Bought a chinese today :D

[hannahbubble]

I got he/she from pets at home and the only guy on the pet area had never sexed a hamster before, so I have no idea whether its a boy or a girl.

Current name is Ham until I find out. I don't want to get it out while its settling to look at its belly.

Pets at home had them on the regular own brand hamster muesli, I was just wondering if anyone could tell me which bits I need to take out and replace?

[KatiePillow]

Their own brand muesli has added syrup, however I'm not sure if that's just on the banana bits.. I'd remove the corn pieces and some of the pea, and the banana bits, but long term the mix is fairly low quality so I'd consider changing (It used to be better, but they made it worse when they brought out their premium mix for some reason >.<)

Sexing chinese hamster should be simple.. Boys have about an inch extra on the end which is their.. fun bags, girls have nice smooth lined bottoms (like.. no extra bits!)

ETA, also congrats on your new addition ^.^

[LawaRawr]

you will need to take out all the yellow things,banana pieces, the red/brown and green colour nuggets as they are full of sugar.(i think they are the only thing you need to take out but in not 100% sure) if you take these out you could replace them with something like millet, im looking forward to seeing some pictures of your Chinese. i would try and introduce your ham on a different brand of food gradually as the pets at home food isnt all that good for a chinese :)
Chinese hamsters are fairly easy to sex once they become a little older, there is a big difference between males and females

[Onion]

Congratulations on your new addition :)

[hannahbubble]

Thanks guys, he/she has settled really well actually, doesn't seem at all nervous!

I am definitely going to change the food, what is better? Also, how long do I need to do the change over?

I'm not entirely sure which pieces are which haha, so I will do my best. Where can you buy millet from? I've got dried mealworms as well to add for protein.

[KatiePillow]

I buy my millet from wilkinson, think it's called budgie seed? just a big bag, also has canary seed in it I think.
You can also get sprays of it in bird sections of the shop, but I use the loose stuff to add to their food
A lot of people buy 'trill' but it's just a brand name.. so I just get the wilkos stuff ^.^

[racinghamster]

This is what I feed my chinese:

Burgess Supahamster Harvest Mix (not the dwarf version) I remove the yellow corn and yellow flaked maize. These are easy to spot as they are all yellow in colour. ;) Pea flakes (these are flat and green in colour) and the banana pieces (these are basically just small pieces of dried banana).

I then add-back other ingredients which I will list for you below and where best to find them:

Kallo organic wholegrain puffed rice (Tesco or Holland & Barratt/Healthfood shops)

Tesco organic jumbo oats: Porridge oats would do but jumbo oats are bigger and not as dusty

Buckwheat: Tesco or Holland & Barratt/health food shops
Hemp seed: Asda or Holland & Barratt/healthfood shops
Mealworms: Poundstretcher seem cheapest for these but they are available from Poundland, Asda/Tesco and pet shops
Budgie millet/canary seed mix (canary seed mix contains linseed aswell)

Do not feed any fruit or shop bought treats as they contain sugar/syrup/honey or molasses but the following (in very small amounts once or twice a week are safe:

Cucumber
Green bean (not peas just green beans)
Tomato
Turnip
Watercress
Cauliflower
Broccoli

If feeding any of these, only give a small piece once or twice a week and about 3-5mm in size, no bigger incase it causes issues. Feeding a little bit now and then won`t cause any dietary change.

She should be fine to switch to a new mix right away, especially if the PAH one has added sugars. :shock: They need to be told this is not good enough as feeding sugars to very young hamsters can make them more prone to diabetes later on.

Hope this helps you a little. x

[hannahbubble]

So if I put her on the Burgess straight away rather than gradually, she won't have any issues with her digestive system?

[fluffymunchkins]

I wouldn't switch over straight away, just to be on the safe side.
I'd put half and half of the old mix in first. Then stop feeding the old mix maybe when the packets run out or after a few days x

[racinghamster]

Normally I would totally agree with fluffymunckins about the 50/50 switch, but given that the Pets At Home mix is unsafe for chinese, I would switch as soon as possible because the less sugar she is absorbing, the better. Keeping a chinese (or hybrid Russian dwarf hamster) which can both be prone to developing diabetes, you have to get used to knowing what mixes are better than others and identifying the `bits` that need removing.

[hannahbubble]

Ok thanks guys! I will try and buy everything tomorrow. How much of each thing should I add, and how much food in general should I give him/her each day?

Really want to know the sex but don't want to disturb it while its settling.

[racinghamster]

I usually feed a tablespoonful of the actual hamster mix and then I add a sprinkle of the other additions like oats, buckwheat, hemp seed, budgie millet etc.... Chinese hamsters don`t tend to clear their dishes but they do `stash` food, so just check to see what he/she is eating in 24 hours and top-up when needed.

[hannahbubble]

Thank you! Do you have any other advice/tips about chinese?

I've read as much as I can on here before I got Ham, but I want to make sure it's getting the best possible life!

[racinghamster]

Chinese hamster information on the net can be misleading sometimes, but mostly factual. Some sites will say to feed fruit, when that is not correct as fruit contains fructose, a natural sugar. If your doing any research, also try typing in the genus name which is cricetulus griseus as the name, chinese hamster often just relates to typical info.

Try also not to disturb your hamster during the day as chinese, like all hamsters, prefer to sleep during the day, only coming out for a drink of some food to take back to their nests. They are more active in the evenings. So managing tharutine will be best.

[Vectis Hamstery]

Some sources of information that I have found about Chinese are Chinese Hamster (http://www.southernhamsterclub.co.uk/new/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=44:chinese&catid=38:d-hams&Itemid=55) which was written by someone whose opinion of Chinese hamsters I trust and also (toots own trumpet) Chinese Hamsters - Vectis Hamstery (http://vectishams.webs.com/chinesehamsters.htm) - there's info about sexing and handling etc. on other pages. I also found info from the Russell Tofts article useful, but the site seems to be down at the moment.

I would suggest leaving your newbie for 24-48hrs to settle and then start handling. Chinese hamsters are less likely to come and beg for cuddles so you usually have to go into the cage and get them out. I prefer to get my hamsters used to being handled and do so little and often throughout the day. Waking a hamster in the day doesn't cause harm as used to be thought (obviously, not keeping the hamster awake all day!) and helps reduce stress if your hamster has to be handled in the day, e.g. by a pet sitter or when going to the vet.

Congratulations on your new addition :)