# The hamster has been running for SIX HOURS **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 21, 2007, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hamster-has-been-running-for-six-hours/388810 "2007-01-21T07:15:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hamster-has-been-running-for-six-hours/388810/1 "2007-01-21T07:15:02Z")
My daughter is six and she’s been begging for a pet for months now. Today we finally gave in and got a hampster. We brought him home and put him in his cage with water and food and chew sticks. He explored a little, found the hampster wheel, got in and started running. And he hasn’t stopped. Occasionally he’ll pause for a bit, and poke around outside the wheel, but thirty seconds later he’ll be back in. He did nibble on a bit of food we put next to the wheel, but as soon as it was gone he was back in the saddle, running full tilt. Is this … normal? Is this a stress response from being brought home in a little cardboard box? Is it pure joy at no longer sharing a cage with other hampsters? Does he just really, really like running in his wheel? Bless his little heart, I don’t want to spoil his fun, but the wheel is squeaky, it’s getting late, and I don’t want him to collapse from exhaustion. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hamster-has-been-running-for-six-hours/388810/2 "2007-01-21T07:23:08Z")
Is he from Chicago? Maybe he just got released from powering a server and is used to 24/7 service. ---
**Author:** ![cooky173](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71c47a/32.png) [@cooky173](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cooky173)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hamster-has-been-running-for-six-hours/388810/3 "2007-01-21T07:24:19Z")
Maybe he misheard the saying about the squeaky wheel getting the grease, and thinks if he keeps running he’ll get some takeaways? ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hamster-has-been-running-for-six-hours/388810/4 "2007-01-21T07:52:07Z")
Shit, we should get him to work on powering the dope’s servers! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hamster-has-been-running-for-six-hours/388810/5 "2007-01-21T08:27:48Z")
Seven hours now and still squeaking away … . By the way, read “hampster” as “hamster” in my previous post … duh. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hamster-has-been-running-for-six-hours/388810/6 "2007-01-21T08:39:45Z")
[QUOTE=Pochacco] Seven hours now and still squeaking away … . By the way, read “hampster” as “hamster” in my previous post … duh. [/QUOTE] Don’t worry. If ‘thunk’ is the past tense of ‘think’ at 3 AM, ‘hampster’ is an acceptable spelling of ‘hamster’ after one has been squeaking a wheel in your ears for six hours. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hamster-has-been-running-for-six-hours/388810/7 "2007-01-21T08:40:16Z")
Maybe take him off and see if he gets back on. Or just take the wheel out for the night. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hamster-has-been-running-for-six-hours/388810/8 "2007-01-21T08:45:43Z")
[Or…](http://www.otherpower.com/hamster.html) ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hamster-has-been-running-for-six-hours/388810/9 "2007-01-21T08:59:19Z")
7 hours seems a little long. But the little buggers do run marathons on those things. I’d say it’s pretty normal, and will probably run less in the future. IIRC hamsters sleep about 20 hours a day. My previous experience is that they do run at night, so figure out a quiet place for them to run. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hamster-has-been-running-for-six-hours/388810/10 "2007-01-21T09:00:27Z")
Seriously, though: > [@](#): > > Keeping in mind hamsters are nocturnal and generally use their wheel a lot at night, you definitely want a quiet wheel. This is especially true if you share your room with a hamster! A squirt of vegetable oil is a safe option for greasing squeaky wheels. [http://exoticpets.about.com/od/hamsters/a/hamsterwheels.htm](http://exoticpets.about.com/od/hamsters/a/hamsterwheels.htm) > [@](#): > > A typical day for the hamster entails running the equivalent horizontal distance of 2 miles (3.2 km). [http://www.animalhealthcare.ca/contents/content.asp?id=206&cat=Exotic](http://www.animalhealthcare.ca/contents/content.asp?id=206&cat=Exotic) If I’m skimming this article correctly, the control group (pre-surgical) hamsters were running an average of 13 kilometers a day: [Decreased wheel-running activity in hamsters post myocardial infarction](http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1769401). ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hamster-has-been-running-for-six-hours/388810/11 "2007-01-21T09:59:18Z")
My sister got a hamster while we were growing up. It ran a LOT. At night. And the wheel squeeked, so she couldn’t sleep with it in **her** room. For some reason, it was decided it should be moved to my room. Yes, they run for hours and hours and hours and hours. The little monsters. ---
**Author:** ![FRDE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e68b1a/32.png) [@FRDE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FRDE)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hamster-has-been-running-for-six-hours/388810/12 "2007-01-21T13:50:05Z")
Deep fried hamster in soy, chilli and tamarind anyone ? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hamster-has-been-running-for-six-hours/388810/13 "2007-01-21T14:04:48Z")
Geez, no wonder they have to eat 81 times their weight each day. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hamster-has-been-running-for-six-hours/388810/14 "2007-01-21T14:18:25Z")
[QUOTE=FRDE] Deep fried hamster in soy, chilli and tamarind anyone ? [/QUOTE] No, that’s just not right. 🙂 Everyone knows you baste hamsters in raspberry preserve, then bury them. Before long, luscious flowers appear… Tulips from hamster jam :eek: ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hamster-has-been-running-for-six-hours/388810/15 "2007-01-21T14:29:38Z")
Replace him with the upgrade: a Capybara. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hamster-has-been-running-for-six-hours/388810/16 "2007-01-21T14:43:37Z")
Get him a old cardboard tube, one that used to have toilet paper or paper towels on it. Put it in the cage with him. Hamster love em. ---
**Author:** ![FRDE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e68b1a/32.png) [@FRDE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FRDE)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hamster-has-been-running-for-six-hours/388810/17 "2007-01-21T14:45:29Z")
[QUOTE=glee] No, that’s just not right. 🙂 Everyone knows you baste hamsters in raspberry preserve, then bury them. Before long, luscious flowers appear… Tulips from hamster jam :eek: [/QUOTE] Do they produce a Bubble - or are they just hallucinogenic ? ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hamster-has-been-running-for-six-hours/388810/18 "2007-01-21T15:04:35Z")
Get the little bugger one of [these](http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441807874&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302047891&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023695&bmUID=1169391767887&itemNo=0&Ntt=silent+spinner&In=All&previousText=silent+spinner&N=2) . As a hamster owner who’d had many sleepless nights due to late night wheel running, I can say with confidence that you won’t hear a peep with that wheel. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hamster-has-been-running-for-six-hours/388810/19 "2007-01-21T16:12:11Z")
Or you could get Habitrail, and have hamster tubing all over the house. (When I was a kid, I was fascinated by Habitrail. I wanted to fill it with water and have fish tubing all over the house… ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hamster-has-been-running-for-six-hours/388810/20 "2007-01-21T16:26:38Z")
Have anyone ever made a hamster wheel with an odometer? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hamster-has-been-running-for-six-hours/388810.md?page=2)