Chinese dwarf hamster care?

[McLiz]

I would go with Care Fresh bedding. It is a little more but a million times better for your hamster. The plus is that its absorbent and will last between cleanings. Kaytee blends are generally good. =D

[McLiz]

I own a teddy bear hamster myself and had another teddy bear Zorro a few years ago. I would suggest Care Fresh Bedding for your hammy bc it is better for their health. The plus is that it is absorbent so it lasts between cage cleanings. Aquarium tanks and covers are good but I prefer to use regular cages bc there is better air circulation and it allows them to climb and swing around. All the other accessories are pretty good.

You will find that with foods and treats it can be trail and error but you will usually be on the safe side with going with seeds and corn over the grains. Remember treats are important bc it adds to their diet and it can be fun to play with. Regular food mix in a bowl once a day is good. They are hoarders so they will take all the food from the bowl and probably burrow it somewhere under their bedding. Branches from the apple tree are a good way for them to exercise their chewing needs. Keep in mind chewing is all they do so make sure they have plenty to chew on. I would recommend
8-in-1-Ecotrition-Snak-Shak-Hamster-Gerbil-Rat-And-Mouse-Treat-Stuffers, Kaytee Forti-Diet Healthy Bits Hamster and Gerbil Treat, Kaytee Healthy Toppings for Small Animals
and Vitakraft Mini-Pop Small Animal Treats (mini corn cobs-absolute fav for my hammy)

Good luck ^_^

[Olympia]

Just wanna say I'm jealous! I've wanted a hammie FOREVER.
I told my dad I'd sell the 90 gallon aquarium if I could have a hammie, but apparently he'd rather spend hundreds on a giant tank with giant fish than get me one teeny tiny rodent- because they stink.
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[aqua001]

Olympia, my dad is the same way but I've been asking for a tear and he finally said yes. I did a little happy dance:).

[Olympia]

Lucky.. I had mice and a rabbit in the past but never went over well.
But now he can see that I take excellent care of all these fish, still doesn't think I'm responsible enough to keep a hamster cage clean.

[MaisyDawgThirteen]

Tell him if you get a single dwarf, and clean it once a week it won't smell. :)

[Olympia]

Originally Posted by MaisyDawgThirteen

Tell him if you get a single dwarf, and clean it once a week it won't smell. :)

Oh I've tried. I've begged and begged. I told them I'd keep it in my room, nope. I'm stuck with fish.

Honestly, I WOULD sneak one in (I snuck my betta in and now I've got 6 tanks- parents just gotta see it's not that bad).. but we have a snake. Don't wanna make my dad mad.

[TheCrabbyTabby]

Hamsters don't stink. Saying that they do is plain ignorance. Hamsters are a very clean rodent. They clean themselves meticulously and keep their living areas very clean as well.

If cleaned on a regular basis, they surly won't stink at all. Only a negligent, lazy owner will have a cage that stinks.

[MaisyDawgThirteen]

Originally Posted by Olympia

Oh I've tried. I've begged and begged. I told them I'd keep it in my room, nope. I'm stuck with fish.

Honestly, I WOULD sneak one in (I snuck my betta in and now I've got 6 tanks- parents just gotta see it's not that bad).. but we have a snake. Don't wanna make my dad mad.

You could try and sneak in an ovo set-up, if you had a syrian. If you had a dwarf it would be hard to sneak in as they need the tubes to be horizontal not vertical

[TheCrabbyTabby]

Actually, and not to be the annoying know it all here, but a Habitrial Ovo is way too small for a syrian (teddy bear) hamster. The tubes are too small and the whole set up is just plain cramped for them.

The absolute minimum sized cage a syrian should be housed in is that with a 30 inch by 16 inch floor base, though bigger is obviously better. I have my syrian in a 29 gallon tank. Yes, I know its a little smaller than what I recommended but its what I had on hand and its way better than cramming a poor syrian hamster into a ten gallon tank, or worse, a store bought hamster cage.

Tanks are just fine as a cage for hamsters, ventilation is not a problem with them as long as one regularly cleans it out, with spot cleans in between times. I clean ever 1 to 2 weeks and have no problem with ventilation. The absolute minimum tank size a hamster of any kind should be kept in is a 20L. Remember, floor space is everything. 10 gallons should only be used for betta fish, and not hamsters, its way to tiny for a hamster, even a dwarf, as they are extremely active and need more space. Especially a pair.

A dwarf might be fine in a store bought cage with extra additions but they are very active and like to run around a lot, so the larger the better is obviously the case here. Also, get two of everything in their cage, if keeping a pair, and an extra cage/tank so you can separate them if they begin to fight.

Something I've noticed that hasn't been mentioned here is diabetes. Dwarfs, like Winter Whites and Chinese hamsters are highly prone to that so a diet low in sugar as possible is an absolute must. I highly recommend feeding Hazel Hamster food as its the best out there. Don't feed them any fruits, berries and make sure to absolutely minimize the amount of carrots you feed them. Also, go and buy diabetes test strips to test the dwarf's urine for diabetes so you know if they might already have it and can adjust their diet accordingly.

Also, don't ever use a wire mesh wheel. Use a solid plastic wheel and make sure that its at least 6 inches big in diameter. The smaller wheels aren't useful to any animal and should not be sold IMO.

NEVER EVER EVER keep a female with a male unless you are an experienced hamster breeder, know absolutely 100% about every genetic and behavioral trait a hamster could possibly get and know 100% that your dwarfs aren't hybrids, which coming from a pet store, they most likely are. In which case, being from a pet store, they should be housed separately. NEVER EVER EVER breed pet store hamsters because you have absolutely no clue about their genetic history and their lineage.

I highly recommend keeping a same sex pair.