you do hear your hamster being loud or quiet at night, the most important thing is to make sure they’re safe, happy, and comfortable. Every hamster is different and some will be completely nocturnal, others will be the opposite, and some may even be a blend of both. And that’s perfectly fine, as long as they are safe, comfortable, and have a well balanced diet.
How Loud is Too Loud for a Hamster?
There’s no definitive limit as to what is too loud for a hamster because all are different and each has it’s own tolerance, however a good rule of thumb is if you think it’s too loud, it’s often too loud.
As discussed earlier in this article, hamsters prefer quiet because they are small animals with delicate and sensitive ears. Hearing is one of their primary senses to avoid predators, so it makes sense that they have quite good hearing. That also means loud noises are even louder for your furry friend.
Another thing to keep in mind is noticing your hamster’s behavior when they are around loud sounds. If you start to notice they seem more stressed out, anxious, chewing their cage, or running around aimlessly and you have loud music playing, that could be a sign of distress.
Other than just loud sounds, repetitive annoying sounds should also be avoided, such as electronic beeping, alarm clocks that run for a long time, and anything else that you would find annoying as well.
When deciding on what is too loud for a hamster, it’s important to use your best judgement. There’s no one size fits all answer and that’s because it ultimately depends on what your hamster is comfortable with living in their enclosure. Generally, you a conversation at a low volume is a good starting point for determining if the sound is too loud.
Additional Reading
If you’re interested in reading more about a hamster’s enclosure and environment, check out the related articles below:
- A study on the intensity of stimulus and hearing loss – National Institute of Health
- How well do Hamsters Hear? – Hamsteropedia
- Here is the Best Place to Put a Hamster Cage – The Pet Property
Conclusion
Hamsters are small, docile animals that prefer the quiet lifestyle to the loud, more active and bustling lifestyle. Loud noises and especially extended periods of loud noises can cause your furry friend stress and anxiety, which can ultimately lead to more serious health issues.
What’s unique about hamsters compared to most other household pets is that they are nocturnal, which means they sleep during the day and are more active at night. Obviously this is different than most hamster owners’ sleep schedules, so it’s important to realize this and try to accomodate accordingly.
All in all, hamsters just want a peaceful and comfortable environment to live in each day. As long as you can give them that, they will lead a happy and comfortable life.