My hamster never uses his wheel. is this good or bad?

Question

my hamster never uses the wheel placed in his cage, i dont mind, but he is getting a bit fat.

and when i put him in his ball, he just sits in a corner :O

what do i do?!

Answer 1

This is not a good sign of a healthy hamster.

Are you really sure that he doesn't even run on the wheel at night, when you are asleep, because that is the time when they are active.

If not, then he is not healthy...he's getting fat which is also not good if he doesn't get enough exercise.

I suggest you don't give him too much fruits or vegetables (once a week) and remove any sunflower seeds from his food if they contain any...that should help reducing his fatness (I know vegetable does help, but too much would cause serious diarrhea)

In the meantime, I suggest you to let the hamster out from his cage and let him run around your room (Hamster balls do great, because they have no other option, but to run) and also check your wheel...lubricate it with vaseline so that it can run smoothly.

Leave treats ON the wheel and slowly, get your hamster to notice that the wheel is meant for running.

I do advice taking him to the vet, in case something is internally wrong.

If he sleeps too much (more than usual) then it might be a bad sign.

I wish you all the very best.

EDIT:

I'm sorry, I thought you got your hamster recently, and it is very young.

Well, your hamster is more than a year old...so now it makes sense.

1 year is like 40 years of human life, so we wouldn't run that much..lol

Don't worry, your hammy is okay.

<:^_^:>

Have a Good Day!

Regards,

¸.•*´`*♥Shining Star♥*´`*•.

Answer 2

if hes old then that could be why as mine never used his wheel much either so don't worry if thats the case as for the wheel mine used to love it so can't help there

Answer 3

Dont worry he is fine. SOme hamsters like wheels and some dont. I have had loads of hamsters and some of them jumst dont seem bothered by it. If he is fat, then try to cut down on the food you give him (about 10g a day is all they need). Good luck :)

Answer 4

What size is his wheel? If it is too small then it won't use it because it won't be comfy. If he's a Syrian the wheel needs to be at least 8" in diameter.

Answer 5

Sounds a bit odd, like an underactive thyroid.

Answer 6

must be an American hamster

Answer 7

OMG, dont freak her out LOL!!!!

Some hamsters don't like their wheels,  PLAIN AND SIMPLE!!!

they're all individuals, i have one hammie whose addicted to his wheel and another who i think is just afraid to use it...

obviously check there is nothing wrong with him, injuries, illnesses or wateva

and if it just a matter of getting old and not as active as he used to be (which happens) don't worry about it...

If you're worried about his weight, buy a playpen with loads of toys like see-saws and tubes or wateva, it'll break the boredom for him cos it's different, its easy to monitor him and most importantly he can go at his own pace....

Just dont panic, i really dont think its anything to worry about as long as you've checked he's healthy xxxx hope it goes well