When we noticed our hamster, Mooey Maria Hazel, obsessively running on her wheel every night, we decided to find out just how far she was going. What started as a simple Raspberry Pi project quickly turned into a full-stack setup: we used a Hall effect sensor and magnet to track wheel rotations, added a DHT22 sensor for temperature and humidity, and wrote a Python script to send the data to a Next.js backend. The script runs as a systemd service, and the data powers a live dashboard showing Mooey’s activity. After some trial and error with enclosure design — especially since Mooey loves chewing things — we eventually built a safer, more stable system. Now we can monitor her nightly marathons in real time, blending hardware, software, and a lot of hamster love.

Hamster Monitoring System

The Idea & Challenge

Role & Technical Scope

Project Media & Visuals