Syrian Hamsters- would it ever be awake early evening?

[jenthehen]

DS 7 would really like one but anything I've read seems to say that they don't wake till about 10pm. Anyone with any experience of this?

Our hamster gets fed at tea time and he'll usually pop out for this, especially if there's something smelly like cheese on the menu!

Yep. Our poor old hamster rubs his eyes and shuffles over to the bars at about 10.30pm, just as dh and I are heading up the stairs to bed.

He is NEVER awake during the day. He does get out of his nest and makes a quick trip to his "loo" at about 8 o'clock in the morning, but he's not too sociable then.

I reckon a hamster is a good pet for a night-shift worker.

Does it make any difference if it is winter time and the nights are dark earlier?

Get pet rats instead! THey're cute - awake when you are - cuddly.
Try and get girls though (and you must get at least 2)
Boys are really smelly!

I don't think so, not with ours anyway. I quite often catch him running around in broad daylight, but maybe he's an insomniac

I read that boy rats were more friendly than female ones, so I went to look at some yesterday and was put off by their HUGE teeth and HUGE testicals!
I don't think rats are for me.

My hammy's got huge testicles too

ours is awake early evening and also in the morning.

Get him a pair of male rats. V sociable, very handle-able after a short space of time and usually out and about much of the day/early evening.
Our ratties favourite platime was about 7pm

Rats' teeth are sort of about the same size as a hammie's (watch hamster yawn - you'll wonder where they put their teeth). Plus they're less inclined to bite than a hamster. I've only ever ben bitten once by a rat and that was becuase she was pregnant and we didn't know and must have been hormonal

oops sp testicles!!
I've also read that rats dribble urine, is this true??

Where do you keep your rats' cage? ie in which room and how reluctant are people to look after rats when you go on holiday. Rat ownership seems on a whole different scale to hamster ownership.

So has my hammy bella, he used to have a wee house which he slept in and they were always hanging out the window (I kid you not!) [boak]

Our hamster is awake early evening (or whenever she is grabbed!) and for parts of the day - it varies. Probably depends on how much exercise she has been subjected to . She has been a great and much loved pet so far.

Our syrian hamster is usually awake early evening. Ds 7 loves him to bits! He has pots of character too - lovely pet!

They are cute aren't they - even when their testicles are completely out of proportion to the rest of their body, weebesom!

This is more encouraging. I'll have a look at some hamsters.