New owner and a few questions!

[melody]

Hello all,

We have just brought a baby dwarf hamster at the weekend. He was brought from a pet shop so do I assume it is a hybrid dwarf?

So far he seems fine. He comes to the front of the cage when we call him and let him run over our hands each day. My children like to hold him but I watch him closely and don't want him to nip them or for the hamster to get hurt!

Hopefuly I can do everything right to tame him and for him to be happy with us.

We had a dwarf hamster a couple of years ago but she was already tame when we got her, she lived for just over two years, this one is a bit skitty and faster!

[melody]

Oh well, thought I would get at least one reply to welcome me :roll:
Would love to know if my new hamster is a hybrid, as he is from a pet shop?

Or how I can tell? Also if I am doing the right thing by handling him each day, don't know if he likes it, he is so fast.

[jesselle]

hello - don't worry, sometimes it takes a bit of time to get a response :)

he is most likely a hybrid. i would treat any petshop dwarf as such in terms of diet (low sugar etc). you can find info on how to feed them if you do some searches of the forum.

taming - all hams are individual. if he is not showing any signs of distress, then carry on as you are. but give him plenty of chilling out time too. he needs time to settle in his new environment. i would also say don't be afraid to go back a few steps if he freaks out.

[Polo]

Hey there Melody, welcome to HC.

I've got to say I don't know much about dwarf breeds as I have only ever kept Syrians but from what I read most people think that pet shop dwarfs are hybrids.

I would say that if your hammy is happy to be handled every day and comes to you voluntarily then keep doing what you are doing. I'm taming Gizmo at the moment and I only take him out of his cage if he voluntarily comes to me or climbs into the cup I offer him, if not I just sit with the cage open and talk to him and offer him my hand and treats. There have been very few nights I've not managed to get a cuddle. You could try having bath time with him (not with water) so he can just run around you and crawl on you, Gizmo seems to enjoy that now. I put the plug in and put a fleece over the bottom of the bath, put in some of his toys and sit in there with him, it's a good way to let them get to know you if you're worried about handling them. All hammies can be fast so I don't think thats necessarily a sign he's not happy, I suspect he would let you know if he really wasn't happy.

I hope someone else can give you some more accurate dwarf info.

[melody]

Thank you for your replies!

Not sure I'm brave enought to get in the bath with him. At the moment we put a bowl in the cage and he climbs in to it then we have brougt a large plastic storage box, one of those long ones, and he goes in there with some toys.

I put my hand in and he climbs on to it then lift him up. He doesn't sit still though, he loves running around.

For treats so far he loves mealworm and walnuts. What other treats could we give?

Thanks!

[jesselle]

one thing - i don't think he will ever sit still! none of mine do :)

check the HC wiki page for foods, but rmb to avoid sugars, natural too.

[Polo]

I'm afraid this is where my knowledge of dwarfs runs out but the little playpen sounds good. :)

[DrKMcK]

Hello Melody, Welcome to Hamster Central. Pompompoms has tons of experience with the little furries and should pop up before long. :-) . I've only had one pair and all the rest have been Syrians. My pair were way quicker than my big ones and one was never really happy with being handled. I learned early on to put them in an enclosed area, just as you did. Easier to play with them that way. Search the forum on Dwarf hammies and you should find loads of info on their housing, diet and care. :-)

[Pompompoms]

Hi Melody, welcome to you and your little one. What is his name? It would be great if you could post some pics of him so we can see him, although I do understand how when they're little and not tamed pics often come out as blurs ;)

Your taming seems to be going really well so far, if he is happy to hop into the bowl, is relaxed in the playpen, and will then climb on your hand again, he is clearly settling in well and getting used to you so well done. More of the same will just encourage him more, and make him more confident with you :).

He may or may not become any more tame, each individual ham will get to a certain level of confidence and tameness that they are happy with. As I said he is doing really well so far, but he may not become a sitting snuggly ham. That doesn't mean to say he won't be happy to slowly potter about all over you though.

For treats, given he likely is a hybrid, nothing with high sugar levels so that includes fruits. As well as meal worms and nuts, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds are usually well received, as are small amounts of veg such as broccoli. Make sure the mix you have chosen for him has a low sugar content too.

I'm sure he is an absolutely gorgeous boy :D:D