I got my dwarf hamster about 3 months ago and lately he's been running on his wheel way more than usual, like literally all night. He also seems to be hiding his food constantly in different spots. Is this normal behavior or am I doing something wrong with his setup?
Both of those behaviors are pretty normal for dwarf hamsters - the wheel running especially, since they're naturally active little guys and need tons of exercise at night. Food hoarding is basically hardwired into them, so that's nothing to worry about either.
that said, stress can still show up as *excessive* wheel running combined with other signs like bar biting, aggressive behavior, or refusing to eat from their stash. if your hamster looks otherwise healthy, eats regularly, and seems curious when you're around, he's probably just being a typical hamster. make sure his wheel is at least 6.5 inches (bigger is better), his cage has enough bedding for burrowing, and he's got hiding spots - those are the main things that keep them content.
The wheel running and food hoarding are normal on their own, but the key is whether he's doing *more* of it than before - if it's a sudden spike in the last few weeks, that could signal stress from temperature swings, too much noise, an undersized cage, or even a health issue, so it's worth checking his enclosure size (dwarf hamsters need at least 450 square inches of *continuous* floor space, not including the wheel), making sure he's not near drafts or direct sunlight, and observing if he's also bar-biting, over-grooming, or seems lethargic. If the wheel obsession and hoarding just ramped up recently without any setup changes, a vet visit wouldn't be overkill since stress can also mask illness.
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