Meet Si...hybrid ??

[mylilchichi]

This is Si he is 3 wks old.I got him(?) from a lady who bought 2 dwarf hammies last month only to realize that instead of 2 boys she had a boy and a girl and to her surprise BABIES !!! She said that at the pet store they called them Russian dwarves but as Im learning they are most likely hybrids.Im posting pics to see what you guys think.Ive looked at some pics of others and think he(?)11767 resembles campbells russian.He is so tiny.Never seen a hammie baby as my 2 I have now are a 6 month old robo and a 7 month old syrianand I got them when they were a few months old.

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[kyrilliondaemon]

Russian dwarf hams is pet-shop speak for hybrids, so yeah, they're hybrids.

[Knotty]

Three weeks old?? That's surely a little young to buy a ham??

[mylilchichi]

You know Knotty I was thinking the same thing but I wasnt sure so I went ahead and brought him home.She was giving them away.I hope he will be ok.He has been eating and drinking out of the water bottle as well as running on the wheel and exploring his new home.I think it would be for the best(I hope) bc this ones mom had babies again yesterday.I just hope Si is a boy and I didnt wind up bringing home a preggo female...Any advice on his care would be greatly accepted.

[Knotty]

Well, Hybrids need to have a diet low in sugar, so if they are on a commercial hamster mix, you should try to remove the corn and peas from their mix. They should also not have any sugary treats as these can lead to diabetes.

You need to make sure he is in a suitable cage, especially whilst he is so small.

[mylilchichi]

I did pick out the colored pieces so I guess Im good on that and he is in a bin cage.The holes in the wire are too small for him to fit through so I think Im safe on that as well.Anything else anyone can think of would be great .Im a lil nervous now...Thank you so much for your help Knotty :)

[mylilchichi]

Well Si made it through his first night here w/us :) I was up every few hours checking in on him.He spent his time by running on his wheel,eating and running through his toilet paper rolls.By the time I got up this morning he was having one last bite to eat and sip of water and off to bed he went.If anyone has any addice to give on how to care for such a young lil fellow please feel free to let me know Im willing to learn as much as I can.

[Pie]

He looks so cute and tiny! I absolutely love that colour.

[racinghamster]

He should be fine mylilchichi. He`s learned from his mum to eat and drink and use a wheel! It`s not ideal to be away from his mum so quickly as a little longer spent with his mum is beneficial to his learning skills, but now that he`s alone, he should be fine.

Diet-wise, these little hybrids benefit greatly from added protein at this young age, so you could look at adding some dry mealworms to his mix and see if your mix has protein sources like chicken meal or poultry meat/meal added? It should say on the bag analysis. Another source of protein are hemp seeds. These can be found in supermarkets or healthfood stores. They are small green seeds and taste nutty, so they are a big hit with hamsters. :)

Being in the US, I`m not sure if you guys can buy bags of small animal dried garden or wild herbs? Over here we have Burgess ranges and the Natural ranges which are wonderful, natural treats and dietery additions for fibre sources. Look in your pet stores for small bags of dried herbs especially for small animals. They are sometimes labelled for rabbits and guinea pigs but are also for degus, gerbils and small animals who would naturally nibble on grasses and plant stems/roots in the wild.

Also, buy in some budgie millet or canary mix to add. Dwarf hamsters LOVE small seeds. Millet spray sold for birds also. Just snip off a few inches and give as a treat. Dry plain porridge oats are a good fibre addition to his mix. Just a sprinkle over the top. :)